PITTSBURGH – Despite having moved away for nearly 20 years, when you've called Pittsburgh home for any length of time, two things often happen: You want to come back to raise your children, and you want to be part of something, big or small, that makes it better.

Bill Demchak wanted to do both, and as CEO of PNC Financial Services, he had the ability to make a big impact. Since returning in 2002 to the city where he grew up, he has been doing exactly that, quietly and consistently.

It was the fall of 2022, and the city was struggling to recover from COVID-19, poor governance, a growing homeless encampment that continued to expand despite efforts to house its residents, and a police force still reeling from the effects of the defund-the-police movement. Together, those forces fueled an exodus of people, businesses, and hope from the city's downtown core.

Rich Fitzgerald, then the county executive, said Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II approached him about organizing a meeting around an ambitious idea: bringing the NFL draft to Pittsburgh. The challenge was that it would require civic leaders to raise the money needed to make a serious pitch to the NFL and improve Pittsburgh's chances of landing the event.

Fitzgerald brought into his office Steelers Executive Vice President David Morehouse, representatives from Visit Pittsburgh, and Steelers Vice President of Business Development Dan Rooney III. They all knew that pulling it off would require millions of dollars and more than a year of planning just to persuade the NFL to bring the draft to Pittsburgh. But the payoff would be worth it: four days in the international spotlight and a chance to remind outsiders that Pittsburgh is not just a place to visit but a place to live, call home, and even start a business.

The first person to open his checkbook did not hesitate. Demchak was all in, pledging $5 million. Business circles still tell the story that Art Rooney was so surprised by how quickly he agreed that he joked he should have asked for $10 million. Fitzgerald said Pittsburgh is very fortunate to have Demchak, along with his predecessor Jim Rohr, at the helm in the region.

"They have always been civic-minded and always step up," Fitzgerald said.

Demchak was raised in suburban Pittsburgh, though his father's work as a salesman moved the family around for several years before they finally settled there when he was in grade school. After college and a successful........

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