Gilroy
 – Any resume submitted for Gilroy’s top economic development
opening should have a bullet point showing the hopeful’s ability to
attract high-paying jobs, according to leaders of the nonprofit
Gilroy Economic Development Corporation.
The city’s former economic development director, Bill
Lindsteadt, died in January after nine years in the position. He is
widely credited for the rapid commercial expansion east of U.S.
Gilroy – Any resume submitted for Gilroy’s top economic development opening should have a bullet point showing the hopeful’s ability to attract high-paying jobs, according to leaders of the nonprofit Gilroy Economic Development Corporation.
The city’s former economic development director, Bill Lindsteadt, died in January after nine years in the position. He is widely credited for the rapid commercial expansion east of U.S. Highway 101, and for laying the groundwork for the next wave of development, which officials hope will bring jobs in the research and technology sector.
An applicant with a track record in such areas will stand out, according to Vic Vanni, president of the EDC board of directors.
“I think job creation is a biggie — as opposed to retail,” he said. “We have to start to get some higher-paying, high-tech types of jobs. And I know the mayor is looking to have someone really be an advocate for downtown.”
The EDC hopes to find a permanent director by June, according to Vanni. Former Chamber of Commerce board president Jane Howard is serving as interim director while the EDC board conducts the hiring process.
“It’s hard work no doubt,” said Howard, who has spent a month as director. “Many times we have individuals come in and they have a straightforward idea and they ask if it will work. It takes a lot of coordination of many players to make things happen.”
Howard is considering applying for the full-time position.
If she applies for the job, she will have to compete with candidates a newly established EDC recruitment committee turns up. The group already has two names on its list that were suggested by Linsteadt, who had planned to retire by the end of 2005.
“They’re a couple of economic development professionals in other cities,” said Patti Hale, head of the recruitment committee. “If Bill thought they were good, then that’s OK.”
In coming weeks, the committee also will advertise the position on the city’s cable television station and web site. They also will run advertisements in CALED Bulletin, issued by the California Association for Local Economic Development, and Western Cities, a publication of the League of California Cities.
“We decided not to do major newspapers,” Hale said. “We decided to target the economic development professional. We want somebody with marketing experience, real estate experience, commercial-industrial experience.”
The recruitment subcommittee will send questionnaires to about 10 candidates “that we think are a good fit,” Hale said. Their responses will help narrow the field to three or four candidates, who will go before a panel of representatives from the EDC board of directors, Chamber of Commerce, citizens, and city officials.
The interview process will resemble the first time around, Hale said. Candidates will have to answer a number of questions from the panel, conduct a mock presentation of a development proposal, and write an advertisement intended to attract businesses to Gilroy.
Hale is not new to the hiring process. She co-founded the Gilroy EDC in 1996 and coordinated the first search for a director.
“We got Bill,” she said. “We hope we can get someone just as good.”
