Economic Development Contacts

Jeff Edge, CEcD
Senior Vice President, Economic Development
Phone: 704-378-1307
Email: jedge@charlottechamber.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyedge

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Jeff Edge heads up the economic development team at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. They were named as one of the Top Ten Economic Development Groups in the nation by Site Selection magazine for their work in 2009 and 2010. In 2006 the department created the award-winning BusinessFirst Charlotte retention and expansion program in partnership with the City of Charlotte.

Edge’s primary focus is on the recruitment of corporate headquarters as well as manufacturing operations. His specialties for recruitment include the motorsports, energy and financial service industries. Several of the higher profile companies that Edge has assisted with locations in Charlotte include Carrier Corporation, General Motors, SPEED Channel, Tessera Technologies, IKEA, Prairie Packaging, Shutterfly, The Shaw Group, Siemens Energy, Time Warner Cable, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Justin Hunt
Vice President Economic & European Development
Phone: 704-378-1310
Email: jhunt@charlottechamber.com

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Justin Hunt is the Charlotte Chamber's point person for headquarters relocations and foreign-owned investment projects. With the Chamber since 1994, his professional experience includes international banking, business development consulting and international industrial product sales.

Hunt has worked abroad for a number of years and is fluent in both German and Spanish. He holds a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Kansas and a Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University.

Kati Hynes
Vice President, Economic Development
Phone: 704-378-1371  
Email: khynes@charlottechamber.com

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Kati Hynes joined the Charlotte Chamber in April of 2000 as director of economic development. She was promoted to vice president in 2005. Prior to joining the chamber, Hynes served in various roles at Browning Ferris Industries, MGM/UA Movie Production, Mattel, Inc. (Mattel Toys) and the Carolina Panthers.

Hynes’ twelve years of economic development experience have enhanced her work on all types of projects. Her current primary industry focuses are financial services, energy, data centers and corporate headquarters. Companies that Hynes has worked with over the years include: Charlotte School of Law, LPL Financial, Kellogg’s Snacks, Celgard, Maersk Line, SPEED TV, US Airways, Westinghouse, Toshiba, GMAC, Citco Fund Services, Capgemini, American Red Cross, BAE Systems, Connextions, Compass Group, SPX and Chiquita.

Eileen Cai
Director, Economic & Asian Development
Phone: 704-378-1316
Email: ecai@charlottechamber.com

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LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/eileencai

Eileen Cai joined the economic development staff to help expand the chamber's international reach to China and other parts of Asia. She is involved in the recruitment of all sizes and types of business to Charlotte. She earned a BS in Accounting and Business Administration from State University of New York. Cai's professional experience includes accounting, hospitality management and real estate development. Prior to joining the chamber Cai lived in China, Switzerland, New York and Virginia. She is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.

Andrea Ware
Director, Economic Development Marketing
Phone: 704-378-1315
Email: aware@charlottechamber.com

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LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreaware1

Andrea Ware joined the economic development staff in 2008 to extend the chamber’s economic development marketing reach. She supports the economic development and research departments by creating materials and campaigns for economic development outreach, and by maintaining the economic development portion of the chamber’s web site and social media channels.

Prior to joining the chamber, Ware worked at The Charlotte Observer for 14 years as art director in New Ventures and Targeted Publications. She earned a BA in Communication Arts and a BA in English from East Carolina University. Ware is a graduate of the Basic Economic Development Course from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Government. She also is a DMA-certified marketing professional and has completed the IEDC Marketing and Attraction course. She is on the marketing and communication committee for Envision Charlotte.

Tony Crumbley
Vice President, Research
Phone: 704-378-1303
Email: tcrumbley@charlottechamber.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrumbley

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For more than 30 years, Tony Crumbley has served the Charlotte Chamber and developed market research for the city of Charlotte. This includes economic, demographic and real estate studies of Charlotte as well as development of the chamber's web site. Crumbley is a graduate of U.N.C. Charlotte with a degree in Business Administration. He is a past president of ACCRA and the American Marketing Association. He is a native of the region.

Erin Watkins
Sr. Director, Research
Phone: 704-378-1308
Email: ewatkins@charlottechamber.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erinwatkins

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Erin Watkins serves as the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce’s Research Director within Economic Development. Watkins is responsible for compiling and analyzing statistics on the Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and Metro Region to assist in the recruitment and retention of business. She also develops and analyzes survey results, constructs and maintains Charlotte-area databases and utilizes Geographic Information Software to build demographic and thematic maps.

Watkins received a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from Canisius College in 2001, and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning and Economic Development from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2006. She is currently enrolled in the PhD program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte within the Geography and Urban Regional Analysis Program. Watkins also is a graduate of the Basic Economic Development Course from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Andrew Bowen
Director, Research
Phone: 704-378-1327
Email: abowen@charlottechamber.com

Andrew Bowen joined the chamber as an intern in 2010. Bowen assists with the compilation of economic indicators and the chamber's New & Expanded quarterly report. He is persuing his Master's degree at UNC Charlotte.

Ashley Hedrick
BusinessFirst Coordinator
Phone: 704/378-1345
Email: ahedrick@charlottechamber.com

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyhedrick

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Ashley Hedrick joined the Economic Development staff as BusinessFirst Charlotte Coordinator in 2007. She works directly with existing businesses in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and heads up our business retention program, BusinessFirst Charlotte. In 2008 BusinessFirst Charlotte won the Award of Excellence for an Outstanding Multi-Community, County or Regional Business Retention and Expansion Program with a population over 50,000.

Hedrick manages the BusinessFirst Charlotte volunteer force and coordinates the more than 250 visits that take place each year. She also coordinates the Charlotte Mecklenburg Development Corporation’s (CMDC) board meetings and helps manage this group.

Hedrick earned a BA in Communication with a focus in Public Relations from UNC Charlotte.