Darrell Auterson will begin as president of the McKinney Economic Development Corp. on July 1.[/caption]Auterson has nearly 35 years experience as a economic development professional.
“I have done economic development on both the east and west coasts, the midwest and the southeast,” Auterson said. “This will be my first economic development position in Texas, but I have many colleagues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that I have known over the years and I am looking forward to working with my fellow Texan economic development professionals.”
Auterson most recently served as president and CEO of the York County Economic Alliance in York County, Pennsylvania as well as the York County Economic Development Corporation. During his time in Pennsylvania, Auterson facilitated projects resulting in the retention and creation of more than 14,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion of public and private investment.
Auterson has also previously held business and economic development positions in Indiana, Illinois, North Carolina and California.
“When I began looking around the country for new career opportunities, certainly Texas was at the top of the list,” he said. “I had not been to McKinney, but obviously there’s been so much that I have read about the city—like it’s quality of life and community. Then when I came here and was able to see first hand what is available it became a real no-brainer for me that I needed to make McKinney a priority.”
Auterson said his first order of business when he begins in July will be to ensure the MEDC is taking care of the existing businesses within McKinney and providing a climate in which they can grow. Second to that, he said he plans to meet with MEDC staff so he can, “hit the ground running and immediately begin working to bring new opportunities to the city.”
“Clearly it is a competitive environment and we want to make sure we are putting our best foot forward making sure we understand our product as it stands now, the product we want to have in the future and how we want to continue to grow strategically moving forward,” he said.
Auterson currently serves on the board of directors for the International Economic Development Council. He holds a Bachelor of Science in urban regional studies from Indiana State University.
