Larry Marantette, president and chief executive officer of theGreater Downtown Partnership, is stepping down. He signed up for athree-year stint four years ago, when the office was created, butsaid he wanted to make sure the ball kept rolling once heleft."When Mayor Dennis Archer came into office, he officiallydeclared the city open for business, and began the Partnership tocreate the context for bringing in investment to rebuild Downtown,"says Marantette "In the last four years, we've been able to bring$4 billion in investment into the core of the city."

Projects brought in include the $550 million Compuwareheadquarters, going in at the large, mixed-use Campus Martiusproject in the Necklace District Downtown. He said the Partnershipplans are made on a two or three year basis and he wanted to leaveknowing funding was in place."We're now funded for the next threeyears, and have a work program that has a very solid foundation.It's a good time for me to go back to the private sector," hesaid.

Marantette, 50, was formerly president of the ANR Real EstateGroup, part of ANR Pipeline Co. He has not announced when he willbe leaving or where he will go, but says that someone should be inplace to succeed him by the first of the year. A search committeehas been formed to find his successor.