Benjamin Bennett Email & Phone Number

Provides community/economic development and planning services by utilizing Community Supportive Economic Development (CSED) principles. Coordinates with various political subdivisions and facilitates change in a community to support organizational objectives. Identifies the issues and needs of communities. Plans, organizes, and implements economic development functions from conception to completion. Encourages the expansion and diversification of existing business sectors in support of continued employment growth and area economic development. Provides advocacy and synergy to business owners/investors, industries, community services, and organizations. Designs and facilitates community engagement with the ability to tactfully engage with people from diverse backgrounds and build consensus among conflicted parties. Performs complex consultative and technical work for partnering community groups. Researches, interprets, and compiles economic and demographic statistical data for reports. Prepares and reviews grant and permit applications. Coordinates, facilitates, and attends meetings, workshops, and public events. Conducts land use analyses, assembles community consumer marketing data, and prepares development plans and strategies for communities. Conducts market research, prepares feasibility studies and analysis to identify target industries and business attraction opportunities through the evaluation of current economic conditions and prediction of future trends. Connects entities with relevant services, programs and resources aligning with development outcomes. Evaluates plans for developing sites and other projects to ensure safety, sustainability, and community value. Produce due diligence reports analyzing site constraints and potential uses, applications for land use amendments, rezoning, special use permits, zoning variances, etc.

Jacksonville Beach, Florida, United States

Assist in all management aspects for family owned and operated men's salon and spa. Perform local and neighborhood market research using a multi-phase concentric circle strategy to elevate company's market share above competitors, including but not limited to, cost benefit analysis, time series analysis, economic forecasting, and GIS. Develop spreadsheets for bookkeeping to streamline quarterly and annual accounting documents. Create documents for correspondence between agencies, clients, and vendors. Advise on current industry quality control best practices. Produce job postings and marketing materials. Maintain and update local and state licenses and registrations. Ensure operations are in accordance with applicable state and local laws. Compose grievances to vendors and correspond with applicable oversight officials.

Identified and met with project stakeholders to build consensus on the path forward. Developed project objectives and scopes of work while establishing project budgets and schedules. Monitored project budgets, coordinated City payment processing, artist insurance, permitting, and project close-out tasks. Acted as a liaison with diverse communities and artists by developing and implementing community engagement strategies in collaboration with project stakeholders and the artist. Confidently represented projects through public speaking opportunities, which included but were not limited to presentations, workshops, and public forums. Maintained effective and timely communications with a variety of stakeholders; collected, analyzed, and summarized project information; assisted the artist in finding qualified subcontractors as needed; anticipated and addressed potential problems or issues that may have arisen during the project to prevent future complications. Evaluated difficult and challenging situations with objectivity and employed diplomacy to resolve conflicts as they were presented. Coordinated collection management responsibilities as needed, to include condition reporting, maintenance and conservation reporting, as well as oversight of maintenance and repairs conducted by qualified third parties. Facilitated the design and execution of the artist's work with design team members, City department staff and City contractors in consultation with experts as necessary to ensure that artwork complied with applicable codes/ADA requirements and was properly engineered. Represented projects to the Artwork Selection Panel and regulatory entities. Ensured that all artist/contractor responsibilities, deliverables, and milestones were met to advance the project forward.

Londonderry, New Hampshire, United States

Performed and coordinated planning and zoning work within the Planning and Economic Development Department in the development of a comprehensive plan and implementation of the Town’s ordinances for orderly growth of the Town. Provided administrative staff support to the Assistant Town Manager/ Director of Economic Development, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Provided staff support to the Planning and Zoning Boards. Assisted in the preparation of the Capital Improvement Program. Provided technical assistance to the Town Manager, Town Council, ATM/DED, Planning Board, Zoning Board, and other Town Staff and Departments, Boards, Committees, and Organizations regarding planning, zoning, and other land use matters. Exercised considerable independent judgment in developing, interpreting, and implementing land use management policies, plans and ordinances.

Executed planning, community, economic, and business development tasks. Utilized professional experience which includes planning; grant writing & administration; development and improvement of processes, procedures, and courses of action; public participation/communication strategies; and the development and distribution of marketing materials. Strategically operationalized visioning provided by municipalities. Responsible for the writing and administration of various grants and developing strategic funding packages. Notable work included urban and rural planning, master planning, community and economic development, grant writing and administration, developing and improving processes and procedures, project management, facilitating public participation & engagement, transportation safety action plans, environmental assessments, vulnerability assessments, feasibility studies, and developing communication strategies.

St Augustine, Florida, United States

Provided professional current and long-range planning support including Growth Management, Land Use Policy Adoption, and Development Review using economic and demographic considerations. Researched, prepared, and presented staff reports for public hearings and review boards. Reviewed development applications for compliance with codes and ordinances while providing guidance and input concerning code compliance. Reviewed clearance sheets for compliance with codes and ordinances. Assisted staff, developers, attorneys, and the public with development questions. Performed site visits, posted notice signs, and performed architectural inspections at designated locations within the county. Attended meetings with community associations. Reviewed and rendered opinions on planning, land development, and growth management issues. Provided guidance to elected officials, county personnel, and members of the public. Reviewed project applications, including but not limited to, special use permits, variances, rezonings, as-builts, and modifications. Coordinated information and data gathering among various county departments. Wrote various comprehensive plan elements. Scheduled and advertised public hearings. Communicated knowledge of planning principles and practices, state statues, and county codes and ordinances both oral written. Analyzed problems and then developed and implemented solutions. Served on the Community Development Block Grant Evaluation & Scoring, Development Review, and Local Mitigation Strategies committees.

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Analyzed the progress of Arlington 20/20 since 2015. Gathered data regarding the progress in community empowerment, family strengthening, housing development, economic development, and workforce development. Collected and organized positive news, communications, and volunteerism opportunities. Identified and addressed the fifty most pressing blight cases. Examined the community safety strategies used in rental communities. Assessed positive interactions and perceptions of the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office within the community. Tracked volunteer and donor support. Identified churches that have partnered with the organization, the volunteers they provide, and their donations. Identified businesses the organization has assisted, financing provided, and the number of new businesses that have been started. Analyze the history of the CRA and the mixed-use Town & Country development. Identified motorists, pedestrians, public transportation, and bike access improvements. Examined the organization’s ability to leverage various capital improvements within its service area. Cataloged dollars invested into water, sewer, electrical, and lighting infrastructure updates. Evaluate the Arlington Manor and Woodland Acres service hubs. Researched potential RFP and RFQ opportunities. Cataloged the increase of access to healthy foods and preventive care. Identified the number of affordable, quality senior housing units. Identified pathways to homeownership for first time buyers. Examined pathways to employment for hard-to-place populations. Identify quality early care and education options. Provided parent education and mentoring strategies for academic achievement. Identified free and low-cost high- quality afterschool programs. Cataloged the involvement of parents and community members in schools. Presented findings to local and community leaders, as well as residents.

Supported management with research regarding the potential acquisitions, developments, and value-added renovations in Jacksonville's "District of Soul". Supported in strategic planning, highest and best use, political oppositions, zoning, economic opportunity, multimodal transportation analysis, grant writing, and site analysis for potential developments. Demonstrated proficiency in the principles and practices of municipal and regional planning. Quantitively performed demographic and economic analysis using methods, including but not limited to, shift-share analysis, population forecasting, and asset mapping to be used for GIS visualization. Researched Duval County subdivision regulations. Advised applicants and staff through critical thinking and strong communication skills. Collaborated with potential partners in the development and acquisition of real estate in the commercial corridor. Explored opportunities for the organization to leverage opportunities to acquire additional funding through RFPs and RFQs. Provided feedback and guidance on the interpretation and application of urban planning principles. Assessed neighborhood resources, including but not limited to, infrastructure, vacant land, and community support. Presented findings to executive management.

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Assessed the viability of introducing a domestic violence recovery loan program and developed a long-term strategy to introduce an assistive technology loan program in the Florida trade market, with an emphasis on Jacksonville, FL. Researched and identified organizations working, supporting, and advocating for victims of domestic violence. Mapped resources available to victims of domestic violence in Jacksonville. Engaged, established contact with, and surveyed involved organizations to determine the extent of unmet needs and access to responsible financial resources. Researched and identified existing organizations providing financial assistance and/or resources to target populations. Determined the existence of gaps and whether there is any complimentary value that could be added by a community development financial organization. Performed spatial analysis to determine the reach of newly designed loan programs. Determined the viability of launching a domestic recovery loan program and designed a plan for initiating such a program. Identified synergies with other community organizations working on financial empowerment through coaching, education, and counseling. Identified and mapped a network of local state level organizations working, supporting, and advocating individuals with disabilities. Researched existing loan programs and sources of funding for individuals with disabilities to acquire assistive technology type equipment. Researched RFP and RFQ opportunities to present to present before executive-level management. Analyzed the deployment of various lending methods by examining amortization strategies focused on the lender’s time value of money and ROI standards. Identified the market gap of existing loan programs. Determined how new loan programs should be marketed or highlighted to fill existing gaps. Established solid referral sources for the programs and identified existing working groups or associations that could add value to the loan programs.

Supervised twenty enlisted soldiers in garrison and Airborne field operations including flight landing strip development, land strip repair, and earthworks. Performed field operations including, but not limited to, the flight landing strip development, flight landing strip repair, battlefield earthworks, and battlefield earthworks management. Performed company level operations management. Performed multi-legged local, regional, national, and international logistics activities for twenty-five soldiers. Managed appointments and training schedules for more than sixty soldiers. Onboarded and oriented incoming soldiers. Directed the 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus domestically and internationally. Performed as a featured soloist for the 82nd Airborne All-American Chorus. Executed policy and protocol activities for the 82nd Airborne Division and the XVIII Airborne Corps. Performed primary driver activities for the XVIII Airborne Corps Command General Detail. Responsible for the coordination and execution of local, regional, national, and international public engagement.

Master Of Urban And Regional Planning

Bachelor Of Business Administration - Bba, Economics & Sustainability