Background

Want proof that connections matter? Todd joined Development Counsellors International in 2002 after kindergarten friend – and DCI vice president – Karyl Leigh Barnes introduced him to the world of marketing places. Prior to DCI, Todd spent three years headhunting technical talent in New York City. Todd studied journalism on the banks of the Hudson River at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Todd's Passion for Places

Todd was a latecomer to the world of travel. Seventeen when he held his first boarding pass (Wilkes-Barre to Orlando, layover in Pittsburgh), he didn’t board a plane again until he was 25. Instead, he spent his early years fantasizing about other people’s travel. Stocking shelves at the local grocery store, Todd wondered about the lives of the summer campers, kayakers and bikers who flooded his small Catskills town. “What do these people do? What’s life like in Brooklyn, in King of Prussia, in Lodi?”

Now that travel is a constant in his life, it’s still the personal angle that excites him most about “places.” Todd believes that everyone deserves a safe and vibrant community to call home, a place where they can reach their dreams. Economic developers provide this for the places they call home. Todd is proud to represent these places, but more importantly, he's honored to partner with the wonderful people who work to bring prosperity to their communities.

Notable Results

• Representing Forward Wisconsin, Todd dove head first into the Bureau of Labor Statistics and uncovered that Wisconsin was leading all states in the creation of manufacturing jobs. Todd placed this story in Inc. magazine and the Wisconsin governor highlighted it in his State of the State address.

• National Grid is a major supporter of upstate New York’s semiconductor industry. On behalf of National Grid, Todd secured more than 15 placements in business and trade publications, such as BusinessWeek, Investor’s Business Daily and Semiconductor International that featured how this region has transformed itself into a major destination for nanotechnology.

• On behalf of the Beacon Council, Todd attracted 13 members of the international press to Miami to showcase the city as an epicenter for world trade. This trip resulted in worldwide coverage of Miami’s influential and thriving business climate, including pieces in Les Echos and Der Tagesspiegel.