Candidate: Greg Filak

WHY I AM RUNNING

I am honored to have the opportunity to run as your next representative for Celebration’s Community Development District (CCDD).  As a seven year resident of this wonderful community, it is time for me to give back to the town which has given so much to my family and me.  Celebration has many challenges facing it in the coming years as we continue to grow while keeping our core values and identity.  The best way to ensure we are able to move forward smartly is to hold to core principles for good governance.  As an organizational leader for over 25 years, those cornerstone values which I commit to are:

Engagement: Encouraging participation in the town’s governance by all residents, as well as with our town’s partners and stakeholders such as local government and the business community;

Transparency: Ensuring the residents of Celebration are informed of the vision and intent of the CCDD;

Stewardship: Always being mindful that the town has entrusted its leaders with its assets, both financial and properties, to maintain, improve, and allocate wisely;

Action: Once the residents have been engaged, leadership intent is made known, and proper resources are accounted for…to be willing to make the choices to move the town ahead.

MY BACKGROUND

I was born and raised as an “Army Brat”, spending my early years in California, Virginia, New Jersey, and overseas in Germany.  Civic duty is engrained in military culture, I was blessed to be immersed in it from a young age.  After having learned a different form of “small town life” as a child, our family retired from the Army and settled in northern New Jersey for my middle school and high school years.  High school is when I started my passion for servant leadership, first by being chosen as our church’s ordained youth elder, then later with my town as a member of both the local volunteer Fire Company and the First Aid Squad.  I left New Jersey for college in the summer of 1996 heading for Davidson, North Carolina (go Cats!) where I continued in leadership roles with the local fire company as well as member of AmeriCorps. 

After graduating from Davidson College at the end of 1999, I immediately started with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department as a patrol officer in a city of over 600,000 residents.  During this time I volunteered for additional duties with the department’s honor guard.  When not at work on my five years of night shift, I completed my M.B.A. with magna cum laude honors, and I also continued my volunteer work as a fireman in the suburbs of Charlotte.  In 2005 I left North Carolina to start my current career in the defense industry, specifically in communications and Information Technology.  After spending over 18 months in Iraq supporting our troops overseas, I returned to New Jersey where I continued my work as a Program Manager in the defense industry, but I also continued my volunteering with the local fire company, attaining the rank of Lieutenant and heading several administrative committees.  I also spent four years on the board of my Homeowner’s Association, serving as both President and Treasurer. 

In 2008 I met a beautiful young lady named Tania who I have been lucky to have as my wife since 2010.  After our first son was born, we decided to make the move to central Florida in the summer of 2012, eventually buying our current house in Celebration in 2013.  Our second son was born shortly after we moved to Celebration.  Our family has fully embraced all of the wonderful things that our town has to offer as we have made this our home. 

I stepped away from civic and volunteer work for a few years to focus on family and career, and have been promoted to my current position as a Vice President with the company that I have been at since 2010.  As my wife and I become more engaged in the town directly and through our children, I have gradually engaged more in the workings of our town.  I recently served on CROA’s Charter Task Force which spent nearly a year reviewing all of the governing documents of Celebration for the decennial revisions, including the mandate for an RFP process for CROA’s management company, and revising the election processes for the CROA board.  I am also a volunteer coach in several youth sports in town including basketball, baseball, and soccer.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING

-          As a Vice President with my company, I manage over 175 employees through multiple layers of managers, a dozen subcontractors, and am responsible for the P&L of over $60M per year.  I have executive oversight of financial teams, contractual negotiations and management, and understanding government acquisition processes.  I know how to lead teams of people of differing areas of expertise to move towards our corporate objectives.

-          As a President and Treasurer of a new homeowner’s association for four years, I led our board through the developer transition, aggressively positioning our board and support staff (attorneys, engineers, management company) to successfully demand over $800,000 in remediation actions.  In parallel, we also successfully conducted multiple RFPs, including for management, landscaping, and maintenance, resulting in 10%-30% cost reductions while maintaining or increasing services.  I developed and leveraged relationships with the municipality, county, and other homeowner’s associations.

-          As an M.B.A., I have the relevant educational background to execute management of a staff organization and delegate authorities and responsibilities, provide financial oversight, develop key stakeholder relationships, and work with functional experts to coalesce and recognize an organizational vision.

-          As a volunteer fireman on four different fire departments and a rescue squad, as well as in my time as a paid police officer, I stepped up to leadership roles, both administrative and operational.  Several of these positions had budget responsibilities including for the procurement of major capital assets.  Most importantly, I learned how to prioritize actions when they matter most. 

I look forward to the opportunities to engage with my neighbors during this election season to hear your views, concerns, and desires for what Celebration should be as we open the chapter into the town’s next 25 years.  If you would like to discuss your views, or if you are willing to donate to my campaign, please reach out to me at greg.filak.4.celebration@outlook.com.