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David Armijo, Chief Executive Officer of HART, is featured in the March/April 2011 edition of Hispanic Executive, which features success stories among Hispanic business men and women, and in-depth stories on current business issues.
Mr. Armijo was featured in the "Hispanics In ..." series, which profiles Hispanics in popular industries. Hispanic Executive contacted Mr. Armijo in October 2010, soon after HART received the 2010 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award by the American Public Transportation System. Considered the gold medal in the transit industry, this award recognizes HART as the best in North America among mid-size transit agencies, which includes those carrying between 4 - 20 million annual passenger trips.
The article can be viewed electronically at: http://hispanicexecutive.com/2011/02/david-armijo/
The text version of this article is available below.
For more information about HART, visit www.goHART.org or call 813-254-4278.
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Life in Transit: David Armijo of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority
By Kaleena Thompson
On a given morning, David Armijo sends his staff an e-mail with a quote by Mario Andretti: "If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough."
It doesn't take long to discover Armijo is about moving forward, at minimum, and racing to the top, at best.
And as CEO of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Armijo knows that now is a good time to move transportation in the Tampa area forward.
HART operates a multi-modal public transportation system for more than 1 million residents in Hillsborough County, an area that includes Tampa and spans more than 1,000 square miles.
Armijo has managed all aspects of public transportation - bus, rail, toll roads, and aviation - in states like Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and California.
Since 2007, Armijo has applied his specialized and broad range of transportation experiences to lead HART in a time when the economy is plunging. "Despite the lack of transportation funding, I saw the potential in Tampa's transportation system to be one of the elite organizations in the United States," Armijo recalls.
HART, now in its 32nd year, has received numerous accolades since Armijo has lead the transit agency. Most recently, the American Public Transportation Association designated HART with the 2010 Outstanding Public Transportation System of the Year award. The designation is earned after a successful three-year evaluation period, solidifying Armijo's effective leadership.
It's hard for Armijo to fathom his career in mass transit as accidental. "I had always planned a career in government," he admits. "However, after graduating San Diego State University, I worked for a transit agency in El Paso, Texas. Two managers quit abruptly during a bus design project, and at 23 years old, I was given the opportunity to step in and lead the project."
This opportunity poised him for more than 25 years of experience in the transportation industry.
Considering the depth of the recession, Armijo framed a vision for HART and planned for an uncertain future. As a result, HART was one of the few transit agencies that averted major cutbacks. "We began the process for ridership growth, which generated fare-box revenue in a time some of our other revenue sources were declining," Armijo says, noting that efficiencies included reducing administrative costs. "However, I reorganized this agency and added critical positions to improve our performance."
As for buses, HART developed the Rapid Transit Investment Plan (RTIP) to expand its services to meet the future transportation needs of Hillsborough County. Armijo notes that HART replaced 38 percent of the fleet, thanks to funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, adding that, "we committed 75 percent of the money to bus maintenance and bus shelters." HART also eliminated routes with minimal ridership and added routes in areas with heavy ridership. As a result, ridership has increased more than 7 percent annually, a record for HART.
Since 2002, HART has operated the TECO Line Streetcar System for the City of Tampa and is in the process of extending it. "This extension will connect residents and visitors from downtown Tampa to shops, restaurants, and nightlife at the Channelside District, as well as connection to the renowned historic district in Ybor City," Armijo says.
These transportation improvements will have positive effects on the region's economy and quality of life. "By investing in new, high-capacity services in Hillsborough County's most traveled areas, we have been able to improve travel throughout the greater Tampa Bay area," Armijo adds.
Armijo's commitment to improving Hillsborough County goes beyond transit. As one of the few minority CEOs in transit, he hopes to inspire other young men and women to pursue transportation as a career. "I hire inters and serve on scholarship committees, and there is a growing interest, talent and potential in these young people," Armijo says.
In addition, it is a priority for Armijo to hire staff to better reflect the community HART serves. More than two-thirds of HART's employees are minorities, and Armijo is positioning HART's current management team to become future transportation leaders.
"This banner year would not be possible without the focused effort of each HART employee, and HART is on track to the future," Armijo says.
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