CPEX to begin private fundraising

The Center for Planning Excellence is transforming itself into an entity that supports itself with self-generated revenue, board Chairman Cordell Haymon says. In the past, earmarks from U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu have supported the center, but in the current political environment, that support is threatened. “We have been dependent on the funding we’ve been getting from the federal government,” Haymon says. Future funding will come from two sources, he says: payments from communities where CPEX does planning work, and private donations. “A lot of the people in this room will be asked to consider supporting us,” he said today, speaking to a developers’ forum hosted by CPEX. Developers benefit from the work CPEX does, he says. The center will hold its annual Louisiana Smart Growth Summit Aug. 17-19 at the Shaw Center for the Arts. For a Business Report story about the summit, click here. —David Jacobs