Ora Reynolds Named President of Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Jim Holland, chairman of Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc., has announced the promotion of Ora H. Reynolds to president of Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc. effective January 1, 2010.  Reynolds previously served as vice president and general manager for the real estate company.  

In her new role, Reynolds will continue to direct overall management of Hunt Midwest's residential and industrial/commercial divisions – including SubTropolis, Hunt Midwest Business Center, and all the Hunt Midwest residential communities.  In addition, she will increase her focus on expansion opportunities and strategic planning.

A native of Chicago, Reynolds joined Hunt Midwest in 1991 as manager of new business development responsible for seeking potential expansion opportunities.  As a result of her efforts, Hunt Midwest expanded into the residential development business in 1993.  In 1994, Reynolds became manager of residential development.  She was promoted to director in 1996, general manager in 1998, and was named vice president and general manager of residential development in 1999.

While heading up Hunt Midwest's residential efforts, Reynolds was responsible for the acquisition and entitlement of over 3,300 acres of land and the development of over 4,800 platted lots in 12 current and four completed master-planned residential communities within multiple municipalities.

In 2007, Reynolds was promoted to vice president and general manager of Hunt Midwest's overall real estate company adding responsibilities for the industrial/commercial division to her role in the residential division.  Under her guidance, the commercial division leased and sold a 154,000 square foot industrial building, commenced a major expansion of the Hunt Midwest Business Center, and improved occupancy levels in SubTropolis while also increasing land sales in Hunt Midwest's industrial, commercial, and retail centers.

"Since day one, Ora Reynolds has made huge contributions to Hunt Midwest and I am pleased to see her step into this new role," said Hunt Midwest Chairman Jim Holland.  "We are confident she will do a great job of leading the Hunt Midwest team as the company continues to grow in the coming years."

Reynolds serves on the board of directors for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and is a graduate of its Centurions Leadership Program.  She is a board member for the Northland Regional Chamber and past chair of its Planning & Development Committee.  She was also recently named to the Clay County EDC board.  Reynolds serves on the board of directors for the Home Builders Association of Greater Kansas City, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and on the NAHB Land Development Committee.  Most recently, she was asked to join the Starlight Theatre board of directors.  Reynolds is also a member of the Kansas City Business Journal's "Women Who Mean Business" Class of 2008.

Prior to joining Hunt Midwest, Reynolds was in the corporate banking industry at Barnett Bank of Tampa, N.A. in Tampa, Florida, and NCNB National Bank of Florida in both Tampa and Clearwater.  She is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington with a B.S. degree in Finance.

Lee Derrough, long-time president and CEO of Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc. retired on December 31, 2009.  Reynolds has stepped into the presidency role of Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development previously held by Derrough.

About Hunt Midwest Enterprises

Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc. is a Kansas City, Missouri-based company comprised of two wholly-owned subsidiaries: Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc., developer of over 6,000 acres of commercial, retail, industrial and residential property, and owner/developer of SubTropolis, the world's largest underground business complex; and Hunt Midwest Mining, Inc., 50 percent owner of the region's largest supplier of crushed limestone, Hunt Martin Materials, LLC.

Hunt Midwest, a privately held company, is owned by the Lamar Hunt family. The Hunt family business is a diverse portfolio of entities involved in real estate, sports/media, energy/resources, private equity and investments. Marquee entities include the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt Midwest, Chicago Bulls, Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas Soccer Club, and United Center.

A photo and bio are available at http://www.huntmidwest.com/press.html

SOURCE Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development, Inc.