Salt Lake City economic development director to lead Greater Richmond Partnership

Published June 17, 2019 by Staff Reports

The Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP) has tapped the director of the Salt Lake City Department of Economic Development as its next leader.

Lara Fritts will become GRP’s president and CEO on Aug. 12. She is only the third person to take on the role in the organization’s 25-year history and will be the organization’s first female CEO. Fritts succeeds Barry Matherly, who left to lead the Detroit Regional Chamber after less than four years leading GRP.

GRP helps recruits companies and retains business in the Richmond area, including Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties.

In addition to serving as director of economic development in Salt Lake City, Fritts is CEO of the city’s redevelopment agency. There, she led business development efforts to recruit companies such as Amazon and UPS. She worked with companies that created 9,800 direct and indirect jobs and nearly $1 billion in capital investment there.

Prior to her time in Salt Lake City, she was director of business development for Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP. Fritts has also led economic development efforts in Virginia, Maryland and Wisconsin, including working as president and CEO of the Annapolis Economic Development Corp., executive director of the Southeast Fairfax Development Corp. and president and CEO of the now-defunct Washington D.C. Technology Council. Fritts holds a bachelor’s degree in regional analysis from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and a master’s in urban studies from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.