Robin Scott Hunden
President, Hunden Strategic Partners, ISHC, offers extensive experience in development, implementation and ongoing management of major real estate projects in addition to organizational development and government best practices. Since launching Hunden Strategic Partners, he has been a sought after consultant for government best practices as well as convention centers, hotels, mixed-use entertainment and retail districts as well as other tourism and economic development projects and master plans. He also has experience moving organizations to a position of focus and action through strategic planning initiatives. His career focuses on the nexus of economic development, urban vitality and tourism development. Recent projects include the Memphis Cook Convention Center expansion and 1,000-room hotel analysis, advisory and impact analysis related to the Indiana Pacers lease renegotiation, review of the proposed $180 million mixed-use Lansdowne project in Ottawa, Ontario, the $750 million Woodbine Live project in Toronto, Ontario, impact analysis related to all projects in the Commonwealth of Kentucky applying for incentives under the Kentucky Tourism Development Act and the successful passage of economic development legislation in Nebraska in 2010.
With more than 15 years in the development industry in both the public and private sectors, Mr. Hunden understands the critical factors to successful development of cities, whether small or large. Prior to starting Hunden Strategic Partners in 2006, he served as Vice President of C.H. Johnson Consulting in Chicago. There, he conducted nearly 100 destination development assignments for the firm, specializing in hotels, conference centers, sports, urban entertainment-retail districts and convention center developments. Some notable projects include the new Omni convention hotel in Fort Worth, the Erie Bayfront Convention Center and Sheraton, Sprint Center in Kansas City, Fourth Street Live! in Louisville, the Kansas City Power & Light District, and the Nassau Coliseum redevelopment.
Prior to joining CHJC, he worked on real estate finance and transaction activity for a number of projects at Landauer Associates and Grubb & Ellis, which purchased Landauer in 2000. He also conducted transaction work involving hotel, retail, apartment and industrial assets.
His public-sector experience began at the Indianapolis Bond Bank in 1996, which is Indianapolis’ economic development finance authority. There, he worked for the Mayor’s Office and the Bond Bank on the Indiana Convention Center expansion, financing for the RCA Dome renovation and Conseco Fieldhouse construction, managed the development process for the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott convention hotel, the Emmis Communications corporate headquarters, and managed the redevelopment strategy for Union Station and Glendale Mall, among many other community development projects.
Mr. Hunden has written articles on economic development topics, including on the subject of convention headquarter hotels for the Economic Development Journal, and taught Destination Development, Financial Feasibility and Tourism courses at Kendall College. He also serves on the advisory board for the Hospitality Leadership Program at DePaul University in Chicago. He has been active in special event and nonprofit work, serving on the boards of the Murat Centre for the Performing Arts (Indianapolis), as past board president for Imagination Theater (Chicago), and served on the board of Chicago Games, Inc. Having conducted the feasibility study for the City of Chicago for the Chicago Fashion Incubator, he serves on the board of the non-profit Chicago Fashion Development, Inc. He has also participated in bids for national sporting and political events in Indianapolis and Chicago.
Mr. Hunden is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the International Downtown Association (IDA), the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the International City County Management Association (ICMA), and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
He has been a speaker and conducted panel discussions at IEDC’s “If You Build It, Will They Come?” conferences over many years as well as taught courses for IEDC’s professional development courses for the past six years in all parts of the U.S. He has also spoken at the Greek Conference on Tourism in 2005, the Bond Buyer’s “Tourism as Economic Development” conference in 2006 and at many industry and university events. Mr. Hunden received a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.