The Significance behind the Hiring of Shreveport’s DDA Director
The appointment of a new CEO of the Shreveport Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is an event that bears comparable significance to choosing the city’s next mayor. This is why the DDA Board ought to carry out a comprehensive national search to find the most competent individual to head the organization. Exceptional talent is a rare and expensive asset. Hence, the local governing bodies should ensure the DDA has the necessary means to offer a competitive salary enticing enough to draw the best candidates.
The Role of the Incoming DDA Director
The newly hired individual, once on board, should be equipped with adequate resources to assemble an efficient team. The role this position plays is crucial, considering the imminent influx of a whopping $8 billion in unrestrained infrastructure funding from the federal government that Louisiana is set to benefit from.
The availability of this once-in-a-lifetime funding is specifically designed for ready-to-go projects that stimulate economic development. This entails the need for a CEO gifted with a proven record of collaborating with developers to craft large-scale public-private collaborations.
In addition, the future CEO must come prepared with strategies to aid downtown property owners in repurposing their vacant storefronts and towers. This feat will inevitably foster the growth of existing downtown businesses and attract new ones.
Call for a National Search
This is not the appropriate time to turn inward when seeking the next DDA CEO. Local aspirants intimidated by the prospect of a national search likely lack the qualifications for the job. Over the past three decades, Shreveport, like many other cities, has been impacted by globalization and an increased concentration of financial, cultural, and intellectual capital in coastal cities.
Post-pandemic, even renowned global cities including New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC have been compelled to reimagine their once vibrant downtowns, as the work-from-home trend becomes an inescapable reality of the American workforce.
However, our downtown possesses unique assets that few cities can utilize in their redevelopment efforts. Shreveport’s downtown is beautifully nestled between two riverfronts. The Red River is home to a pair of casinos now eligible for expansion into land-based gaming. Cross Bayou is an untouched riverscape whose potential is confined only by our collective imagination. Coupled with a world-class food scene that matches any across the nation, Shreveport’s downtown glows with bursting potential.
However, the word ‘potential’ has been misconstrued to mean ‘do nothing’. But when it comes to life, timing is everything. It is imperative that we heed State Senator Sam Jenkins’ words on the selection of a new leader for DDA: “We have to get this right”.