Harold R. Davis
PRESIDENT, NEW ENGLAND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
Hal Davis is President of New England Economic Development Corp., a consulting firm representing municipalities, developers, and businesses that seek to utilize local, state and federal financial programs fostering economic development. These include the qualification and sale of Brownfields tax credits, tax increment and special assessment financing and general obligation and revenue bond tax-exempt financing. These programs and techniques are often used to fund redevelopment or public infrastructure supporting private real estate development. In the last several years, Hal has qualified some sixty Brownfield remediation project for Massachusetts tax credits. Hal has worked in various aspects of economic development for over thirty years. He also serves in an Of Counsel capacity with the Boston law firm of Davis, MalmD’Agostine, P.C.
Representative clients of New England Economic Development include: the City of Quincy, the Towns of Norwood, Stoughton, and Southbridge, IKEA, Boston Scientific Corporation, The Congress Group, Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, Equity Residential, Partners Health Care, Samuels & Associates, National Development, Target, and others.
Hal is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the Georgetown University Law Center and has previously been approved as a Certified Economic Developer by the American Economic Development Council. Hal lives in Douglas, Massachusetts where he was in 2011 elected as a Selectman. He had served as Chairman of the Town’s Economic Development Commission and a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
George A. Ramirez
executive vice president, mass development – devens operations
As executive vice president of Devens operations, George Ramirez oversees the continued redevelopment of the former military base into an economic engine for north central Massachusetts. Mr. Ramirez brings nearly two decades of expertise to MassDevelopment. He worked most recently as deputy director and general counsel in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, where he played a key role in managing six agencies and more than 80 fulltime employees.
George has also facilitated state support for economic development, chaired the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, served as a member of the Emerging Technology Fund Advisory Committee and coordinated the Governor’s Development Cabinet. In addition to his service as a member of the Lowell City Council, Mr. Ramirez has also run a private law practice for six years.
A resident of Lowell, he holds a B.A. from UMass-Lowell and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, where he has served as a member of the Board of Trustees.
EILEEN ROGAN
EDIP PROGRAM MANAGER, massachusetts office of business development
Eileen is the Program Manager of the Economic Development Incentive Program housed in the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. The Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP) is a tax incentive program designed to foster full-time job creation and stimulate business growth throughout the Commonwealth. Participating companies may receive state and local tax incentives in exchange for full-time job creation, manufacturing job retention, and private investment commitments.
The Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD) is the agency committed to assisting companies who want to locate, expand, grow, or maintain a presence in Massachusetts. Through six regional offices, MOBD works with companies and municipalities to help them take advantage of available economic incentive programs that are available. MOBD also assists companies in navigating and accessing the technical, human, financial, training, educational and siting resources necessary to expand or locate in Massachusetts.
Eileen joined the Massachusetts Office of Business Development in early 2012. Prior to public service, she worked in Events Management at the American Cancer Society and Newton-Wellesley Hospital Charitable Foundation. . Eileen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Elon University in North Carolina.
WILLIAM REYELT
PRINCIPAL PLANNER, SMART GROWTH PROGRAMS, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Bill Reyelt joined the Department of Housing and Community Development in 1997. Over the years he has worked on a variety of DHCD programs and initiatives, including Urban Renewal, CDBG, sustainable development, Chapter 40B and the Local Initiative Program. While Bill continues to provide general outreach, training and assistance on 40B, he is currently the Smart Growth Program Coordinator, primarily assisting with the administration of Chapter 40R, the Smart Growth Zoning and Housing Production Act, and the Department’s companion initiative, Compact Neighborhoods.
Bill is a graduate of the University of Vermont and holds a M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University.