A man of astonishing intellect, Peter A. McCuen was the unofficial economic development director for the California's Capital Region, laying the foundation for Sacramento to emerge as an important adjunct to Silicon Valley in the 1980s. Mr. McCuen recognized that the Sacramento region possessed all the elements to attract high-tech companies looking for affordable land and housing, an educated work force, and a quality of life that would appeal to knowledge workers. Looking at the undeveloped land along the Highway 50 corridor, Mr. McCuen realized its potential as a site for the landscaped office parks that are popular in Silicon Valley. He developed the Sacramento region's first master planned business and technology parks, and is widely attributed with bringing companies like Intel and Sprint to the Sacramento region. When Mr. McCuen died in November 1999, the Sacramento Bee wrote: "Some believe he had more impact on economic development in the Sacramento area than any other individual in the last 20 years."
Mr. McCuen developed more than 100 buildings in the region, many of which have become regional landmarks. Among the projects he developed with the professional staff at McCuen Properties are The Money Store Corporate Headquarters at Raley's Landing, U.S. Bank Plaza, the new Central Library Block renovation, and the Stephen P. Teale Consolidated Data Center. One of his most ambitious projects was the redevelopment of a decommissioned U.S. Air Force base into Mather Field, a 5,800-acre office and industrial park, through a public/private partnership with Sacramento County.
Drawn by his commitment to create a better environment, Mr. McCuen gave a great deal to the community. As Chairman of the Leland Stanford Mansion Foundation, he led a public/private coalition to restore the historic residence as a State park that would serve as the protocol center for the State of California's official functions. On behalf of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Mr. McCuen and his partner, Susan Peters McCuen, launched the River Otter, a water taxi that connects Old Town Sacramento to restaurants along the Sacramento River. The River Otter has proven very popular with Sacramentans and as a tourist attraction, and has helped to stimulate economic development along the Sacramento River.
Mr. McCuen was a member of the U.C. Davis College of Engineering Board of Visitors, and the California State University Sacramento Advisory Board. He was an appointed member of the Commission for the Review of the Master Plan for Higher Education in California and the California Advisory Board on Air Quality and Fuels; was a Director of the Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Crocker Art Museum, and the Sacramento Symphony Association; a former Director and Executive Committee Member of the American Electronics Association; and a former member of the Stanford University School of Engineering Advisory Council.
In recognition of Mr. McCuen's contributions to the regional business economy and his generous philanthropy to the Crocker Art Museum, the Boy Scouts and other arts and civic organizations, Mr. McCuen was presented with the Regional Pride Excellence Award by California Governor Pete Wilson in 1991. In 1999, Mr. McCuen was named Sacramentan of the Year in recognition of his contribution to the regional economy.
Prior to commencing his real estate development activities in Sacramento in 1980, Mr. McCuen had experienced remarkable success in the aerospace and high technology industries. After four years as an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Stanford University, where he earned his master's and doctorate degrees, Mr. McCuen's entrepreneurial nature and interest in thermodynamics and heat transfer took him into the high-tech aerospace industry as a consultant to Vidya. When that company was sold in 1965, Mr. McCuen raised the venture capital needed to buy the thermodynamics department and create an aerospace research and development company eventually known as Acurex.
Following eight profitable years at Acurex, Mr. McCuen left to head Verbatim Corporation, which under his leadership, became the world's largest manufacturer of flexible disks, with a 35% share of the global market and 1,500 employees. He established production plants in North Carolina, Ireland, Japan and Australia, as well as at sites throughout California. In 1979, Mr. McCuen took Verbatim public, then "retired" to Sacramento and a new career as a developer of commercial real estate.
Peter A. McCuen put his exceptional intelligence to visionary use creating positive commercial developments that benefit the entire Capital Region. His legacy of quality development continues to inspire the work of McCuen Properties.
The Peter A. McCuen Environmental Computing Center
