Park L. Beeler

Senior Consultant

Park Beeler has over 30 years experience in economic development, organizational development, finance, marketing, and strategic planning. After completing his studies in government, economics and law at the University of Texas at Austin, he began his career as director of community affairs and membership for the Austin, Texas Chamber of Commerce. During his tenure, Mr. Beeler participated in the targeting, recruitment, site selection, location and start-up of several high tech industrial projects in Austin, including IBM, Texas Instruments, Westinghouse, and Motorola. These projects today provide over 50,000 jobs in Central Texas, and serve as the foundation for Austinís high technology economic base. Mr. Beeler also participated in the formation of the Balcones Research Center, one of the first public/private research and development partnerships in the country. He was also a frequent guest lecturer at the University of Texas Graduate School of Business, and conducted seminars in community involvement and social responsibility for UT MBA candidates prior to earning their degrees.

After relocating to Jacksonville, Florida in the 1970ís as marketing director of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, he administered an award-winning economic development and national advertising program for the City of Jacksonville and participated in the location and start-up activities of Offshore Power Systems (OPS), a multi-billion dollar manufacturing facility in Jacksonville (OPS was a joint venture of Westinghouse and Tenneco to manufacture moveable nuclear power plants). He also created an award-winning funding program for the Chamber that made it one of the largest and best funded chambers of commerce in the country. He served as the youngest-ever board member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association, and taught management development courses for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States at The University of Georgia, The University of Delaware, The University of California-Santa Clara, and Southern Methodist University.

Mr. Beeler then served as vice president of administration and corporate communications for the Charter Company, a multi-industry company headquartered in Jacksonville that was ranked # 75 in the Fortune 500 during his tenure, and which had over 10,000 employees in over 50 locations around the world. At that time, the Charter Company was the largest corporation in Florida in revenues. He was the official spokesman for the company to the press and to Wall Street, managed over $150,000,000 in pension fund assets, and participated with the Chief Financial Officer in the placement of over $2 billion in financings that included private placements, multiple-bank credit facilities, and public offerings. He also participated in acquisitions valued in excess of $1 billion, and a plan of top-to-bottom operating reorganization for the company as part of a strategic planning program with the Chief Planning Officer. He periodically served in special advisory functions to the Chairman of the Board on policy matters, including the management of the companyís communications holdings, which were at that time among the five largest communications groups in the country.

Mr. Beeler also participated extensively in governmental affairs for the Charter Company, including the negotiations for the permitting and development of a major oil refinery, which was to be built by Charter in Valdez, Alaska. This project incorporated all of the elements of site selection, permitting, land acquisition, and development of community and statewide governmental support integral to economic and industrial development processes. The project was valued at over $1 billion, and would have been the largest employer in the state of Alaska. Of particular note was the extensive permitting required within a political context of overwhelming public concern for the environment. Although the project was fully approved and permitted, and construction was begun, world economics affecting the oil industry changed the viability of the project and prevented its completion. However, the project became a classic prototype for public/private partnering in economic development.

After leaving the Charter Company in 1981 to complete the purchase one of its operating assets, (SPORT Magazine), Mr. Beeler owned and operated magazines and commercial printing operations on a national and regional scale. As President of Sport Magazine in New York, he restored its profitability, and repositioned it in the marketplace as the largest monthly sports publication in the USA. He owned and published award-winning city magazines in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, and developed market analysis systems for the publications that had direct application to the real estate industry. What began in 1988 as a consulting activity for real estate investors in Orlando eventually led to a full circle return for Mr. Beeler to the process of identifying sites and end-users for large scale real estate development projects that could mesh private investment opportunities with community economic development and job creation goals.

Mr. Beeler formed Trinity Realty Partners in 1992 to operate as a company specializing in large-scale acquisition and development of real estate projects, with an emphasis on projects that support regional economic development goals. Trinityís three-pronged approach begins with the identification, evaluation, financial strategy development, acquisition and permitting of physical sites suitable for targeted development. The second step in the Trinity process is the aggressive and pro-active marketing of sites to prospective end users, with special emphasis on high wage and high tech job creation. The last step in Trinityís process is the forging of public/private partnerships that combine private sector investment and development know-how with the public sector assistance often necessary for success in attracting and gaining commitments from prospective employers or accomplishing economic objectives.

Trinity currently is developing the Jacksonville International Technology Center on the cityís Northside, which will be the home of the seventh Tier One Network Access Point (NAP) in the USA. The Jacksonville NAP (JAXNAP) is evolving rapidly into what may become one of the worldís most important telecommunications centers through its focus on providing global network diversity to critical telecommunications infrastructure. The JAXNAP project, together with the development of a new global fiber optic network through Trinity Global Network, LLC is valued at more than $650 million, and when completed will lay the foundation for Northeast Floridaís major entry into numerous segments of high technology, manufacturing, and global transportation and logistics.

Mr. Beeler is a fervent believer in the importance of high technology job growth and business incubation for the economy of Northeast Florida, and the importance of developing a community infrastructure and educational commitment to support it.