“Peter Drucker said ‘The ultimate resource in economic development is people.’ I love being one of those people. I love being a part of the process of improving a community’s economic well-being and thereby the lives of the people who live, work, learn, or play there. Getting to collaborate with communities and leaders across North Carolina is incredibly rewarding.”
Timothy Downs joined Thomas & Hutton as Regional Director for North Carolina Economic Development in 2021. Timothy spearheads Thomas & Hutton’s economic development activities in North Carolina. Partnering with local and state-level economic development agencies, Timothy helps clients develop a vision for attracting industries to expand in their communities through multi-faceted engineering services including land analysis, planning and design, and site selection assistance. He has nearly 20 years of professional public experience with a range of expertise in the economic development field including business attraction, retention, and expansion programs for life science, manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, and small business. Timothy’s previous roles include Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, Director of Economic Development for Craven County, NC, Executive Director for the Craven 100 Alliance, and Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Development for the City of Dayton, Ohio. A licensed attorney in Ohio and North Carolina, Timothy earned his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from North Carolina State University. Timothy is actively involved in several community efforts. He is a founding member of the Craven Pamlico Re-entry Council (Craven County, NC). He is also a Director and Board Secretary for the StepUp Durham Board of Directors. Timothy is a long-time member of the North Carolina Economic Developers Association, as well as NAIOP.