Delaware Economic Development Office Director Alan Levin will leave the Markell Administration at the end of this year’s legislative session to work for SoDel Concepts, the Sussex County restaurant company founded by the late Matt Haley.
Beginning in July, Levin will join SoDel. He will serve as Senior Advisor to the management team. Prior to heading DEDO, Levin had been CEO and owner of Happy Harry’s, the well-known drug store chain that was founded by his father. Happy Harry’s was sold to Walgreens. Levin has a home in coastal Sussex County.
“Alan took his position at a particularly challenging economic time,” said Gov. Jack Markell. “Alan has shown great leadership during six years that have been marked by great progress in recovering from the Great Recession and addressing the challenges of the 21st century.”
Markell continued, “Successfully improving the economy since 2009 has required a relentless pursuit of opportunities to attract new companies and support existing ones, as well as an ability to recognize and adjust to the forces of globalization and technological innovation that are shaping today’s world. Alan excels in all of these areas and I’m forever grateful for his tireless service to our state and for his long-term commitment to the Administration.”
Levin has led the Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) since Markell took office in 2009, at a time when tens of thousands of Delawareans were losing their jobs as result of the national economic crisis. As the administration’s top priority focused on putting people back to work, the state’s initial economic development successes included re-opening the shuttered oil refinery in Delaware City and attracting new manufacturing and other economic development to the site of the old Chrysler plant in Newark, a release from the governor’s office noted.
Levin also inherited a state agency that had been in turmoil under former Markell’s predecessor, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, following a controversial decision to hire a number of key staff members.
Markell and Levin did preside over a $20 million state financial package for Fisker Automotive, a company that later filed for bankruptcy. There was also a deal with Bloom Energy. In return for that company opening a plant in Newark, power from Bloom fuel cells was fed into the grid, with Delmarva Power customers playing the added costs. Those added costs have been controversial.
At the same time large and small companies have re-located or expanded their operations in Delaware. Those companies inlude Bloom, Amazon, Baltimore Aircoil, Barclays, Atlantis Industries, Calpine, Citigroup, Capital One, ILC Dover, Johnson Controls, JP Morgan Chase, Kraft Foods, Miller Metal, Mountaire Farms, PTM Manufacturing, Purdue, Sallie Mae, and Testing Machines, Inc.
A Republican, Levin, at one point, was actively recruited for a gubernatorial bid, by the party. He later decided not to run. Prior to joining Happy Harry’s Levin served as an aide to U.S. Sen. Bill Roth. Levin’s decision to join the Democratic administration was viewed at the time as a sign of the serious challenges faced by the state.
“I would like to express my gratitude to Governor Markell for the opportunity to serve the people of Delaware during this very difficult time in our state’s history,” said Levin. “From the start it has been challenging, but I am pleased to say that we are in a much better place than when we started and the outlook for our citizens in the years to come is much brighter because of the hard work of the staff at DEDO. While I leave with mixed emotions, the opportunity to perpetuate the great work of entrepreneur and humanitarian Matt Haley will allow me to continue service to the people of Delaware in different but equally rewarding ways.”
At 4.4 percent, Delaware has had the fastest job growth in the Mid-Atlantic over the past two years, also exceeding the national average of four percent. Meanwhile, the state’s unemployment rate has fallen to 4.6 percent, the lowest in the region, and average annual wages have increased more than nine percent since 2009, among the best in the region.
Other reports have presented contrasting findings on the economy, including a controversial piece in the Economist that claimed Delaware had lost ground on wages. State officials said statistics in that piece and others were based on sampled data, rather than more reliable payroll figures.
In addition, Delaware was recently recognized by The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation as one of the top two states best prepared for the new economy, which is “marked by globalization, technological innovation and entrepreneurial development.”
Markell plans to make an announcement about a nomination for the next DEDO Director in the coming days.
