THE HUNT HISTORY
The roots of Hunt Companies trace back to the settlement of the Southwest. An early Hunt generation followed the Santa Fe Trail from the Midwest, arriving in the Cimarron territory of New Mexico—and Marion Lewis (M.L.) Hunt, one of the sons of that generation, became the first family member to make his home in El Paso, Texas. Since that time, four generations of Hunts have led the company, creating value in real assets across the U.S.
Hunt Historical Highlights
Scroll through the Hunt timeline and click on any year for more detail:
1947
Sons Jack and Kelly join their father, M.L. Hunt, to form Hunt Sales Company, a retail lumber, hardware and building store in the area of the Lower Valley in El Paso.
1955
Jack and Kelly Hunt incorporate Hunt Sales, Inc., adding a second retail store and a contracting offi ce.
1961
Hunt earns its first $1 million construction contract, sells the retail lumber and building material business.
1969
Jack's son, Woody Hunt, becomes Treasurer of Hunt Building Marts, Inc. Revenue is $10 million.
1971
Hunt's multi-family, military and public housing construction business soars. Jack's son, Mike Hunt, joins as a field engineer. The company changes its name to Hunt Building Corporation.
1973
Contracts total $83 million and revenues total $49 million.
1977
Woody Hunt becomes President upon the retirement of his father and uncle. The company begins development and construction on 21 HUD Section 8 projects.
1985
Hunt begins its role as one of the premier design-build contractors for the U.S. Armed Forces, being awarded the first 801 military housing contract in Newport News, Virginia, in 1985.
1987
Woody Hunt is elected Chairman of the Board and Mike Hunt is elected President and Chief Operating O fficer of Hunt Building Corporation. Woody and Gayle Hunt establish the Cimarron Foundation - now known as the Hunt Family Foundation.
1992
Hunt enters into private real estate development with the first phase of Colinas del Sol. At completion, this 752 unit market rate multi-family project commanded the highest rental rates in El Paso, Texas. Hunt starts its property management division focusing on assets owned by the company.
1995
Hunt enters into retail development with its development and construction of the Sunland Towne Center, a 325,000 square foot power center in El Paso, Texas. In Albuquerque, Hunt acquires the site and begins planning for The Plaza at Cottonwood, a 425,000 square foot shopping center.
1998
Hunt expands its services and product mix as it enters Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development market.
2000
Hunt is awarded four Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) projects, which include Robins Air Force Base in Georgia; Dyess Air Force Base in Texas; Camp Pendleton MCB in California; and NAS Kingsville in Texas. This milestone launches Hunt to become one of the industry's largest MHPI developers and owners. Chris Hunt, Mike's son is promoted to Executive Vice President as he leads the company's MHPI efforts.
2002
Hunt is selected by the Navy as the Master Developer for Ford Island in Hawaii, which involves improvements on infrastructure and redevelopment of 1,600 acres of land. This project continues to this day.
2005
Josh Hunt, Woody's son, joins the business working on the development of ABQ Uptown in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ABQ Uptown is the company's first lifestyle center.
2006
Hunt combines three activities, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and private real estate development in the Southwest and Hawaii, into a single entity and forms Hunt Development Group and appoints Chris Hunt, CEO/President.
2007
Hunt celebrates its 60 year anniversary. Hunt is awarded the largest Air Force MHPI project, which is located at three diff erent military installations and totals $750 million.
2008
Hunt Building Corporation changes its name to Hunt Companies, Inc. The company reports over $2 billion in construction backlog.
2010
Hunt purchases TRECAP Partners, and subsequently Capmark Investments LP (later named Hunt Investment Management), a real estate investment management company. Hunt also forms a new entity, Hunt Capital Partners, a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) syndication and investment company. Gross revenues exceed $900 million.
2011
Hunt makes a strategic investment in LEDIC Management Group, a third party multi-family property management company, and launches WhiteHawk Capital, LLC., (later named Hunt Alternative Energy Investments) for the purpose of energy infrastructure fund management.
2012
Hunt launches a new brand, unifying all divisions and affi liates of the company into a single corporate identity