After more than a decade of significantly contributing to the success of HSL Properties, Inc., and remaining dedicated to the company’s growth throughout Arizona, Omar Mireles has been named President of the accomplished development company. He will replace HSL’s current President, Humberto S. Lopez, who has led the company since 1975 and will remain Chairman of the Board.
On Lopez’s 70th birthday, December 1, the HSL reins are passing into the more than capable hands of Omar Mireles, current Executive Vice President. Mireles hails from Nogales, but spent much of his childhood in Tucson living with and learning from his uncle, HSL Co-Founder Humberto S. Lopez. Mireles graduated from Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, before heading to New York to attend Cornell University, where he studied Policy Analysis of Consumer Economics and Housing.
After he graduated from Cornell, Mireles served a successful stint as an analyst in the Real Estate Finance Group of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette in New York. Following the company’s merger with Credit Suisse First Boston, he moved onto the company’s Real Estate Finance and Securitization Group. In 2001 and 2002 he received recognition as the most valuable team player while heading the underwriting team in the CSFB Small Balance Loan Program and working on their real estate credit committee.
In 2003, Mireles joined HSL as Executive Vice President, where he manages the company’s property portfolio worth more than $800 million, which includes acquisitions, dispositions, financing, and development. He has structured and negotiated over $500 million in real estate transactions and more than $300 million in loan transactions for HSL. Mireles heads the property development team and is president of HSL Asset Management, LLC, the company’s project management arm, which Mireles was instrumental in building into a thriving and successful part of HSL Properties.
According to Co-Founder and former HSL President, Lopez, “Omar’s vision and drive were clear from the outset. When he joined HSL twelve years ago, he spearheaded the expansion of the organization. His leadership was vital in the creation of the construction company. With the asset management group, Omar proved at every turn that bringing this part of the business in-house was the best choice. It only took him three years to transfer the management of all HSL properties from their third-party management agents to our internal team. We know we are in good hands with Omar.”
“The team at HSL is unmatched,” said Glenn Toyoshima, Executive Officer of HSL Properties. “They have astonishing vision and an enviable drive which will continue to propel HSL Properties through this transition and the next 40 years. Omar Mireles is an impressive leader who has taken up every challenge with grace and skill. He has helped build HSL into the company it is today and led this incredible team to new heights for the past decade. We all have complete faith that he will continue in the same dedicated fashion,” added Toyoshima.
Mireles is not just committed to the growth and development of HSL Properties, but also to building growth in Arizona. He serves on the board of the Downtown Tucson Partnership and on the advisory board for Bank of Tucson. He is on the Board of Directors of Sun Corridor, Inc., formerly the Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities, Inc., a bi-national economic development organization focused on making an impact on the quality of life and competitiveness of businesses in the region. In 2012, Omar was named Man of the Year by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Striking a careful balance of work and family, Mireles also serves on the board of directors of his alma mater, Salpointe Catholic High School, and Tu Nidito Children and Family Services, which serves grieving children in our community—serving those impacted by serious medical conditions and death, as well as their families.
For the last 40 years, Humberto Lopez and Glenn Toyoshima have invested in and developed properties in the Southwestern United States as HSL Properties. The company now owns and operates a multimillion dollar portfolio including more than 10,000 apartment units in 41 apartment complexes throughout Arizona, making them the state’s largest apartment owner. The local business also owns three Tucson resorts.
