Terri Denison
Last month, Jeffrey F. Brooke was elected chairman of the Norfolk Economic Development Authority.
A member of Norfolk’s EDA since 2019, Brooke says he initially volunteered on this citizen’s board “because I was born and raised in Norfolk and have a real interest in seeing the city grow and thrive.” He says he hopes to serve in this capacity for the next couple of years.
“It’s a time-consuming position, but it comes with its own rewards,” says Brooke of Poole, Brooke, Plumlee, PC.
Among the current challenges for the city and EDA, Brooke cites re-purposing MacArthur and Military Circle malls and the development of the wind energy project with Jerry Miller’s company, Fairwinds Landing, at Lamberts Point.
The mission of the Economic Development Authority (EDA) is to create jobs, maximize the utilization of Norfolk’s real estate, foster business capital investment, increase revenue by growing the tax base, focus on efforts to build on the strengths and the needs of neighborhoods, and support minority and small businesses.