One of the movers and shakers who's been key to downtown Harrisburg's rejuvenation contends if a convention center is never built in Lancaster, it won't be those who've been pushing for it who'll take the biggest hit.

It'll be the minority population, said Fredrick A. Clark, who's been hired as a consultant by the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority.

Clark, who, until late last month served as executive director of Harrisburg's Downtown Improvement District, said the convention center and adjoining hotel planned for South Queen and East Vine streets would grow business and job opportunities for minorities and women here.

He said he's seen those kinds of results, as did his good friend and former Philadelphia mayor (now governor) Ed Rendell, following the construction of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Clark, who's had his own consulting company, Clark Resources, for the past 15 years, said the hotel and service trade that developed around the convention center since it opened in 1993 provided hundreds of Philadelphia residents with steady, good-paying jobs.

As testament, he related this: "One day I was walking in Philadelphia with Ed when a black woman came up to him and hugged him, right on Broad Street. She said, 'Mayor, I want to thank you.' He asked, 'For what?' and she said, 'For the first time, I've got a good-paying job (at one of the hotels) with benefits. I don't have to be on welfare anymore, and I have day care there for my children.''' Aside from Harrisburg, Clark said he believes downtown Lancaster has the "greatest chance of revival of anyplace else in the midstate.'' He's been credited by many, including some editors at Harrisburg's Patriot-News, for fostering the capital city's resurgence. His efforts, proponents say, have ensured that the streets are brimming with people long after state government workers have gone for the day.

"I know he's very well regarded by Mayor (Stephen R.) Reed,'' said Tom Baldrige, president of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry, who heard Clark speak in October. ""And the results of the revitalization of downtown Harrisburg speak for themselves.'' Clark prefers to downplay his accolades.

"The real role I had was serving as a catalyst for the mayor, and property owners and business owners,'' Clark said.

Clark has been as an adviser to Reed for many years and has served as his intermediary among many people, including those of color.

Before working for the city, Clark had known Reed while serving as chairman of Dauphin County's Democratic Party, and as chairman of Reed's mayoral campaign.

Just as he had suggested in Harrisburg, Clark said Lancaster need to forget about trying to compete with other small cities.

"That shouldn't be the focus,'' he said. "They're not Lancaster's competition. People are going to Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City. The convention center is to compete with them.'' Clark said the 11 county hoteliers who've sued to stop the project and oppose it for fear of how it only may benefit the proposed downtown hotel are being destructive to the city.

Lancaster already has a downtown farmers' market and Amish tourism as a draw, he said, and the convention center would build on that.

Although Clark was hired by the authority to come up with a policy for the inclusion of minorities in the construction and operation of the convention center, he said his focus will be much broader.

"First and foremost, Lancaster provides a great opportunity for minority business growth,'' Clark said.

With only a couple of weeks on the job, he said he's already facilitated that for two minority businesses.

The long-standing Stevens & Lee law firm, he said, was "very receptive'' to working with the minority Taylor & Taylor law firm that was established last year. Stevens & Lee serves as the convention center authority's lawyer.

High Employee Services, whose parent company, High Industries, is a partner in the hotel project, also indicated interest in working with Tyrone Miller of Access Personnel Services Inc., 447 S. Prince St., to form a work force partnership that would supply staff to the convention center and hotel.

Clark said the convention center/hotel project "is just the stepping stone to developing long-term relationships between Lancaster's majority- and minority-owned businesses.'' He's not interested, he said, in coming up with a strict policy that stipulates how many minorities must be hired by the authority or how much reimbursement companies that hire minorities would receive.

Clark said he's found the minority businesspeople he's talked with "to be eager, willing and capable'' of performing services.

Clark is working with attorney J. Allen Taylor of Taylor & Taylor to draft what he said will be a policy for minority hiring opportunities.

"We deferred to Al's group (the Community Business Association of Lancaster) to prepare a document for us to concur with. His group is made up of Latino, black and women businesspeople,'' Clark said.

"Businesses of color need to participate in what's going on,'' regarding city and county revitalization projects, Taylor said. "Contracts are going to come out of this (convention center//hotel) deal, and we want to be contractors, or subcontractors, all across the board.

"We have to find some way to have people recognize that minority- and women-owned businesses are out there, and that they could be vendors and contractors.'' Despite having the ardent support of authority chairman James O. Pickard, Clark's hiring, at a cost of $2,000 a month, did not come without controversy.

"I don't know why we need to hire someone on an ongoing basis,'' said authority member Christina Hausner, who did not vote to hire Clark. She said she felt that his work could be done by the project's construction manager or by the authority's personnel committee.

But other authority members said Clark would do the best job.

""He is a big bridge between us and that committee,'' said authority member Paul Wright, who had met with Clark and with Taylor's business group in December.

Clark brings "a unique set of skills to the convention center authority, and he'll assist the authority on many levels,'' said Pickard, adding that Clark's ties to Rendell could prove valuable in the authority's dealings with state agencies.

Clark had served as Rendell's midstate campaign manager, a member of his inaugural committee and as a "headhunter'' to fill his administration.

He said he was offered a post in the Rendell cabinet, but refused it.

"I have no interest in working for state government,'' Clark said. "From Day One, I've maintained I've had no interest in government. But I have a great interest in maintaining my relationship with the governor.'' Born in Middletown, Clark, 41, has lived in Harrisburg nearly 20 years. He attended Harrisburg Area Community College, then graduated from Penn State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education.

He served as athletic director for Harrisburg School District from 1988 until 1998. He then worked as director of operations for Harrisburg's parking authority during 1999.

In 2000, he was director of government relations at Mellon Bank, and also that year, he became executive director of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District.

He's also invested in two downtown Harrisburg restaurants.

Aside from his professional involvement, Clark has been linked with Harrisburg in many other ways. He was a Harrisburg school board member and had been interim chief executive officer and acting president of the Urban League of Harrisburg.

Clark has been appointed by the last three governors to serve on various boards and commissions, such as the Governor's Private Industry Council and the Governor's Advisory Commission on African American Affairs.

Mode Weekly, one of Harrisburg's alternative newspapers, claims Clark is so well-known that his name ranks fourth on the list of the city's most recognized people, and he's even been mentioned as a candidate to succeed Reed.

But he's not interested, he said. He'd rather help out ailing places like Lancaster.

"To Mr. Pickard's credit, and to the (convention center) authority members' credit, they're being proactive and progressive in wanting to reach out in a meaningful way to develop and enhance minority business here,'' Clark said.

"The minority businesses didn't come and ask them. The authority realizes it has more to do with bringing Lancaster into the 21st century than just building a convention center.'' As he did in Harrisburg, Clark said he will have some barriers to overcome in helping the authority achieve its goals.

"I know white people are going to be suspect, and black people and other minorities are going to be suspect,'' he said. "I don't profess to be an expert. But I do profess that my intentions are good, and I feel the (convention center//hotel) project is good. And I have experience in making changes.''


The hoteliers who have filed two lawsuits battling the convention center project are the Eden Resort Inn and Conference Center; the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center; the Ramada Inn, on Route 30; Continental Inn; Historic Strasburg Inn; Hershey Farm Restaurant & Motor Inn; Your Place Country Inn; Quality Inn & Suites; Best Western Revere; Italian Villa Motel; and ARA Motel. The Marriott hotel that is to adjoin the convention center is being developed by Penn Square Partners, which consists of general partner Penn Square General Corp., an affiliate of High Industries, and limited partners Fulton Bank and Lancaster Newspapers Inc., publisher of the Sunday News, Intelligencer Journal and Lancaster New Era.