Guest Blog Post by Craig Hudson, GPCID board member.
Serving on the Gwinnett Place CID board for more than a year has been a great experience. Due to my relocating, I will be leaving the board in July, and while sad to leave I am glad that I was part of a community that sees potential growth in Gwinnett Place and strives to improve the greater vitality of the area every day.
I initially joined the board in 2017 because the company I worked for, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, had significant interest and excitement in the long-term direction of Gwinnett Place. I also personally wanted to be actively involved in the redevelopment of the district.
In my short time on the board, I’ve seen a great many accomplishments. The CID has enhanced the quality and visual appearance of the community, and last year alone the CID collected 4,311 bags of trash, removed 1,074 illegal signs and reported and scheduled repairs for 136 street, shopping center and traffic signal lights. I also believe the increased number of patrol officers in the area makes community members and businesses feel safer.
The biggest accomplishment I’ve seen within the CID is our efforts to rebrand and tell Gwinnett Place’s story to developers who may not be aware of all of the incentives the area has to offer. When we launched our Vision 2020 campaign last year I was excited to see the CID staff and board members educating potential investors about the facts and stats of the CID’s jobs, economic impact and availability of investable property. I have high hopes for redevelopment efforts that will take Gwinnett Place to a new level.
During my tenure, the board also helped complete many new projects, like the re-timing of all 46 traffic signals in the district, and intersection improvements at Pleasant Hill Road and Gwinnett Place Drive, Pleasant Hill Road and Club Drive, Old Norcross and Breckenridge Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road and Sweetwater Road. One of the projects I was actively involved in was the development of construction documents for the Pleasant Hill Streetscape project, and I’m looking forward to seeing that project begin later this summer.
Although my time has come to an end, I would like to see the area grow and for the board to continue to be passionate about Gwinnett Place. I truly believe that if the board continues to be vocal about what the area needs then we will see a new Gwinnett Place in the next five to 10 years.
About Craig Hudson
Craig Hudson joined the Gwinnett Place CID board of directors because he and his company both have significant interest and excitement in the long-term direction of Gwinnett Place, and he wants to be actively involved in the redevelopment of the Gwinnett Place area.
Craig is an active member of the business community, having served on numerous boards, including the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors, Atlanta Metro Chamber’s Board of Advisors and the United Way of Gwinnett’s Campaign Cabinet. Currently, Craig serves on Partnership Gwinnett’s Executive Council as Goal 2 Chair, Talent Development.
It is Craig’s hope that Gwinnett Place becomes Gwinnett County’s business, cultural and transportation center, which vibrantly connects to the Atlanta Metro Region.
Craig also graduated from Georgia Tech with a BCE in civil engineering.