Recipients {If you can read this your browser does not support web standards!}

Willard G. Rouse III

Chairman, CEO and President
Liberty Property Trust

In his dedication to creating environments and resources that respect and enhance the lives of the people in the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond, Willard "Bill" G. Rouse III personifies the ideal of the Musser Award for Excellence in Leadership.

He founded Rouse & Associates in 1972 and subsequently grew it into one of the most influential real estate operations in the country. He has been a driving force in real estate, developing numerous landmark properties, among them: the 650-acre trend-setting suburban business park Great Valley Corporate Center in Malvern, PA; Liberty Place, the 3.4 million square foot mixed-use skyscraper complex that dramatically changed Philadelphia's skyline; and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Building. He was also one of the few US-based developers to partner with a European government, developing Kings Hill in southern England, the largest mixed-use business park in Europe.

He began his career in 1966 with the Great Southwest Corporation, a developer in Dallas, Texas. In 1968, he joined the Bernguil Company where he oversaw development of the Mid-Atlantic Park in southern New Jersey.

In May of this year, he unveiled plans for a new office complex to be built in Center City Philadelphia over a new half-acre public plaza on John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Project design will be coordinated with a planned major renovation of SEPTA's Suburban Station and include a 725-foot tall, 1.1 million-square-foot office tower and a smaller building to be added later.

Reflecting his dedication to the city of Philadelphia, he has served in a number of civic leadership roles. As chair of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, he directed development of Philadelphia's state-of-the-art convention center - the largest public construction project ever in Pennsylvania. As chair of We the People 2000, he orchestrated Philadelphia's hugely successful Bicentennial Celebration and continues to serve on the board of the organization. He currently chairs the $255 million Regional Performing Arts Center, one of the most ambitious project in the history of Philadelphia - a glittering multi-use arts complex opening in 2001.

He is also a trustee of The Urban Land Institute and The Enterprise Foundation. He has served on the boards of The Foundation for Architecture, Philadelphia Children's Network, The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Shipley School, Philadelphia Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Center, and The Fine Arts School of The University of Pennsylvania.

A Baltimore native, he graduated from the University of Virginia in 1966 and has received honorary degrees from Spring Garden College, LaSalle University, and The University of the Arts.