Panel kicks off its search for DEDC director

A Downtown Economic Development Corporation subcommittee set in motion Wednesday its plans to recruit a permanent executive director to guide the group to greater visibility.

The Executive Director Search Subcommittee held its first meeting in the corporation’s new office at 308 W. Rosemary St.

Nick Didow, a member of the subcommittee and UNC business professor, has served as the corporation’s interim executive director since September.

The subcommittee focused on establishing an e-mail address through the town of Chapel Hill for receiving applications, finding proper wording for advertisements and selecting which publications to purchase ad space in.

The corporation has allocated $3,000 to fund the search.

The subcommittee intends to run ads in The (Raleigh) News & Observer, Chapel Hill News, The Carolina Times, The Carolinian and various economic newsletters.

The ads likely will account for about two-thirds of the search budget.

Subcommittee member and corporation Chairwoman Andrea Rohrbacher said she hopes the ad campaign runs efficiently.

“I really want the ads to be approved and ready to go,” she said.

Didow said he expects many to respond to the ads.

“We could easily have 100 applications returned, and 20 or 30 of those might appear to be very strong,” he said.

The application deadline for the position is March 1.

The subcommittee then will begin narrowing down the field and eventually interview finalists.

A director could be hired as soon as late March, subcommittee members said.

The subcommittee appointed Smither & Associates Inc. to render services for the search process, ranging from sending acknowledgment of received applications to job hopefuls to preliminary screening and background verification.

“I think there are many legal and procedural processes, and I would like to rely on someone more experienced,” said subcommittee member and corporation Vice Chairwoman Nancy Suttenfield.

Anita Badrock, the firm’s staffing director, said the costs of those services would be determined by Friday.

In addition to the executive director post, the Chapel Hill Town Council soon will appoint a seventh corporation member to replace former Chairman Bob Epting, who stepped down following the corporation’s violation of the N.C. Open Meetings Law in November.

The town established the corporation last July as a public body to fuse the interests of the University, town and business owners in a healthy downtown.

The corporation operates on a $210,000 budget, provided by the University, town and revenue from a downtown business tax.

The subcommittee will present a status report to the corporation at its Jan. 26 meeting.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.