Downtown Akron Development Corporation

Hardesty, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Downtown Akron Development Corporation brings nearly a decade of experience to his new role in Akron. In his career, he has worked on various forms of development and city-wide initiatives including downtown development, adaptive redevelopment, residential development, site and greenfield development, and program and incentive development. Hardesty played a key role in shaping Canton’s Downtown and intends to bring that experience and success to Akron’s core.

In addition to his experience, he is a University of Akron alumni, holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Walsh University, is an Ohio Certified Economic Developer (OhioCED), and is a 2024 member of ystark! ‘Twenty under 40!’ class.