Developer Profile: Pres Kabacoff

"As the chief executive officer of HRI Properties, a New Orleans-based developer that specializes in breathing new life into abandoned, historic neighborhoods, Kabacoff savors his role as an urban crusader. Restoring old hotels to their former glory and converting boarded up schools, hospitals, and warehouses into viable housing, office, entertainment, and retail space are both a passion and strong suit of his.

HRI’s imprint has been felt elsewhere in the state and in such cities as Fort Worth, Houston, and Omaha, where the company has completed 34 large-scale projects and a billion dollars worth of renovations and new construction since its inception in 1982. A national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures, HRI is often sought to take on projects that others either shun or are unable to restore because of prohibitive costs, difficulty securing financing, the complexity of working within the confines of existing physical space, and vagarious politics."