City of Petersburg Announces 

New Director of Economic Development

The City of Petersburg is pleased to welcome Carthan F. Currin III as Director of Economic Development. 

Mr. Carthan Currin brings more than 30 years of both public and private development experience, most recently with the County of Brunswick as Economic Development Director.  As a native of Petersburg, Virginia, he has remained extremely connected to the community serving on the Battersea Foundation Board and actively participating in various activities and programs within the City. One of his more notable career accomplishments includes spearheading the first “Save Buildings/Build Savings” collaborative seminar in Richmond, Virginia. This seminar was dedicated to exploring financial incentives for sustaining Virginia’s private historic campuses. The event featured the Director of the Department of Historic Resources and experts from the legal and engineering fields who provided information on historic tax credits, sustainable energy savings and other funding sources to improve campuses.

Mr. Currin has also served as the Director of Economic Development for Richmond, Virginia where he orchestrated the delivery of more than $2 million in incentives for the Williams Mullen law firm downtown headquarters location, and $500,000 for the retention of BB&T which resulted in the creation of 500 jobs during a major economic downturn. He also led the office’s support for restoration of several historic sites, including The Hotel John Marshall and Richmond CenterStage. Mr. Currin effectively bridged ways for Richmond to support historical and cultural attraction efforts.

“Economic Development has consistently been identified as a major priority for our City Council,” said Aretha R. Ferrell-Benavides, City Manager. “Mr. Currin brings both the expertise and the passion for Petersburg that is required for success in this position.”

While serving as Executive Director for the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, Mr. Currin directed more than $390 million in investments in the tobacco region supporting economic development, research and development, tourism, workforce development, higher education, technology and agribusiness. He worked closely with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to leverage the Governor’s Opportunity Fund with the Commission’s Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (TROF) to provide incentive assistance in economic expansions and relocations to approximately 85 companies creating over 10,000 jobs.

“I believe Mr. Currin possesses exactly what the City needs to truly boost our economic impact throughout the community. He has a wealth of knowledge and the right spirit to propel Petersburg forward,” said Mayor Sam Parham.   

Mr. Currin will begin with the City on March 31, 2020.