Our firm has been retained by an investment and development company with offices in New York City and Nantucket to conduct the search for a President of their Hawaiian development.  The successful candidate will oversee all design, entitlements, development, and horizontal construction for 6,000 acres (four close proximity parcels including 2.5 miles of oceanfront coastline) on the Big Island of Hawaii. 

Our client targets the real estate and leisure needs of sophisticated and affluent baby boomers.  In addition to the Hawaii project, the company is currently redeveloping two historic hotels on Martha’s Vineyard and one on Bermuda.  Its products include for-sale villas, fractionals, condo hotel suites, and large acreage single-family lots.  Funding is provided by Lehman Brothers. 

Based in Hawaii and reporting to the Chief Development Officer (in NYC), the successful candidate must demonstrate:

• a minimum of 15 years’ real estate development and management experience with a track record of residential/resort/master-planned community land development and sales success; comprehensive entitlement and permitting experience is required;

• strategic leadership; the ability to manage, mentor and motivate employees, consultants, partners and stakeholders.

• political sensitivity; the capacity to work collaboratively with entitlement and heritage officials; a deep appreciation for local residents and their indigenous culture; Hawaiian roots are strongly preferred; 

• strong project management skills; an analytical bent; the ability to balance multiple tasks and competing priorities; a clear understanding of development, site planning, infrastructure, and construction management; experience with affordable housing in Hawaii is also a plus;

• strong financial acumen; candidates must be capable of managing P&L for a complex project; a well-above-average grasp of the financial side of developing destination properties; an appreciation for budgets, costs and making a profit;

• sales and marketing vision; the ability to play a key role in creating and implementing an effective long-distance marketing program to attract western U.S. prospects.

The successful candidate will also create a business plan for and initially manage a coffee farm on the property as an integral part of the development strategy.  The intent is to establish an agricultural co-op and a coffee marketing and distribution company that will provide sustainable economic benefits to local farmers and property owners.  Several coffee growers with short-term leases on site are now producing world-class specialty beans. 

A competitive compensation package will be tailored to the successful candidate’s needs. 

Please contact resume4@sockwell.com to suggest potential candidates and/or networking sources or to express confidential personal interest.