Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation President to Retire in May

(KNSI) — After ten years at the helm, the President of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation has handed in her retirement papers.

St. Cloud native and longtime community leader Patti Gartland formally announced today that she would retire on May 31st from a position she has held since June 1st, 2013.

Before joining the GSDC, Gartland was the City Administrator for Sartell for nearly 12 years, including during the massive emergency response to the historic and tragic paper mill explosion. Before that, she worked for 15 years with the City of St. Cloud, the last 13 as its Planning Director.

Since 2014, Gartland has been a member of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, serving as its vice chair. Gartland was responsible for expanding air service and creating the St. Cloud Regional Airport Authority. She will continue as a MAC Commissioner after she retires from the GSDC.

The press release says development and promotion of the region have been other major areas of focus for Gartland while with the GSDC. Those include the launch of GreaterStCloudJobSpot.com, updated daily with thousands of local jobs, and the St. Cloud Shines digital marketing efforts. To date, St. Cloud Shines has attracted more than 170 million impressions.

“There is no more enthusiastic or effective advocate for the Greater St. Cloud region than Patti Gartland,” said GSDC Board Chair Joan Schatz. “Leading a talented staff and coordinating the participation of many GSDC investor organizations, Patti has had a tremendous impact on the St. Cloud region’s economic development and overall community vitality.”

A search for a new president will begin immediately.

In a press release, Gartland says it has been a tremendous honor to spend her entire career with organizations dedicated to fostering and advocating for the interests of the people and businesses that choose to live, work, conduct business, develop, engage and contribute to the Greater St. Cloud community. “These past ten years with the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation have been the perfect finale to my professional career,” said Gartland, a graduate of St. Cloud Tech High School and St. Cloud State University. “But rest assured that my passion and commitment to this community will never retire. I look forward to continuing to be an active and engaged member of this great community.”

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