TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 15, 2020 – The Tampa Bay Partnership today announced that W. Chadwick (Chad) Loar, West and Central Florida regional president for PNC Bank, has been named the 25th Chair of the regional research and public policy organization, assuming a role most recently held by David Pizzo, West Florida market president for Florida Blue. Tampa Bay Rays President Brian Auld will serve as the Partnership’s Secretary/Treasurer for fiscal year 2021, which began Oct. 1.
Additionally, T.J. Szelistowski, president of TECO Peoples Gas, will chair the Partnership’s Transportation Working Group; Nikky Flores, market executive for JPMorgan Chase, and David Dufort, director of operations for Amgen, will co-chair the Regional Talent Working Group; and Brian Butler, president and CEO of Vistra Communications, and Tim Schar, Tampa market president for SunTrust Bank (now Truist), will co-chair the newly-formed Racial Equity Task Force.
“I’m honored to serve as the Chair of the Tampa Bay Partnership during such a pivotal time for our region,” said Loar. “The challenges we’ve faced in recent months may be daunting, but they aren’t insurmountable. We have an incredible opportunity to recover from this pandemic, and also create a diverse, inclusive economy that benefits all of our residents. I look forward to working with my fellow business leaders, as well as our partners in the public and nonprofit sectors, to come back better and stronger than we were before.”
Loar currently oversees PNC Bank’s operations for a region that spans Tallahassee to Naples, and east to Orlando. He was named to the position in 2016, and previously served as a senior client manager for Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Global Commercial Banking Group. A Polk County native and Pinellas County resident, Loar has played an active role in the Tampa Bay community over the years, serving as co-chair of the Partnership’s Transportation Working Group, past president of the board of directors for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, chair of the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation, and board member for Tampa Bay Chamber. Loar also is a recent graduate of Leadership Florida 2020, and an alumnus of Leadership Tampa Class of 2013 and Tampa Connection Class of 2008.
“In a just few short years, Chad has established himself as a true leader within the Partnership and the region,” said Pizzo. “He not only brings to this role a vision for our community, but also the willingness to roll up his sleeves and do the hard work to make it happen.”
Under Pizzo’s leadership, the Partnership continued to advance the Regional Rapid Transit (RRT) project and released significant research on best practices in transit-oriented development; launched the Tampa Bay Works regional workforce initiative and became the first community in Florida to adopt the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s employer-focused Talent Pipeline Management® model; expanded the State of the Region initiative and the adoption of its annual Regional Competitiveness Report; issued more than 30 data reports tracking the impact of COVID-19 on the region; and released the 2020 Regional Equity Report, examining the deep disparities between Tampa Bay’s Black and white residents.
“Dave leaves behind a significant legacy as Chair,” said Rick Homans, president and CEO of the Partnership. “He has always wanted to ensure that the Partnership was committing its human, financial and leadership resources to the betterment of the entire community, rather than just the business community. Under his leadership, we’ve opened the aperture on the issues in which we engage, and our work will reflect his vision for years to come.”
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About the Tampa Bay Partnership
The Tampa Bay Partnership is a coalition of regional business leaders, joined by a shared commitment to improving the personal and economic well-being of Tampa Bay residents. Formally incorporated in 1994, and re-established in 2016 as a regional research and public policy organization, the Partnership works with the region’s top employers, along with a diverse group of government and nonprofit partners, to identify and address the toughest challenges facing our community, including transportation, talent, racial equity and other emerging issues.