EDA’s top position filled after nearly a year

“What really set him apart was the level of experience that he brings to the postion... ”Rick Novak, vice chairman of the EDA, on the hiring of Paul Carroll as the EDA’s executive director.

By William C. Flook

Paul Carroll took the helm at the Front Royal - Warren County Economic Development Authority July 1, ending nearly a year long vacancy for the executive director position. His role in the EDA, however, will be distinctly different from that of his predecessor, Stephen Heavener, who resigned July 31, 2003.

Heavener specialized in bringing large industries to Front Royal and Warren County, attracting Family Dollar in 1997 and SYSCO in 2002. Carroll’s charge , instead, will be to bring smaller, more diverse industry to Warren County.

His ultimate goal, however, remains the same.

“Our ultimate client is the people of Front Royal,” said Carroll, who plans to develop a larger tax base in the community and reduce the costs of the EDA.

Carroll, 40, a former business consultant from Massachusetts, said he intends to move development forward on 21 acres of the Avtex Fibers Superfund site and 10 acres across the street from the property, a task that will require certification from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

“ A lot depends on moving Avtex forward at least in the next six months,” said Carroll, who is receiving a salary of $95,000 in addition to performance compensation and benefits. Much of his success will hinge on EPA approval that the site is safe enough to develop.

The Avtex Fibers plant, once the world’s largest manufacturer of rayon, was declared an EPA Superfund site in 1986, and was closed for financial, environmental, and safety reasons in 1989. Since then, millions of dollars in federal funds have been invested in cleaning the site.

Carroll, who says his specialties are implementation and development, envisions new businesses moving into the site in the coming years.

Rick Novak, EDA vice chairman, says he’s optimistic about Carroll, who was selected from a large pool of applicants in May.

“What really set him apart was the level of experience that he brings to the position, his extreme intelligence, and his international background,” Novak said of Carroll.

As a business consultant for the Massachusetts Port Authority, Carroll attracted China Ocean Spring, a major Chinese company, resulting in a $4 million revenue boost for the port. “We’re hoping his overall international contacts and his professional contacts will help us to secure the best future for Avtex,” Novak said.

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