Steven J. Hilton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1961 |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman Philanthropist |
Steven Joseph Hilton (born 1961) is an American business executive and philanthropist. [1] [2] He is the co-founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Meritage Homes Corporation. [3]
Hilton was born in Los Angeles, California in 1961. His father Samuel Hilton was a Holocaust survivor from Warsaw, Poland. Captured with Hilton's grandfather by German SS soldiers in 1943, his father spent two years in five different concentration camps in Poland, Germany, and Czechoslovakia, before being liberated by Soviet soldiers at Theresienstadt outside of Prague. The sole survivor of his family, Hilton's father recuperated in an orphanage in Windermere, England before immigrating to the United States, eventually settling in Los Angeles. [4]
Hilton was raised in the Los Angeles area and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona with his family at the age of 12. He attended Chaparral High School in Scottsdale and in 1983, he graduated from the University of Arizona, where he earned a BA in accounting and finance. [5] In 2022, he sold his Silverleaf home in Scottdale, Arizona. [6]
In 1985, Hilton and William Cleverly founded Monterey Homes, a single-family home construction company in Scottsdale, Arizona. [7] In 1996 they completed a reverse merger with Homeplex Mortgage Investments, becoming a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. [8] In mid-1997, the company was renamed Meritage Homes Corporation. [7] Meritage went on to acquire eight homebuilding companies throughout the United States between 1997 and 2005. The company grew from producing fewer than 300 homes a year in 1996 to over 10,500 homes in 2005, with revenue of $3.5B. [9] In 2005, the company was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the 10 fastest growing companies in America. Under Hilton's leadership, Meritage became an industry leader in energy efficient homebuilding and was awarded the United States Department of Energy's Energy Star Partner of the Year for 10 years. [10] [11]
In 2011, Hilton headed Meritage's Green Program rollout, starting in the Phoenix market and eventually extending to all of Meritage's competitive markets in seven states. The Meritage Green approach integrates cutting-edge energy-efficient materials and technologies, a streamlined strategic sourcing program, efficient home construction methods, targeted and dynamic marketing efforts, and expedited local permitting and approval processes facilitated by the green nature of these new communities. [12] In 2012, Builder Magazine named Hilton CEO of the Year. [13] Under Hilton's leadership, Meritage weathered the Great Depression of 2007 and in 2022 delivered more than 14,000 home. [10]
At the time he retired as CEO of Meritage in January 2021 the company had a $4B market capitalization. [14] Hilton now serves as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Meritage. [14]
Hilton was named a University of Arizona Entrepreneurial Fellow in 2006. [15] He has served as a director of Western Alliance Bancorp, a community bank, from 2004 to 2022. [16]
Since 1993, Hilton and his family have contributed to several local and national organizations devoted to causes including Jewish community activities, medical research, and education. He led efforts to develop the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, which opened in 2002. [16] He also contributed to and led the development of the King David Community Day School (now Pardes Jewish Day School), which opened in 2006. [16]
Hilton served as a director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix from 1993 to 2003 and served on the King David Community Day School Board of Directors from 1995 to 2003. [16] Since 1995, he has served as Foundation Trustee and member of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale. [15] He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Banner Health Foundation and on the Board of the TGen Foundation and the National Pancreatic Cancer Advisory Council. [15] Hilton has been a minority owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns since 2004. [17]
Hilton married Suzanne Dube in 2003. [9] He has four children: Shari, Eva, Sophie, and Harrison. [9]
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott, a retired U.S. Army chaplain, the city was incorporated in 1951 with a population of 2,000. At the 2020 census, the population was 241,361, which had grown from 217,385 in 2010. Its slogan is "The West's Most Western Town". Over the past two decades, it has been one of the fastest growing cities and housing markets in the United States.
Robert Ralph Parsons is an American entrepreneur, billionaire, and philanthropist. In 1997, he founded the GoDaddy group of companies, including Internet domain name registrar GoDaddy.com, reseller registrar Wild West Domains, and Blue Razor Domains. In July 2011, Parsons sold approximately 70 percent of GoDaddy to a private equity consortium and resigned his position as CEO. In June 2014, he stepped down from his position as Executive Chairman and served on the board until 2018.
The Eller College of Management (Eller) is a business school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona. The Eller College of Management began in 1913 as bachelor's degree program in commerce before becoming the University of Arizona School of Business and Public Administration in 1944. In 1999, the school was renamed the Eller College of Management in honor of its primary benefactor Karl Eller, an entrepreneur and alumnus of the University of Arizona. It is one of the largest colleges at the University of Arizona, with over 5,400 undergraduate students and nearly 700 graduate students.
KB Home is a homebuilding company based in the United States, founded in 1957 as Kaufman & Broad in Detroit, Michigan. It was the first company to be traded on the NYSE as a home builder. Its headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.
The East Valley Tribune is a newspaper concentrated on cities within the East Valley region of metropolitan Phoenix, including Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Queen Creek.
Edward Najeeb Basha Jr. was the Chairman & CEO of Bashas', Inc., a grocery store chain in Arizona. His father, Eddie Basha Sr., and his uncle, Ike Basha, founded Bashas' in 1932. The first store under the Bashas' banner was opened in Chandler, Arizona.
Toll Brothers is a financial company, which finance for residential and commercial properties in the United States. In 2020, the company was the fifth largest home builder in the United States, based on homebuilding revenue. The company is ranked 411th on the Fortune 500.
Meritage Homes Corporation is a publicly traded American real estate development company that constructs a variety of single-family detached homes across the United States. It is the fifth largest home builder in the United States, based on 2023 home sales. The company also develops active adult communities and luxury real estate in Arizona.
Larry A. Mizel is an American business executive and philanthropist based in Denver, Colorado. He is executive chairman of MDC Holdings.
Derrick Martin Hall is an American sports executive currently serving as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Shea Homes is an American homebuilding company. Founded in 1881, its major markets are the West Coast, Texas, the Carolinas, and Florida.
Scott Smith is an American businessman and politician, elected as the 38th mayor of Mesa, Arizona, on May 20, 2008. He took office on June 2, 2008 and served until April 16, 2014, when he resigned to run for Governor of Arizona in the Republican Primary. In 2013–14, he was president of the United States Conference of Mayors. He was previously president of both Great Western Homes and K. Hovnanian Homes. He has also worked in finance and as a business consultant.
Bruce E. Karatz is an American businessman and philanthropist. He served as Chairman and CEO of KB Home, and engaged in philanthropic efforts to help rebuild both Los Angeles after the L.A. Riots and New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Karatz was CEO for two decades while KB Home grew revenues from $491 million to $11 billion and annual home deliveries increased from 4,500 homes in 1986 to over 39,000 homes in 2006. In March 2013, Karatz was a recipient of The Malibu Times' 23rd Annual Dolphin Awards. Karatz operates BK Capital LLC based in Beverly Hills, California.
Peter Stevenson Rummell is an American real estate entrepreneur, investor and businessman. He has held senior positions at several prominent companies, heading two branches of The Walt Disney Company and serving as CEO of the St. Joe Company. Disney's planned community of Celebration, Florida was his brainchild. He is a founding board member and the primary financial backer of One Spark, a crowdfunding festival in Jacksonville, Florida.
LGI Homes, Inc. is an American construction company that is known for building homes and housing developments in the southwestern and southeastern United States. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in The Woodlands, Texas. It went public on NASDAQ in 2013
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an Arizona based chamber of commerce. Since 1974, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been promoting statewide business advocacy at the Arizona Capitol and with the Arizona congressional delegation. Its membership employs 250,000 Arizonans from all sectors of the Arizona economy. The Board of Directors of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is composed of more than 120 business executives, representing industries across Arizona. The Arizona Chamber is governed by 9 board member directors and 32 Executive Committee members. Following the departure of President & CEO Glenn Hammer, Garrick Taylor served as the Interim President & CEO until Danny Seiden began his tenure in early Summer of 2021.
Times Media Group is an American media company based in the state of Arizona.
Robert A. "Bobby" Mandell is an American attorney, diplomat and businessman who also served as the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg from 2011 to 2015.
Gerald “Jerry” Robert Meek is an American general contractor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and author.
Steve Koonin is the chief executive officer of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. He is the former president of Turner Broadcasting System. Koonin chairs the Georgia Aquarium and is on the boards of TKO Group Holdings, Rubicon Technologies, Fox Theatre, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Emory Healthcare, and the Woodruff Arts Center.