Meet the WDI Staff
John Hinnant, President & CEO
Email: john@wilmingtondowntown.com
Phone: (910) 763-7349, ext. 101
John is a Wilmington Native graduating from Laney High School. He graduated from Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC in 1993.
As a child, John’s mother owned a maternity shop in downtown Wilmington and his father is a contractor who has remodeled several buildings in downtown Wilmington. John was the youngest captain of the youngest crew in the first two RiverFest Raft Races, which were organized by the Downtown Area Revitalization Effort, Inc. (which is now Wilmington Downtown, Inc.)
John was previously involved with Wilmington Downtown as a Board Member in various leadership roles while he owned a restaurant in downtown Wilmington. The restaurant was the Underground Sandwich Shoppe in the basement of the Trust Building.
John began appraising real estate in 2004 and became a Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser in 2006. John became the Executive Director of Wilmington Downtown in June 2007 after the previous director took a job in the private sector. He is married with two young children ages 6 & 9.
During his tenure, WDI has updated the wilmingtondowntown.com website, moved their offices to Front Street, led a strategic planning process, updated the organization's bylaws, and overseen one of the biggest building booms in downtown's history - over 400 million dollars. In 2010, he coordinated and hosted the North Carolina Sociable City Forum in association with the Responsible Hospitality Institute. Thirty different communities from North and
Current strategies underway with John’s leadership is the successful implementation of a strategic economic development marketing plan, 500 new hotel rooms in the next five years,a stronger bond between downtown businesses and the downtown area elementary schools, and the implementation of the Municipal Service District. Targeted economic development efforts are underway to recruit more scientific, information, technology businesses and apparel retailers to downtown
Katie Lokits, Administrative Assistant
Email: office@wilmingtondowntown.com
Phone: (910) 763-7349, ext. 100