"When I got out of law school, I worked on Gary Hart's 1984 presidential campaign. I enjoyed it. It was a great experience, but I did not see myself going into politics." Instead, Jack Weir, fueled by his passion for policy issues, became involved with a New York non-profit dedicated to affordable housing, a path that ultimately led him to his current role as the Principal and Founder of Eastwind Development, LLC. "Eastwind is engaged in developing, investing, and owning various types of multifamily rental properties throughout Florida. The company was founded in 2007 and has developed over 4,000 units over the last 10+ years. Our main office is in Palm Beach Gardens, and there is also an Orlando office."

As a collaborative leader, Jack directly manages a team of ten employees and oversees numerous third-party management companies. "I take the time to develop consensus. You realize shouting and screaming at people is not a very good way to motivate. I am demanding but supportive, and I try to help people become the best versions of themselves. I also try to hire people who are better or more experienced at specific aspects of the business than I am to amplify our impact." However, he didn't start with that approach. Over time, through experience, his style evolved. "I would tell my younger self to learn what is important and don't sweat the small stuff. As you get older and more experienced, you realize that family is the most important thing in people’s lives. As a business, we are pretty accommodating if and when our staff members have a school or medical issue with their kids."

As for his family, Jack has been married to his wife, Diana, for 30 years. "We met in New York while living in Manhattan. I’m half Italian descent and she’s Cuban, and we immediately started talking about family, religion and politics. As I like to say, it was love at first fight." Soon after, tired of the cold, they moved to Florida and raised their two children. "Andy is twenty-eight years old and works as a field producer at NBC Nightly News in New York, and Grace is finishing her fourth Year at Boston University Medical School. She is waiting to start her residency in pediatrics."

Jack's academic journey took him from the University of Scranton to Harvard Law School, with a prestigious Rotary Fellowship at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. "After starting my career as a lawyer, I took a detour and worked for a national non-profit organization that focused on affordable housing finance. It taught me a great deal about the industry, and my experience in the housing industry dovetails well with the Economic Council's policy work on the production of workforce and affordable housing in Palm Beach County. This is particularly evident in initiatives like the County housing bond and the Housing for All Plan for the County."

A seven-year member of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, he believes that affordable housing is just one of the many critical issues we need to overcome. "Approximately sixty percent of the employees in Palm Beach County are service workers. During the pandemic, the housing crisis became so severe that young lawyers, nurses, and many others struggled to find housing. I believe we need to produce more housing in the right locations. Coupling neighborhood revitalization with new construction and first-time homebuyer opportunities would be a win-win solution. Transportation is also a challenge. We're still in a better position compared to places like Miami, but we're seeing increasing traffic demands and bottlenecks. I believe this will become a major issue in the next few years. The solution may well go beyond traditional road transit, and the best alternative might be to leverage technology. One of our communities in Orlando is utilizing autonomous vehicles that operate in a continuous loop to create a shuttle-like experience, which alleviates some congestion and could be part of the answer."

He says there are other priorities, too. "Education, particularly K-12, needs to be looked at, and we must provide technical or trade alternatives to college to address the growing demand for skilled workers. We also need to look at the evolving healthcare landscape as well as the environmental and water quality concerns."

Addressing serious issues like these is one of the main reasons he wanted to be a part of the Council. "The opportunity to interact and work with business leaders in Palm Beach County on a range of policy issues intrigued me. I had been a visitor to a few meetings where the Council had policy presentations, and I thought they were detailed and informative, so I decided to join and have been pleased. The members are high quality and pragmatic." Surrounded by the Council's diverse talent, he is confident they can drive meaningful change. "We have the fortunate problem In Palm Beach County of managing growth while maintaining a desirable quality of life. As our economy becomes diversified, it becomes more resilient to downturns. With strong and proactive leadership at the county government level and active engagement of the business community on policy issues, we can ensure that the policy prescriptions we enact are consistent with creating and maintaining a good business climate."