Fort Worth and Burleson pros named two of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers

Chris Strayer

Chris Strayer, senior vice president of Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and Alex Philips, Economic Development manager for the City of Burleson, have been honored among top 50 economic developers in North America.

They were two of nine economic development professionals named from Texas, the Fort Worth Chamber said in a news release.

Consultant Connect, a Kalamazoo, Michigan, consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants, announced its 2018 list of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers Sept. 10.

“We landed a nationally-acclaimed winner when we hired Chris Strayer and recruited him here from Ohio in February,” said Bill Thornton, president & CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. “Chris has an excellent track record of facilitating regional partnerships, implementing new technology and overseeing successful recruitment and expansion programs.”

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The economic development professionals selected for the list were nominated by their colleagues in both the economic development industry and the site consultant community for excellent practices, innovation and success in building the communities they serve.

“This annual list recognizing North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers is designed to acknowledge the hard work of the top leaders in this field and elevate the conversation around economic development and job creation,” said Ron Kitchens, managing partner of Consultant Connect. “Each of the leaders represented on this year’s list are beyond deserving of this recognition for their efforts in building our communities.”

Each top 50 economic developer will be featured individually from Sept. 17 through Nov. 30 through the selected social media channels of LinkedIn and Twitter. Each of the award winners will share their expertise in the field and a few leadership insights they’ve learned along the way.

Other Texans on the list include: Amanda Nobles, Kilgore Economic Development Corp.; Dale Fowler, Victoria Economic Development Corp.: Danielle Scheiner, Greater Conroe Economic Development Council; Donna Maisel, Marshall Economic Development Corp.; Jason Ford, Houston Partnership; Kelly Violette, Tomball Economic Development Coalition, and Michele Boggs, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation.