THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270697
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MYLENE MANGALINDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce named an economic development official from Georgia to its top post at Forward Hampton Roads on Thursday.
Hans J. Gant, a senior vice president for economic development at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, will on March 1 step in as president of Forward Hampton Roads, the regional economic development arm of the chamber of commerce.
Gant, a German native, succeeds Gregory H. Wingfield, who left Forward Hampton Roads in July 1994 to head up the Greater Richmond Partnership Inc., a private-public economic development agency formerly known as the Metropolitan Richmond Economic Development Partnership.
More than 100 candidates were recruited for the Forward Hampton Roads position by Executive Resource Group, an executive search firm in Crownsville, Md., near Annapolis. With members of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce's search committee, the field of applicants was narrowed to eight finalists.
Gant's experience in both the private and public sectors and then in economic development appealed to the chamber's selection committee, said chamber President John A. Hornbeck Jr. ``What Hans has is a richness of experience that's extremely beneficial to our needs.''
A graduate of Georgia's Columbus College with a degree in city planning and development, Gant has worked in both the public and private sectors in Columbus.
He served as the principal planner in Columbus' community development department for two years after college. He worked as director of city planning for the Columbus Consolidated Government from 1979 to 1983 before moving into the real estate development business.
As a vice president at the Jordan Company, a commercial real estate firm, he managed the company's residential and multi-use programs in Columbus. In 1990, he moved into the economic development field to his present position with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.
According to the 1990 census, Columbus has a population of 179,278 and ranks 93rd among the 100 most populous U.S. cities. In comparison, Norfolk has a population of 261,250 and ranks 62nd, and Virginia Beach, with 393,089 in population, ranks 37th.
Hampton Roads is the 28th largest metropolitan area nationally. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Gant
by CNB