Robert C. Farley was hired Sept. 4 to serve as the first economic development director for the city of Grapevine.

"Grapevine is excited and fortunate to bring in a professional of Bob's caliber to serve as our first economic development director," Grapevine City Manager Bruno Rumbelow said in a press release. "Bob will serve a vital role in identifying key business prospects and then creating and executing successful marketing campaigns to attract those businesses here. With his talent for innovation, extensive experience and knowledge of economic development trends, coupled with Grapevine's unique attributes, we expect to be very successful in this new initiative."

Among his duties, Farley will oversee the master plan and marketing for the 185-acre land parcel acquired in December by the city near Grapevine Mills. He will also work on the development of a future TEX Rail station and raising Grapevine's profile with strategically identified end-user markets, such as hospitality and entertainment. Guiding greenfield and infill development accordingly to meet the community's development objectives will also be a key priority for Farley and the city.

Farley last served as a partner with Greyhill Advisors in Austin, where he worked with corporate, public-sector and real estate industry clients on site selection and strategic support for companies expanding services or entering or evaluating new markets. He also worked for Hillwood Development in Fort Worth and Deloitte & Touche's Atlanta office in development and site-selection roles.