From the Director: Five Questions with AED’s New Director

December 7, 2022 | By Cara O'Donnell

Arlington Economic Development welcomed Ryan Touhill as its new Director on November 28, 2022. Touhill, most recently of Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP), brings a wealth of experience in economic development and local government. He shared some of his thoughts and plans for Arlington’s business community.

What brought you to Arlington?

There were three main things. The first was the ability to take on a director-level role and help lead an organization. After working to support Alexandria’s CEO for the better part of five years, it was exciting for me to be able to step up into this leadership position.

The second is to continue my work in local government. I’ve been working in local government for my entire career and in economic development for the past seven years, and I really enjoy that work and the impact I can make on the community.

And the third is the chance to come work for Arlington County. It’s a premier organization here in the Northern Virginia region. AED has been very successful over the past couple of years, so to be able to come in and work for an organization and a community that values that proactive approach to government was exciting to me.

What can you bring to the role and the department?

For the department, I think I bring a wealth of leadership experience that I gained while working for my former organization, AEDP. There, I learned valuable lessons in crisis management during the pandemic and more recently led an effort to realign the organization. I’m looking forward to leveraging that experience to advance AED’s priorities. As for the role in the County in general, I’m excited to rejoin local government service and contribute my knowledge and experience to the County’s leadership team. Economic development is one of the few ways a local government can generate revenue, and it will continue to be a critical function in the years ahead. By enabling AED’s success, I am hoping we can contribute to the overall success of the County.

That being said, it’s a challenging time — office vacancy is at an all-time high. What are your biggest challenges and opportunities?

The office vacancy issue will be a top focus, because it impacts our local business community and the County’s bottom line. I think the ongoing efforts to review and rethink commercial uses through the commercial market resiliency initiative is great and the right approach. We also have a great opportunity through the Business Investment Group to help fill office vacancies with companies that align with Arlington’s and the region’s economic strengths. There are a number of emerging sectors that are prime for attraction and growth, and I see the opportunity to hit a lot more singles and doubles instead of always going for the grand slam. Of course, we’ll always go for the big projects, but there’s an opportunity for us to attract and develop smaller companies in emerging sectors that can grow into larger companies. That’s something I really want to focus on with the team.

What are Arlington’s biggest strengths for those emerging companies?

I think our greatest strength is where we sit — and that’s right in the center of the region. That gives companies locating and growing in Arlington access to our regional talent pool and great institutions like our university and government partners, to name a few things. Arlington is also a great community in which to work and live. We have dynamic, unique neighborhoods that are attractive places to discover. And, if you need to leave Arlington for business or fun, it’s really easy. Just take a short ride to one of three major airports.

What are your visions for Arlington’s future? Where do you see the community going?

I like to say that business success means community success. What I mean by that is when our business community is thriving, those businesses generate the revenue that helps fund the quality of life we expect here in Arlington. And, I want to see businesses succeed at all levels of business, across all sectors, and in every corner of the County. That’s what I would hope for.

I’m really excited to be here and part of an organization that has had a lot of success and is looking to the future. Arlington has always had its eye on the future, and that’s attractive.