By Michael Lafleur, mlafleur@lowellsun.com
LOWELL -- Assistant City Manager Matthew Coggins will be leaving his post next month to take a job as a vice president in charge of marketing at the Lowell-based Enterprise Bank & Trust.
Coggins, director of the city Division of Planning and Development, said his last day on the job in Lowell will be Friday, Oct. 26. He will start at the bank the following Monday, and be based in Lowell.
Then-City Manager Brian Martin appointed Coggins in May 1998. Coggins had spent the previous five years as executive director of the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Coggins, who lives in Lowell, said leaving City Hall will be "bittersweet."
"I've had a wonderful run here," Coggins said. "It's been a tremendous experience, but I'm thrilled about the opportunity that lies in front of me."
As DPD director, Coggins, 40, has been charged with overseeing many of the city's high-profile economic development projects including the massive Hamilton Canal District undertaking and the new, $21.5 million 900-space parking garage the city is building on Middlesex Street.
In a statement, Enterprise Bank CEO Jack Clancy noted Coggins' role in overseeing the city's self-promotional campaigns -- including the Look at Lowell Now and There's a lot to like about Lowell marketing efforts -- and remarked upon his "extensive sales, business development and government-relations skills."
Clancy said Coggins will spearhead the 15-branch bank's marketing efforts.
"He is a highly respected professional in the marketing arena, and we are very excited about the many contributions he will make here," Clancy said in the statement.
Coggins has a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Bryant University. He is now working toward his master's of business administration at UMass Lowell.
City Manager Bernie Lynch has not replaced Coggins. DPD deputy directors Adam Baacke and Anne Barton both are considered candidates for the job.
"I'm extremely sorry to see him go because he's really been a key part of my first year here," Lynch said. "It's going to be big shoes to fill for the city and a big challenge for me."
This story appeared in the Lowell Sun on Friday, September 28, 2007