Lionel Largaespada (Pictured), the vice chair of the Economic Development Board, was appointed to become the new chair by a majority vote of the board. Dennis Cullen was voted to become the new vice chair. (Courtesy photo)

At last week’s Economic Development Board meeting, two of its members were elevated to higher positions by a majority vote of the board. Lionel Largaespada and Dennis Cullen will be serving as chair and vice chair, respectively, through December 2017.

Largaespada, who had been serving as vice chair since 2015, is the director of marketing and corporate communications for F3 & Associates, a company that provides 3-D laser scanning, land surveying and building information modeling services. Past clients have included Google, Pacific Gas & Electric, Chevron, UC Berkley and more. This year, he was one of five candidates vying for a seat on Benicia’s City Council. He placed fourth but is happy to continue to serve on the Economic Development Board in a bigger way.

“It’s a privilege to continue to serve the community, and I’m honored to have the support of my peers on the Economic Development Board,” he said. “It’s an honor to be the chair.”

Cullen runs Cullen’s Tannery Pub and Saloon with his wife Denise in Benicia’s historic Tannery Building. Additionally, he also operated the nightclub Choices from 1990 until he sold it in 2006. Since it opened in 2012, Cullen’s has offered microbrews on tap, wine and whiskey tastings, art events and private parties in a steampunk-inspired setting.

Cullen made the motion to nominate both himself and Largaespada simultaneously. Largaespada believes having him in a bigger position will be good for the board.

“He is very vocal and has a lot of great opinions and ideas on what we can do to promote business on First Street and also what the city can do to promote a lot of other organizations in town,” he said.

The Economic Development Board is a seven-member organization that identifies economic needs around town and annually makes recommendations to the city council. The board meets once a month, but Largaespada says one of his goals is to make the board more visible. However, that is not the only plan he has in mind. Another goal, he says, is to conduct a survey of local businesses to identify needs and challenges.

“I can’t remember the last time we’ve conducted a survey of businesses, if at all,” he said. “To be successful, we need to collect data.”

Another goal for Largaespada is to try and develop more formal relationships with business organizations like the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Alliance.

“We all know each other socially, but I don’t know— at least since I’ve been on the board—if there’s been any formal relationship there,” he said. “I’d like to reach out to see if relationships can be established because I think it’s important for there to be two-way communication for us to get information out and collect information. The best way to collect information is through these organizations and representing the businesses small and large in town.”

Finally, Largaespada wants to work with the board to help the Industrial Park become more investor-ready.

“The Industrial Park represents a considerable amount of the revenue, but we also know that there are a number of needs for us to both sustain that level of revenue but more importantly see about diversifying the revenue that we can get out of that spot in town,” he said. “To do that, we need to work with staff and council to understand how we can help promote the Industrial Park and collect data from existing and interested businesses to understand what the Industrial Park needs so that we can keep and attract businesses.”

Largaespada will be succeeding Sean Finn, who will remain on the board until at least 2020. The new chair is eagerly anticipating the board’s prospects for 2017.

“I want to see what we can get done,” Largaespada said. “I’m looking forward to accomplishments.”

The Economic Development Board meets at 5:30 p.m. the final Wednesday of the month, except for a summer recess in July and winter vacation in December. All meetings take place in the Commission Room at City Hall, located at 250 East L St.

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