After a three-month search for an executive director and CEO, the Allen Economic Development Corp. decided that the best candidate was already on staff. Dan Bowman, a 10-year veteran of the AEDC, has been named to the permanent post. He replaces Harry Whalen, who resigned earlier this year.
A search firm narrowed 50 candidates to 12, which the AEDC board then narrowed to five individuals from North Texas, Houston, and Wyoming.
“The board really focused in on management style and leadership qualities as we reviewed the candidates,” said Scott Sutherland, chairman. “We didn’t want a sales guy, so to speak. We wanted someone who knew how to lead an organization and manage people and understood the corporate environment.”
Sutherland said the national search was a critical process that solidified Bowman as the best person for the job. “He was a real standout in the process and during the five months he served as interim executive director,” said Sutherland. “Dan is connected with an extensive network in (DFW). He is trending as a major player in the economic development arena, and he is ambitious, innovative, progressive, and creates energy in an organization.”
Bowman has managed a number of Allen economic development projects, including the relocation earlier this year of California-based MonkeySports, the leading online retailer of hockey and lacrosse equipment in the U.S., which will create 200-plus jobs in Allen. Also this year, he represented Allen on the $26 million KONE relocation to AllenPlace.
Previously, he was the lead economic development representative on the $500 million Cisco Systems Data Center, a project that received the Community Economic Development Award from the Texas Economic Development Council. Bowman also led the recruitment of PFSweb’s corporate headquarters and 450 employees to Allen in 2012. A year prior, Bowman recruited Frontier Communications to lease 85,000-sf of vacant office space in Allen and relocate more than 750 employees.
The city has undergone a significant transformation over the past few decades, Bowman said. “I’ve been a part of this community for a long time, and I’ve seen Allen grow from a smaller residential community to a thriving center of business with regional shopping and dining amenities that rival any other high-end (regional) city,” he said.
Moving forward, Bowman intends to focus on spearheading AEDC office developments, including AllenPlace and Allen Central Park, as well as commercial development opportunities along the Sam Rayburn Tollway. He will be filling key support positions and launching marketing initiatives to increase the visibility of Allen as a location for corporate headquarters.
