Pete Rummell
Encyclopedia
Peter Stevenson "Pete" Rummell (born 1945) is an American
real estate entrepreneur and former President and CEO of several prominent companies. Disney's planned community
of Celebration, Florida
was his brainchild.
in Pottstown, Pennsylvania
, then completed his undergraduate education in 1967 with a Artium Baccalaureus (AB) degree in English literature with a Chemistry double major from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. His first job involved selling laboratory equipment to hospitals, and he realized that he was not a salesman. Friends attending the Wharton Business School
at the University of Pennsylvania
encouraged him to join them, so he enrolled there and received an MBA
in 1971. Another friend from Wharton invited him to visit Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
, where he met developer Charles Frazer, who offered Rummell a job.
, where he served as general manager of the Sawgrass
development in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
.
In 1983, he was named Vice Chairman of Rockefeller Center Management, which markets, leases and manages the 18 buildings in midtown Manhattan that encompass Rockefeller Center
in New York City
.
Rummell left in 1985 to become president of Disney Development Company
. At Disney, he helped manage the company's theme park and resort development, including Walt Disney World in Orlando, and was a driving force behind the 5,000-acre, 20,000-person planned community of Celebration, Florida
. Rummell pitched the idea to Disney CEO Michael Eisner
in 1989 and described his vision of Celebration:
The division also managed the company's holdings adjacent to theme parks in Anaheim
, Orlando
, Tokyo
and Paris
.
Rummell was promoted to chairman of Walt Disney Imagineering
and remained with the company until 1997, when he was hired by St. Joe Company
in Jacksonville, Florida
to transform Florida's largest landowner into a major developer. As chairman and CEO, he guided the company to plan and develop 20 major resort and residential communities. He left the company in May, 2008 and was briefly president of Nicklaus Companies.
From 2003 to 2006 Rummell served on the Board of Directors of Progress Energy and Carolina Power & Light
; he serves on the board of The Haskell Company
.
In September 2007, Rummell was named a director of Real estate investment trust
AvalonBay Communities due to his extensive experience in real estate development, and is currently a private investor.
in 2005.
He was an Urban Land Institute
officer and trustee who was also chairman of the ULI Foundation in the 2000s.
Rummell was a member of the Jacksonville Non-Group, which evolved into the Jacksonville Civic Council
in 2010. He was the first president of the new organization.
He chaired the Florida Council of 100
from 2005 to 2007, a group that advises the governor on issues confronting the state from a business point of view.
From 2003 to 2006, Rummell was appointed by governor Jeb Bush
as a member of the Florida Board of Governors
, which provides policy oversight of the university system for the State of Florida.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
real estate entrepreneur and former President and CEO of several prominent companies. Disney's planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
of Celebration, Florida
Celebration, Florida
Celebration is a census-designated place and a master-planned community in Osceola County, Florida, United States, located near Walt Disney World Resort and originally developed by The Walt Disney Company...
was his brainchild.
Education
Rummell attended The Hill SchoolThe Hill School
The Hill School is a preparatory boarding school for boys and girls located in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia....
in Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States northwest of Philadelphia and southeast of Reading, on the Schuylkill River. Pottstown was laid out in 1752–53 and named Pottsgrove in honor of its founder, John Potts. The old name was abandoned at the time of the...
, then completed his undergraduate education in 1967 with a Artium Baccalaureus (AB) degree in English literature with a Chemistry double major from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. His first job involved selling laboratory equipment to hospitals, and he realized that he was not a salesman. Friends attending the Wharton Business School
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
encouraged him to join them, so he enrolled there and received an MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
in 1971. Another friend from Wharton invited him to visit Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island or Hilton Head is a resort town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is north of Savannah, Georgia, and south of Charleston. The island gets its name from Captain William Hilton...
, where he met developer Charles Frazer, who offered Rummell a job.
Early career
Rummell began his real estate career with the Sea Pines Company in 1971, where he was involved in the development of resort communities on Hilton Head and Amelia Island, Florida. Beginning in 1977, he was with the Arvida CorporationArvida Corp.
Arvida Corp., a Florida resort and real estate development company, was founded in 1958 by Arthur Vining Davis to develop his Florida land holdings, which included the historic Boca Raton Resort & Club, built in 1928....
, where he served as general manager of the Sawgrass
Sawgrass, Florida
Sawgrass is a census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,942 at the 2000 census. The aura is located in one of the most prestigious region of Florida, Ponte Vedra Beach.-Geography:...
development in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach is an unincorporated seaside community in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located eighteen miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jacksonville Beaches area. It is an upmarket tourist resort area best known for its...
.
In 1983, he was named Vice Chairman of Rockefeller Center Management, which markets, leases and manages the 18 buildings in midtown Manhattan that encompass Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Rummell left in 1985 to become president of Disney Development Company
Disney Development Company
The Disney Development Company is a fully owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, incorporated in Florida. Its primary role has been in the design and construction of certain resort and shopping areas within the Walt Disney World Resort, and the development of the planned community,...
. At Disney, he helped manage the company's theme park and resort development, including Walt Disney World in Orlando, and was a driving force behind the 5,000-acre, 20,000-person planned community of Celebration, Florida
Celebration, Florida
Celebration is a census-designated place and a master-planned community in Osceola County, Florida, United States, located near Walt Disney World Resort and originally developed by The Walt Disney Company...
. Rummell pitched the idea to Disney CEO Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
in 1989 and described his vision of Celebration:
The division also managed the company's holdings adjacent to theme parks in Anaheim
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Rummell was promoted to chairman of Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...
and remained with the company until 1997, when he was hired by St. Joe Company
St. Joe Company
The St. Joe Company is a land development company formerly headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is Florida's second largest private landowner, owning about in the state at the end of 2009.-Beginning:...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
to transform Florida's largest landowner into a major developer. As chairman and CEO, he guided the company to plan and develop 20 major resort and residential communities. He left the company in May, 2008 and was briefly president of Nicklaus Companies.
From 2003 to 2006 Rummell served on the Board of Directors of Progress Energy and Carolina Power & Light
Carolina Power & Light
Carolina Power & Light was an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution utility based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company was founded on July 13, 1908 as the result of the merger and buyout of numerous small, private, and financial distressed utilities across the state...
; he serves on the board of The Haskell Company
The Haskell Company
The Haskell Company is Florida's largest privately held construction company and Florida's 52nd largest private company. The Engineering News-Record named Haskell a top GREEN contractor and they rank among the top design/build firms in the US...
.
In September 2007, Rummell was named a director of Real estate investment trust
Real estate investment trust
A real estate investment trust or REIT is a tax designation for a corporate entity investing in real estate. The purpose of this designation is to reduce or eliminate corporate tax. In return, REITs are required to distribute 90% of their taxable income into the hands of investors...
AvalonBay Communities due to his extensive experience in real estate development, and is currently a private investor.
Civic involvement
Rummell served as co-chairman of Jacksonville's host committee that was successful in their quest to have the city selected for Super Bowl XXXIXSuper Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
in 2005.
He was an Urban Land Institute
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute, or ULI, is a non-profit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, and London...
officer and trustee who was also chairman of the ULI Foundation in the 2000s.
Rummell was a member of the Jacksonville Non-Group, which evolved into the Jacksonville Civic Council
Jacksonville Civic Council
Jacksonville Civic Council is a non-partisan group of prominent Jacksonville, Florida business leaders whose goal is to help resolve community issues by studying the problem, proposing one or more solutions, advocating for change, and providing resources and support.The entity is akin to a brain...
in 2010. He was the first president of the new organization.
He chaired the Florida Council of 100
Florida Council of 100
The Florida Council of 100 is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization of Florida business leaders who advise the state's governor. The group's headquarters are in Tampa, Florida and they celebrate their 50th year during 2011.-History:...
from 2005 to 2007, a group that advises the governor on issues confronting the state from a business point of view.
From 2003 to 2006, Rummell was appointed by governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
as a member of the Florida Board of Governors
Florida Board of Governors
The Florida Board of Governors was created in 2002 by the passage of a constitutional amendment, which went into effect in 2003. By an unprecedented vote, a 17-member board was established to serve as the statewide governing body for the State University System of Florida, which includes all...
, which provides policy oversight of the university system for the State of Florida.