Electors of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District (GPCID), a self-taxing district that uses additional property taxes to accelerate infrastructure improvements, security enhancements and economic development in the Gwinnett Place area, voted to continue the CID’s existence for another six years and re-elected two board members during the annual Caucus of Electors on Wednesday, April 12.

The re-elected GPCID board members include Leo Wiener, President of Ackerman Retail, who was also chosen to again serve as board chair and Jill Edwards, Senior Vice President, United Community Bank. They will serve three-year terms and join five other board members working to enhance the prosperity of Gwinnett Place by partnering with Gwinnett County organizations and property owners to participate in future redevelopment efforts for the greater Gwinnett Place district.

Trey Ragsdale, Manager of Public Affairs for Kaiser Permanente, was re-elected as GPCID Board of Directors’ Vice-Chair and Mark Williams, Owner of Printing Trade Company was re-elected as Secretary/Treasurer.

“It’s an honor to serve on the board and continue to advance the economic prosperity of the Gwinnett Place area,” said Wiener. “The redevelopment initiatives that the CID and our partners are undertaking are finally gaining momentum and the continued success of Gwinnett central business district is strong.”

“CIDs are entities that bring together commercial property owners, government and communities to make marked, positive differences now and into the future,” said Edwards. “It is my goal to serve on the board to support the continued prosperity of our district and its businesses and help create an exemplary center of commerce and community in Gwinnett.”

As President of Ackerman Retail, the retail division of Ackerman & Co., Leo Wiener directs the growth of the group’s national services platform, spearheading developments, acquisitions, leasing and property management. With industry leadership experience spanning more than 25 years, Leo has made numerous strategic staff additions to strengthen Ackerman Retail’s comprehensive services and deliver solid results to its growing roster of local and multimarket clients. To date, Ackerman’s Retail division has completed nearly 10 million square feet of transactions valued at more than $1 billion.

Prior to joining Ackerman, Leo was a Principal and Partner of Glenwood Development Company, concentrating on retail development and redevelopment in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic; and Managing Director at an Atlanta-based boutique real estate firm.

Jill Edwards has more than 30 years of business banking experience in Atlanta, the majority of which has been spent focusing on the Gwinnett market and received a BS in finance and a minor in management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to joining United, she served as the Gwinnett Business Banking Manager for Wells Fargo where she was consistently recognized as a top performer in revenue production, sales and service. She has also served in commercial banking leadership roles at Wachovia, Washington Mutual and SunTrust.

She is heavily involved in Gwinnett County and is immediate past Chair of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Jill is also involved with the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services and Rainbow Village and Across the Bridge boards. Jill has 15 years of active membership in Kiwanis and leadership on Wachovia’s United Way Employee Campaign for Metro Atlanta. She also serves on the board for Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia.

Jill’s 30 years of managing Gwinnett County’s team of business bankers makes her aware of the issues challenging the Gwinnett Place area, and she wants to be a part of the solution to continue to drive economic viability in the Gwinnett market.