Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) announces that Founding Principal and Board Chairman Richard Voith, Ph.D., will conclude his tenure as a principal and owner of the firm at the end of 2025.
After more than a decade as an Economic Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Dr. Voith joined Econsult Corporation in 2001 and led the development and growth of the firm’s consulting practice. As co-founder of ESI in 2013 and co-President through 2020, Dick has been a driving force in the trajectory and continued growth of the firm.
A widely published expert in real estate economics, transportation, and applied microeconomics, Voith’s leadership and expertise have shaped the firm’s practices and helped build its reputation for rigorous, high-quality economic analysis and practical insights. He has led a number of projects demonstrating the crucial role SEPTA has played in sustaining the region’s economy and improving quality of life. These included measuring the impacts of transit on house values, the return on investment of SEPTA’s capital program, potential costs of reduced service, as well as benefits of proposed new transit initiatives.
Outside of Greater Philadelphia, he has worked extensively with academic and professional colleagues examining the impacts of Low Income Housing Tax Credit financed development on communities. This research, which shows that affordable housing developments increase the property values in nearby communities, was cited in the 2024 Economic Report of the President. Another recent project, done in collaboration with the Volcker Alliance and the Penn Institute for Urban Research, focused on the longer term impact of remote work on different kinds of cities. This project demonstrates that work from home can have a positive impact on cities that are focused on innovation, as long as they retain a high quality of life and have high quality transit systems that support density.
Dick will continue to collaborate with ESI on an ad hoc basis where his expertise can help the firm as it grows. The firm, its leadership team, and the entire ESI family, extends its appreciation of Dick for his integral contributions in shaping the company and wishes him every success in this next chapter.
Dick has been a great business partner, mentor, and friend. He has been an invaluable asset to the firm over the years, and we could not be happier for him in making this transition. All of us wish him the best and thank him for his many contributions to the firm.”
-Peter Angelides, President & Principal