| Deputy Mayor of Economic Development  Robert
Y. Bowman
166 South High Street, Suite 202
Akron, OH 44308
330-375-2133 (phone)
330-375-2081 (fax)
RBowman@AkronOhio.gov
Bob Bowman joined the City of Akron in June 2004. He is responsible for administrating the City’s
economic development programs which includes attraction and expansion of
commercial/industrial development in the, downtown, neighborhood business districts, city
owned industrial/office parks, the administration of city incentive programs and related
resources, and international and domestic marketing.
Bob served as a senior advisor to the president/CEO of the
Greater Akron Chamber, a regional chamber of commerce serving Summit, Medina, and Portage
counties in Ohio. His administrative duties include coordinating the business development
activities of the organization with the business services, government affairs and
workforce development functions.
His responsibilities include the direction of proactive
international and domestic marketing activities and supervision and coordination of
professionals and support staff involved in business retention/expansion activities,
customized research, prospect handling, financial assistance and export assistance.
Mr. Bowman also served as the executive director of the
three-county Community Improvement Corporation which functions as the first step, or the
inducement phase, in processing small issue industrial development bonds and housing
bonds. In addition to economic development program responsibilities, he functioned as
principal liaison with state and regional entities regarding joint economic development
activities and initiatives such as the Northeast Ohio Industries Cluster Initiative.
In the last ten years, the region exceeded $250 million in
new and expanded manufacturing investment each year and averaged 19 new plants and
expansions per year. Mr. Bowman’s staff directly assisted at least one third of the
yearly expansions/locations in the three-county region. This resulted in Site
Selection Magazine ranking the Akron, Ohio metro area 32nd in the nation
for locating new manufacturing investment between 1997 and 2000. Additionally, in June of
2002, Expansion Management Magazine ranked Akron, Ohio as 13th out of
the top 50 cities in the United States in attraction of European investment.
Bob Bowman has his Master of Science degree in community
development from the University of Louisville. He is married and has four children. |
