Guild President and CEO Announces Retirement
January 21, 2021 – Site Selectors Guild president and CEO Rick Weddle has announced his retirement, effective summer 2021.
Weddle joined as the Guild’s first-ever president and CEO in December 2018. Operations were previously led by a seven-person board and part-time advisor.
“The Site Selectors Guild is a much stronger organization than it was two years ago, and we thank Rick for his leadership in advancing our association,” said Jay Garner, Site Selectors Guild board chair and president of Garner Economics LLC.
Over the last two years of the Guild, the organization made tremendous advances including:
- The launch of an array of new offerings including Virtual Table Talk, the Guild Webinar Series and “One Day/One Sector” summit events;
- Dramatic success in raising Guild thought leadership with the development and promotion of the Guild’s COVID-19 impact research, the Site Selection Matters podcast, 2020 “State of Site Selection” report and national/international media results;
- The introduction of the Robert M. Ady Professional Development Scholarships and a new 2021 Annual Conference Awards Program.
Prior to the Guild, Weddle led a number of regional economic development organizations across the nation, including Hampton Roads, Virginia; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Toledo, Ohio; Stockton, California; and the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.
“The Site Selectors Guild has been an exciting and rewarding capstone to a long career in economic development, and I’m thankful to have worked alongside our board chairs, board members, and the full membership to advance the site selector profession,” said Weddle.
Chris Lloyd, Site Selectors Guild vice chair and senior vice president and director of McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC, will oversee a succession task force that will manage the search.
