The executive committee of the Akron Regional Development Board has named Daniel C. Colantone as the ARBD’s new president and CEO.
Colantone replaced Richard Erickson, who left in July to lead the newly created Northeast Ohio Regional Business Coalition.
Colantone most recently headed the Manhattan, Kan., Chamber of Commerce. Manhattan has a population of 44,000; its chamber’s budget is approximately $1 million.
Colantone, who is from Youngstown, says he has no plans to deviate from the ARDB’s set business plan for the year 2000. Its fiscal year starts in March.
“For the first 90 days, I will evaluate where we are and where my experience and background might be able to help support those tactics and strategies,” he says.
Colantone plans to solicit feedback from the business community on how well the ARDB has met its past goals.
“I’ll spend a lot of my time out in the community, to get a better understanding from the perspective of our business leadership what their expectations are, and what they’ve felt in the past about the ARDB,” he says.
Colantone has held marketing and economic development positions with chambers in Dayton and Raleigh, N.C.
