Meet the new Uptown Columbus Inc. CEO, selected from over 175 applicants

After a months-long search and vetting of over 175 applicants, Uptown Columbus Inc. and the Uptown Columbus Business Improvement District (BID) have announced the hiring of a new president and CEO.

The two groups held a press conference on Tuesday at Waveshaper Island to introduce community leaders and stakeholders to Ed Wolverton, who will start the job September 8.

The former president and CEO, Ross Horner, resigned the week of January 24 after holding the position for a little over three years. No reason was given for his departure.

Randy Lunsford has served as interim in the position since February 14.

Helena Coates, chair of Uptown Columbus Inc., said that a search committee made up of five members of the Uptown Columbus Inc. board and five members of the BID board narrowed down the 175 applicants to a top 11, putting them through a “rigorous and engaging process” before selecting Wolverton.

“The community has so much positive activity underway and I look forward to working with volunteers and other civic leaders to attract more growth to improve the local economy and make Uptown an even stronger destination,” Wolverton said.

Wolverton most recently served as the president and CEO of Wilmington Downtown Incorporated in North Carolina and has also helped revitalize the downtown areas of Greensboro, North Carolina; Wichita, Kansas; Charlotte, North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Mississippi State University.

According to his biography provided by Uptown Inc., Wolverton helped attract over $790 million in new commercial, residential and hospitality investments to downtown Wilmington.

“Ed has been involved in the International Downtown Association, which has incredible ideas and incredible leadership to help give you models of how to move your community forward, and he’s won numerous awards from this organization,” said Leah Braxton, chair of the Uptown Columbus BID board.

Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson said that the city government has a strong relationship with Uptown. His chief of staff, Richard Bishop, was hired as president of Uptown Inc. in September 2005 and was instrumental in reuniting the boards and spearheading the growth that is seen in Uptown today.

Henderson told Wolverton the city will do whatever it can to ensure he is successful.

“The momentum no longer comes in spurts, it’s sustained,” he said. “When we went into this pandemic, Columbus had a lot of momentum. Most of that momentum came from Uptown and the thing that excites me about that is, although it may have slowed down just a little bit in order for us to breathe a little easier through these masks, Uptown is going to create that momentum and drive us out of this quicker than other communities our size, I’m convinced of that.”

Wolverton is moving to Columbus with his wife Melissa, who has her own connection to the Chattahoochee Valley. Her grandparents lived in Phenix City and worked at the Eagle and Phenix textile mills.

Uptown Columbus Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is funded by event income and private contributions from corporations, individuals and foundations, and focuses on the economic development of the downtown area.

The BID, as it is commonly called, is funded by an additional tax levied on downtown property owners. It focuses on safety and cleanliness. Both organizations are involved in marketing downtown and promoting events to attract people to the area, such as Friday night concerts and Market Days.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 12:27 PM.