From being Former Resident to Testifying in Front of Congress, City Manager Pat Ford's Journey is Unique
By Jeff Toquinto on October 18, 2024
- At his most recent job in Buffalo, which was a company Frontier Group, Ford closed approximately $800 million in deals, working with government agencies, local communities, and the private sector to acquire and clean up dormant industrial properties and get them back on the tax rolls.
- As Executive Director of the Marion County (KY) Industrial Development Corporation, he oversaw the purchase and removal of the Jane & Linda Building, an old textile mill that stood as a blight for 20 years at the entrance to the City of Lebanon. Previously considered an impossible task, Ford not only orchestrated the removal of the eyesore, but held a well-received and attended public ceremony on the property to honor all the people who had worked at the manufacturing company during its heyday as the economic driver for the area.
- At the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle (West Virginia), Ford oversaw the purchase of a blighted industrial property in every community in Brooke and Hancock counties and, in the process, grew the BDC's total assets from $356,000 to $9.4M and total net income from $36,000 to $1.6M.
- During that time, Ford was featured in the Wall Street Journal's Deal of the Week section for the purchase of the former Wheeling Pitt steel mill in Beach Bottom.
- He was appointed by Gov. Earl Tomblin to the Board of Trustees at West Liberty University, where he served as Chairman. In May 2017, Ford was asked to be the keynote speaker at the University and was awarded an honorary doctorate from WLU.
- Served as keynote speaker at the National Brownfields Conference and the West Virginia Brownfields Conference, as well as serving as a speaker and leader for several student organizations including Leadership Fayette County, Bethany College Kalon Scholarship Program, the Pittsburgh Leadership Academy. Ford also served as a summer camp counselor for the Hancock County 4-H.
- Served as chair of the 2017 United Way Campaign for Hancock County.
- Honored as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Weirton Rotary Club for his service to 4-H, the Weirton United Way, and Hancock County.
- Traveled to Japan in 2016 with a group of West Virginia leadership including governors Earl Ray Tomblin and Gaston Caperton to celebrate the 25th anniversary of economic partnership between the two countries.
- Received the 2019 Brownfield Development Award from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
- Was named the 2017 WV Small Business Champion of the Year by the West Virginia Small Business Development Center on behalf of the United States Small Business Administration.
- Taught leadership and planning for teens at the Governor's Honors Academy in 2009.
- Participated in the 2000 Class of Leadership West Virginia.