Buchanan Joins PEDC as New Executive Director

Pearland, TEXAS -- The new year brought new leadership to the Pearland Economic Development Corporation. Matt Buchanan began serving as the organization’s executive director in January.

Buchanan comes to Pearland after working as the senior director of business attraction and retention for the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership/Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce. There, he was responsible for business recruitment and retention efforts that attracted $1.8 billion in capital investment and the creation of more than 8,000 new jobs for the region.

“Matt’s reputation for generating powerful results made him a front runner in the selection process,” said Bill Eisen, City of Pearland city manager. “In our opinion, his experience in government relations and private investment will make him a valuable asset to the PEDC and the City of Pearland.”

Buchanan’s professional experience also includes the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he began as the director of membership development and was soon promoted to role of senior vice president of economic development. During his tenure in Iowa, he enacted many business retention programs in addition to generating $1.3 billion in capital investment and 1,885 new employment opportunities.

“Pearland is a great community to promote, and it is positioned for exceptional proactive economic development in 2010,” Buchanan said. “I look forward to the opportunity to expand our current business retention and recruitment activities and to integrate new progressive measures.”