Gainesville EDC Announces New Executive Director
May 18, 2022
GAINESVILLE, TX – The City of Gainesville City Council on May 17th unanimously approved an employment contract between the Gainesville Economic Development Corporation (GEDC) and William Myers II for the position of Executive Director.
"It's an exciting time for economic development in the City of Gainesville and we are thrilled to have William join the team as our new Executive Director of the Gainesville EDC," said Mayor Tommy Moore after the council meeting.
"William's credentials and his experience in both Bridgeport and Denison made this an easy decision for the GEDC board. We are confident that his experience and energy will help lead Gainesville into the next era of economic success," said Ryan Morris, CEO of First State Bank and President of the GEDC Board of Directors.
Myers is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) with over 16 years of experience and will be replacing Audrey Schroyer as the Executive Director starting Tuesday, May 31st. In Bridgeport and Denison, Myers worked on projects assisting 52 companies generating $225M+ private investment and 4,075+ jobs in addition to an array of industrial and commercial site development, downtown redevelopment, marketing campaigns, small business development, and workforce initiatives.
“Gainesville is an excellent community with wonderful opportunities downtown, along the corridors and all throughout the city,” said Myers. “Securing Strategic Rail in Gateway Industrial Park is a terrific achievement, clearly showing high quality, high impact development can be accomplished in Gainesville and Cooke County. I am looking forward to leading GEDC and being part of the City of Gainesville’s team.” Myers added, “My wife and I are eager to make the move and get involved in the community.”
The GEDC staff and board members will be hosting an open house for William and his wife Kelly on June 1st from 4pm-6pm at the First State Bank Conference Center, located at 837 E California St. Gainesville, TX 76240. The public is invited to welcome William and his family to Gainesville and his role as the new Executive Director for the GEDC.
Current Executive Director Audrey Schroyer announced her resignation from the position at the April 26th board meeting, citing that for personal and family reasons, her family is relocating to North Carolina. Schroyer has accepted the position of Economic Development Specialist for the Granville County Economic Development Office in Oxford, NC. Her last day as the GEDC Executive Director is June 3rd, 2022.
"I have enjoyed every minute of my time here in Gainesville and I'm excited to watch the GEDC's success under William's leadership," said Schroyer. "I am grateful for the board's support in my family's decision to relocate; we could not have asked for a better community to be a part of the last two years."
Under Schroyer's leadership, the GEDC successfully negotiated the sale of Gateway Industrial Park to Strategic Rail Industrial Services, an estimated $274 million impact and addition of an estimated 2,300 jobs, not including the end-user tenants who will begin occupying the industrial park over the next two years.
ABOUT GAINESVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The GEDC is a Type B EDC formed in 1994, funded by ¼ of 1% of the sales and use tax for the City of Gainesville to assist in industrial and economic growth through targeted attraction and recruiting efforts and retaining existing primary employers.