PHILADELPHIA
The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority (PCCA) has voted to approve the appointment of John J. McNichol to the position of President and CEO of the agency. McNichol has served as Vice Chairman of the Center’s Board of Directors and has been serving in an unpaid capacity as Acting President and CEO of the PCCA since December 2013. His appointment will be effective March 1, 2014.
"John has been an integral part of the board’s efforts to put the Pennsylvania Convention Center in the best position to deliver on its promise as a regional economic engine and a major driver of the region’s hospitality industry,” said Gregory J. Fox, Chairman of the PCCA Board of Directors. “After meeting with and talking with a number of candidates, it became clear to me that we already had the best candidate right here all along.
Fox said that with SMG in place to privately manage and operate the Center and implement industry best practices, he felt it was important to have someone in the position of President and CEO who possessed institutional knowledge, could interact with stakeholders, and would work to protect the interests of the Commonwealth, city, and region.
Fox said he appreciated McNichol’s willingness to take this position, noting that it required McNichol to take a significant pay cut and divest himself as a partner at the government relations firm Greenlee Partners.
“The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a real asset to the state and the region, and we are on the path to helping the Center reach its full potential as a major economic driver for the region,” McNichol said. “I see so much potential here at the Center and, while we have our challenges, I look forward to the opportunity to have a substantial impact on our region.”
“The majority of area residents associate the convention center with the Car Show and Flower Show, but the real benefit of the Center is attracting major national conventions that create and support jobs in the hospitality industry,” McNichol continued. “Last year alone, the Center hosted 226 events and 1.1 million attendees that delivered a $728 million regional economic impact through hotel stays, dining, shopping, visits to local attractions, and other spending. Our goal is to build on those numbers by increasing the number of conventions and events booked at the Center in the next few years.”
More About McNichol's Career and New Role
McNichol was originally appointed to serve on the PCCA Board of Directors by Pennsylvania House Speaker Sam Smith. He has been a partner in the government relations firm of Greenlee Partners since 2000. He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of Rugby Pennsylvania and coaches high school rugby at Cardinal O’Hara High School. He also serves as an independent member of the Board of Directors of Gateway Health Plan.
Prior to joining Greenlee, McNichol served for six years as a Senior Vice President and Director of Government Affairs for Tierney Communications in Philadelphia and Washington, DC. John’s background includes public service as legislative aide to a former Member of Congress. He also established and ran the Congressional Fire Services Institute, one of the largest legislative service organizations in Congress.
As President and CEO, McNichol will provide general administrative oversight of the authority’s staff, as well as interact and coordinate the Center’s activities with stakeholders including the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Hotel Association, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, labor unions, and SMG.
Under the contract with SMG, the Authority has undergone a substantial reorganization with SMG hiring the vast majority of the Center’s prior existing staff to oversee the day to day management and operations of the Center. As a result, approximately 80 former employees of the PCCA – an independent authority of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – are now SMG employees.
However, the Authority will maintain a core group of employees to oversee certain aspects related to the management and operations of the Center, which is a state-owned building. These core responsibilities include oversight of SMG and capital improvements of the building, financial reporting, legal counsel to the authority, and interaction with various stakeholders in the region’s tourism and convention industry.
More About the Philadelphia Convention Center
Located in Center City, Philadelphia, the Convention Center is situated at the center of the city’s many cultural offerings and world-class dining and entertainment scene. A $787 million dollar renovation and expansion of the Center, which received a Gold level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, was completed in 2011, increasing the size of the Center by 62 percent. The Center is now the 14th largest facility in the nation and features the largest exhibit space and ballroom in the Northeast. The newly renovated Center has won numerous awards and recognition, including a designation as the Best Government/Public Building of 2011 by the Engineering News Record of New York.
