For the last 3 1/2 years, Denver Economic Development Director John Huggins has been the guy the city has turned to when there was a difficult deal on the table.
An entrepreneur who made his fortune in Silicon Valley, Huggins, 48, has a knack for dispassionate analysis of big financial deals complicated by politics and public policy.
Recently, Huggins announced he’s returning to the private sector. His departure leaves big shoes to fill.
“John Huggins is an expert when it comes to comparing apples to oranges,” said Mayor John Hickenlooper. “It will be a loss.”
This was the second go-around for Huggins at city hall – he worked for Wellington Webb for two years before leaving to form a startup software company with a college roommate. America Online bought the firm for $85 million in stock. Huggins returned to Denver, where he eventually joined the Hickenlooper administration in 2003.
Huggins has been instrumental in shaping any number of high-profile city deals. Shortly after Hickenlooper took office, a dispute at Denver International Airport with United Airlines and Frontier reached an impasse.
“People were ripping up contracts,” Hickenlooper said. “There was a lot of animosity.”
Huggins and then-chief of staff Michael Bennet were able to forge a new agreement over airport gate space. Huggins also did the Dahlia Square deal, redevelopment of the Gates Rubber site and, most recently, Union Station.
Huggins will leave his post no later than March 2 but will work on a contract basis for a few more months to finalize some Union Station financial details. He said he’s unsure what he’ll do next in the private sector.
With his departure, Huggins will become the fourth major player from Hickenlooper’s original team to move on. Such comings and goings are to be expected. And while others – such as newly hired chief financial officer Chris Henderson – are poised to step up and fill the gap, Huggins’ financial savvy and deliberate style will be missed.
