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Greater Washington Initiative Names
Matt Erskine as Executive Director
Regional Marketing Organization Strengthens for Region’s Future

Washington, DC; May 14, 2008 – The Greater Washington Board of Trade announced today that it has hired Matt Erskine as the new executive director of the Greater Washington Initiative (GWI), the region’s marketing, research and economic development organization. Erskine will assume his new role on July 7.

Erskine was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and grew up in Fairfax County, Virginia. He formerly held the position of deputy secretary of commerce and trade from 2002 to 2005 under then Virginia Governor Mark Warner. Before coming to the Board of Trade, he was the president of PLAY, a management consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia specializing in advising senior management of Fortune 500 companies in areas of business strategy, change management and organizational development. He has also worked in Washington, D.C. for several years in positions at Korn/Ferry International and Coopers & Lybrand Consulting (now IBM Business Consulting).

“GWI is one of the few places where economic development officials, business leaders and elected officials come together to jointly market Greater Washington,” said Sam Schreiber, chairman of GWI’s Board of Trustees. “Matt brings business and government experience and a knowledge of the Greater Washington region that will be invaluable to building collaborative relationships and marketing the region as a premier business destination.”

Over the last 15 years, GWI has produced high-quality research on Greater Washington’s economy and marketed the region to company representatives and site location consultants. GWI touts Greater Washington as economically diverse and highly educated with access to the federal government and a superb quality of life.

Erskine will focus on solidifying a strategic focus for the organization, increasing private sector investment to grow GWI’s annual budget and cultivating relationships with business executives, elected officials and local economic development partners to influence site selectors and company decision makers.

“Matt is exactly the type of person we were looking for to lead GWI,” said Terry Holzheimer, director of Arlington Economic Development and chairman of GWI’s Area Business Development Officials Committee (ABDOC). “He understands the regional dynamic, understands what businesses need as they consider where to locate, and already has existing relationships with local economic development officials throughout the region.”

“We are very pleased that someone of this caliber will lead this important regional effort,” commented Jim Dinegar, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. “GWI and the Board of Trade will work closely together to ensure that we are not only focused on maintaining a positive business climate for Greater Washington’s existing companies, but effectively telling our story to recruit new companies to the region.”

GWI’s public and private sector leadership has spent the last six months reviewing the organization’s focus, interviewing stakeholders, and conducting a funding feasibility assessment to ensure that GWI’s new leader would have a clear understanding of the role the organization should play in promoting Greater Washington. Overwhelmingly, the message heard, and the message passed along to Erskine: provide high-quality research, use it to aggressively market the region domestically and internationally, and offer assistance to local jurisdictions when appropriate to attract companies and close the deal.

Erskine is ready for the challenge. “I look forward to returning to Greater Washington and connecting to the region in a way that will help it grow and prosper. GWI is on the move and will be out there as never before, providing value and visibility as the leading marketing entity for this region. Relationships and collaboration across public and private sector partners will be central to our growth and success.”

The Greater Washington community will have the opportunity to meet Erskine when he is in town for GWI’s annual meeting on June 4th. At that time, GWI will also release the 2008 Regional Report, its annual signature publication which highlights Greater Washington as a great place to live, work and play. For more information, go to www.greaterwashington.org.

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The Greater Washington Initiative (GWI) is the regional marketing and economic development organization that promotes the area encompassing the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland as a premier business location. GWI is an affiliate of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. For more info, visit www.greaterwashington.org.

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Greater Washington Initiative
(202) 857-5999