Hunt Midwest President and CEO Ora Reynolds recently became only the fourth person ever to receive the Kansas City Business Journal’s Power Player Award.
The honor recognizes people who have had and continue to have a lasting and positive effect on the commercial real estate industry.
Also co-chair of the Kansas City Area Development Council, Reynolds joined Hunt in 1991 after working in the banking industry with an emphasis in commercial lending. That experience, her drive and creativity did the rest.
When she started, Hunt Midwest’s holdings were visible but relatively limited compared to today. Its properties were SubTropolis, Worlds and Oceans of Fun, mining and some land sites. During her 30-year tenure, SubTropolis has grown to nearly 7 million square feet of leased space and now includes a mission critical campus, SubTropolis Technology Center. The Hunt Midwest Business Center expanded to over eight million square feet of buildings.
In the residential arena, Hunt Midwest has platted and sold over 6,400 residential lots. The organization re-entered the multifamily sector with luxury rental communities including Mission 106, Fairway Villas at Lenexa City Center and The Vue in downtown Overland Park. A senior housing platform was created in Kansas City with Principal Senior Living Group for nine area assisted living and memory care projects under the Benton House name.
The senior housing footprint expanded recently with Capstone-brand communities in southeast Florida and suburban Nashville to be operated by Integral Senior Living. Climate controlled self-storage is a new venture with five projects in varying stages of construction and lease-up in the KC Metro. Additionally, Ora was responsible for the launch of Hunt Southwest with over 3.5 million square feet of developed industrial buildings in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and El Paso markets.
Ora’s community service stretches from corporate boards to numerous charitable and civic organizations. She is currently chair of the board for Starlight Theatre and a member of the KU Advancement Board. She also serves on the executive committee of the KCADC board and as an advisory board member of Commerce Bank. She is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington with a bachelor’s degree in finance and lives with her family in Leawood, Kansas.
To read the Business Journal’s full article by staff writer Thomas Friestad, follow this link.
