Tapped by the Mayor’s Office for his expertise in business development and revitalization, Riggs was the co-lead on developing an entirely new economic development strategy for Kentucky’s largest city. Engaging an 80-member team comprised of economic and nonprofit leaders from every sector of the regional economy, Riggs was tasked with building the blueprint for business attraction and development for a great American city.
In Louisville, Kentucky, sixteen thousand healthcare professionals and students welcome more than 1.5 million patients who receive care from the city’s healthcare and education leaders. Concentrated in a 20-block area east of Downtown, this area had been neglected for decades by failing to speak with a common voice or plan. Riggs designed, created, and branded a whole new neighborhood, now known as the LOUMED District, and helped secure funding for safer streets and healthier patient outcomes in this dynamic downtown medical center.
Lifelong learning and health go hand in hand. Understanding that physical health, educational attainment, healthcare delivery, and quality housing are all dependent on each other, Riggs helped create and execute a national healthcare care delivery model. He lead one of Kentucky’s largest healthcare providers, in partnership with two private sector companies, to combine affordable housing, healthcare, pre-K education and onsite job recruitment through the nation’s largest affordable housing developer.