PDC Adds Development Manager, Economic Development Director

PORTLAND-The Portland Development Commission had made two important hires this month. Lewis “Lew” Bowers has joined the Portland Development Commission (PDC) as Senior Development Manager and Martha “Marty” Schwab Harris has come on board as econimic development director.

Bowers, most recently the City of Eugene’s community development director, will be responsible for large-scale and complex redevelopment projects, district-wide planning and coordination with other City Bureaus and City Council. Bowers will have specific responsibilities for the management of PDC projects and programs in downtown Portland and will direct the work of PDC’s downtown target area team. He will report to PDC’s Development Director Abe Farkas.

While in Eugene, Bowers took a leadership role in creating a financing plan for a new downtown library, helped create a vision and themes for revitalizing the downtown area, created innovative mixed-use projects and helped site a new $70 million federal courthouse downtown. Prior to Eugene, Bowers worked as Director for the Office of Economic Development in New Haven, Connecticut. There, he facilitated over $80 million in small business financing for over 100 firms – creating or retaining over 3,000 jobs – and started an innovative public equity investment program.