Mr. Craig Richard

Craig J. Richard is President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council (EDC), the designated lead economic development organization for companies seeking to expand or locate in Hillsborough County, Florida. Craig is a certified economic developer (CEcD) with over two decades of economic development leadership experience in major markets such as Atlanta, Houston and Dallas. He is a collaborative leader with strengths in marketing, business development, entrepreneurial development, workforce development, global commerce and strategic planning. Over his career, he has announced over 389 successful projects representing more than 134,164 jobs and $10.6 billion in capital investment. Craig earned his Master of Urban and Regional Planning, with a concentration in economic development, from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston. He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and completed executive education programs at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. Craig served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and was designated a fellow member (FM) and honorary lifetime member (HLM) by IEDC for his contributions to the economic development profession. He currently serves as vice chair of Film Tampa Bay, and serves on the boards of the Tampa Bay Chamber, Visit Tampa Bay, Downtown Tampa Partnership and the Straz Performing Arts Center. He was recognized as one of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers by Consultant Connect, Florida’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders by Florida Trend, Tampa Bay Business Journal Power 100, MacDill AFB Honorary Commander and is a member of Leadership Florida’s – Executive Class 11. Married with two children, Craig enjoys golf, bowhunting, fishing and grilling.