William Russell

Certified Economic Developer
Senior Public Service Associate

Bill Russell has been an economic development consultant and downtown development specialist at the University of Georgia for more than 18 years, serving numerous communities across the state of Georgia. His specialties include downtown development, downtown development authority training, strategic planning, leadership development, retail recruitment, business retention and small town rejuvenation.

Bill assists cities with the activation, training and strategic planning for projects by downtown development authorities and other community groups. He has successfully helped many local development projects get funded through available grant and loan programs. He has extensive experience with rural and urban cities around the state and also has conducted seminars and work sessions for communities in Florida, Alabama, and Colorado.

He has more than 25 years experience in retail management, which includes owning four import stores and serving as president of the Albany Mall Merchants Association, the Valdosta Mall Merchants Association, and the National World Bazaar Franchise Association representing 335 franchised and company-owned stores.

He also is very experienced in establishing and maintaining façade grant programs, façade easement programs, and local low-interest fixed-asset loan programs. He has helped numerous cities obtain and implement market analyses for business recruiting.

A few of the Georgia cities he has assisted include:

• Parrott, Ga. — Bill helped develop plans to renovate and recruit businesses, transforming a once vacant downtown into one that is fully occupied.
• Plains, Ga. — He helped form a non-profit corporation to redevelop the town and worked with the non-profit to undertake renovations that created a restaurant,  seven-room inn, antique mall, café, community center, the Billy Carter Museum and expansion of a metal furniture manufacturing plant.
• Zebulon, Ga. — He helped activate and train the downtown development authority and then assisted them with plans to redevelop the West side of the town square, obtain and implement a market analysis, and recruit new businesses.
• Vienna, Ga.  — Bill assisted with the acquisition of three contiguous buildings (known as the Eldago Building) that will be restored as well as with the relocation of three new businesses into the Lockerman Building.
• Bainbridge, Ga.  — He worked with a developer to restore the Bonaire Hotel, develop plans and recruit an antique dealer.
• Moultrie, Ga.  — He worked with the Bainbridge-developer to locate funding to transform the Hotel Colquitt into a mixed-use facility now known as Colquitt Towers.

Bill earned a Masters degree in business management and a second masters in social administration. He is a past recipient of the University of Georgia Business Outreach Services Consultant of the Year award. The University of Georgia recognized his outstanding service by awarding him the 2001 Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Public Service. He also has served as adjunct faculty at Georgia Southwestern State University and Darton College.

Publications

Economic Development Module, Leadership Training
Manual on Downtown Revitalization