new invest windsoressex boss aims to bring 'stability and structure'
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'the key is diversification.' tourism windsor essex pelee island ceo gordon orr, who now also becomes ceo of invest windsoressex, is shown at the invest windsoressex offices in downtown windsor on tuesday, june 24, 2025.
madeline mazak
/
windsor star
invest windsoressex’s new ceo knows he’ll ultimately be judged by getting steel girders in the ground for new plants, as well as for his efforts at retention and expansion of existing local businesses.
but gordon orr feels it’s the people skills he used to build tourism windsor essex pelee island into an award-winning organization that was the reason he was asked to take on the dual-ceo role.
“if you wanted an economic development expert, then they didn’t hire the right person,” orr told the star.
“if they want somebody that will lead a team, motivate a team, understand the place they’re trying to promote, and being a champion for the region — i’ve been doing that my whole career.
“i’m going to surround myself with talented people that know what they’re doing. i can help bring stability and structure.”
orr confesses he hadn’t applied for a position that has been open since february 2024. his name was put forward by invest windsoressex interim-chief operating officer keith andrews, who was also charged with overseeing the creation of a new strategic plan to be finished within the next week or two.
with the extra responsibilities, orr said he’ll be compensated at the level of the city of windsor’s corporate leadership team. salaries in that band reach into the upper $230,000s depending on responsibilities.
“keith wanted to talk to me about what i did to help build twepi,” orr said. “we had some discussions and he talked with the consultants helping with the strategic plan. dual ceos isn’t a new concept.
“the invest windsoressex board approved it and put it to twepi’s board for approval.”
the votes by both boards of directors were unanimous in support of orr’s appointment.
essex county warden hilda macdonald said the obvious concern is workload. the plan going forward is to check with orr and the staff at both organizations every six months to make sure things haven’t become overwhelming.
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“i called gord, and if i had detected any doubts from him i would’ve been against the idea,” macdonald told the star. she confirmed the job had been posted twice and several outside candidates were interviewed for the position.
“i also talked with the mayor of burlington, which also has gone to the dual-ceo role in january, to make sure it was workable.”
macdonald, who is also mayor of leamington, said the feedback from the seven county municipalities about orr taking over the local economic development agency has been positive.
having a store of goodwill orr built up heading the local tourism agency will be important in addressing the concerns from county municipalities that led to county council reducing its invest windsoressex funding by 15 per cent last fall, a decision that was subsequently reversed in january. the county and city jointly fund invest windsoressex’s annual budget, currently $2.4 million.
“to me, a ceo (chief executive officer) and cao (chief administrative officer) needs to be able to manage people,” said macdonald of an organization’s decision-making process at the top.
“he (orr) has good relationships with other organizations, the province, business and the community. he’s a strong communicator.
“that’s really what the county municipalities wanted as a funder — to be kept in the loop, explain what you’re doing and see the results.”
orr said building trust with invest windsoressex’s funding partners will be essential to any long-term success. while not an immediate ask, he said stable, multi-year funding is a goal going forward.
“it can’t be viewed as an annual commitment that has the ability to be taken away or reduced,” orr said. “the commitment must be multi-year and grow, otherwise that’s a cut.
“we have a lot of work to do to present that case to our funding partners of why, and then prove it.”
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orr’s first priorities are meeting with iwe staff to learn what resources and support they need and getting the new strategic plan operational. much of the hard work on the ground, he added, will continue to be handled by the senior leadership teams already in place.
orr will focus on overall guidance of the organizations, improving communication with partners, education and networking with business and political bodies.
“i want to create an environment to help support these very talented people to focus on doing what they do best,” orr said.
the new strategic plan places a heavy emphasis on diversification of the local economy, he said: “we’re the automobility capital of canada and we don’t want to walk away from that, but at the same time, we don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket.
“agri-tech is very important. we’re getting a new hospital, so that also provides opportunities.
“the key is diversification.”
with prime minister mark carney just this week pledging to the nato alliance that canada will significantly increase its domestic military spending, orr sees another windsor-essex opportunity: “defence is another key industry.”
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