Earlier this week, Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) President and CEO Bart Phillips announced his resignation, effective May 23.
Phillips, who did not return calls for comment by press time, said in a written statement that he’s leaving his 11 year post at the CREDC to pursue other opportunities.
News of Phillips’ departure was solemnly received by the economic development council’s board of directors.
“The staff was saddened to see the leadership change, but they are very professional and prepared to provide that extra effort and insight to keep the organization functioning as if Bart was still there,” explained Eric Fuller, CREDC chairman and president of Vancouver-based Eric Fuller & Associates, a commercial real estate firm.
Fuller said he doesn’t foresee any kind of slowdown at the CREDC in Phillips’ absence, though he admitted the leadership change comes at a trying time.
“This community has many challenges coming out of the recession and there will never be a good time to have a change in leadership,” said Fuller. “However, it’s manageable and the CREDC is fortunate to have an extremely diverse public/private board that is prepared to put in the extra time to keep the ship running in the right direction.”
In the coming months, Fuller said the CREDC will get more involved in forming the county’s new strategic plan – a process that started last December when the council hired TIP Strategies, an Austin-based consulting firm, to gather data and to conduct interviews.
“I think we are just peering outside the ‘analyzing data’ phase,” said Fuller. “We are now hoping to simulate that data into goals and actions.
“I would suspect over the summer and fall the [strategic] plan will be delivered to the community for debate.”
Meanwhile, the search for a new CREDC president will begin immediately – a process Fuller said could take more than six months.
“The search will take time,” he said. “It will be bigger than local; bigger than Northwest. It will be a West Coast type search.”
While each of the economic development council’s 41 board members have wished Phillips the very best in his future endeavors, Fuller said a change at the top can be a positive thing.
“New leadership brings new ideas and new skill sets,” said Fuller. “We’re looking forward to the board selecting the right person so that the community can achieve its economic goals.”
