ERIE, Pa., July 11, 2023 – Venture capital attorney and local entrepreneur Drew Whiting has been named the next CEO of the Erie Downtown Development Corporation (EDDC), effective July 17.
Whiting, who relocated to Erie from Chicago in 2021, is currently a partner in the Corporate and Securities Group at Scale, LLP and brings extensive experience in equity investing, fund formation, real estate, technology and venture capital to EDDC’s leadership role.
As a local entrepreneur and managing principal of Tenth and State, LLC, Whiting has also been active in the Erie region, acquiring and developing a commercial building at the southwest corner of 10th and State Street, chairing the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership’s ICE Angel Fund and serving on the board of directors for Erie’s Black Wall Street.
“The progress EDDC has made over the past few years has been nothing short of incredible, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Tim NeCastro, founding board president of EDDC. “Drew’s experience in law with a focus on business investments, combined with his demonstrated commitment to Erie’s renaissance through his entrepreneurial pursuits and community involvement, made him the perfect person for the job. I’m confident that Drew and the rest of the EDDC team will continue building momentum for this transformational work and I’m excited for the future of downtown Erie.”
The appointment of a new EDDC leader follows the July 2023 departure of inaugural CEO John Persinger. Last year, Persinger announced that he and his wife, Sarah, decided to return to Australia to raise their three children closer to family there.
As the next CEO, Whiting will help advance EDDC’s continued revitalization of 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 of Erie. Along with EDDC’s funders and partners, the organization is investing more than $110 million across three blocks, which will result in more than 25 new businesses and 140 new residential units downtown.
“It’s a privilege to join the EDDC team, whose work inspired me to get involved in the community and invest in Erie’s downtown,” said Whiting. “Strong downtown cores benefit residents, businesses, schools, community organizations and the overall region. The work of John Persinger and his team, backed by the commitment and support of EDDC’s stakeholders, has helped put Erie’s downtown on a path toward sustained revitalization. I’m grateful to help continue that work.”
In 2014, Whiting co-founded Breakpoint Ventures in Chicago, a network of professionals across a diverse array of industries who support seed-stage capital investments in growth stage companies. Prior to joining Scale, LLP, he also served as an attorney and partner at various law firms in Chicago.
Whiting earned his Bachelor of Business Administration and Finance from the University of Notre Dame and his Juris Doctor in Tax and International Law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
The EDDC leadership transition comes as several EDDC projects are moving into their second year of operation and “block two” projects continue 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 later this year.
