John Persinger, inaugural chief executive officer of Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC), recently shared his plans to step down as CEO at the end of 2022. John and his wife, Sarah, have decided to return to Australia to raise their three children closer to family there. The couple met in Australia while he was serving as attaché to the U.S. ambassador to Australia at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra.
Persinger has been a transformational leader and change maker in downtown Erie. Named CEO of EDDC in February 2018, he has helped revitalize Erie’s downtown core through property development — increasing the amount of housing, boosting the number of businesses and enhancing quality of life in the city. Along with EDDC’s funders and partners, Persinger and his team are investing more than $110 million across three blocks which will result in more than 25 new businesses and 140 new residential units downtown.
Over the past four years, Persinger has also built a strong leadership team for the organization and positioned Erie, Pennsylvania as a model for other communities across the country. The team has preserved and restored several historic buildings, transformed vacant and underutilized spaces into vibrant community assets, created jobs through this work, laid the groundwork for hundreds of new jobs and provided opportunities for local entrepreneurs to launch new businesses. This community development project has also moved forward despite a global pandemic, worldwide supply chain shortages, significant labor challenges and inflationary pressures. EDDC’s progress has captured the attention of Congress, the White House and national media such as the Wall Street Journal and Forbes.
This leadership transition at the end of 2022 comes as several EDDC projects are approaching their first year in operation and block two projects begin to take shape downtown. The Flagship City Food Hall and Flagship City Public Market opened in 2021 and a ground-up development consisting of 30 apartments, a rock-climbing gym and 300-space parking garage is expected to be completed in early 2023. In addition, the EDDC has hosted cultural events, activities and public art installations intended to create a vibrant downtown.
The EDDC is in a strong position today, thanks to Persinger’s vision and leadership. The board and staff will continue to build upon the foundation he and his team have created to continue transforming the City of Erie’s downtown core and spark revitalization across the region. With the most significant development projects complete or under construction and key financing now in place, it’s also time for a natural transition and a shift toward property management, hospitality and programming.
Working closely with Persinger, the EDDC Board of Directors will immediately begin the process of searching for the organization’s next leader.
