Yaromir Steiner is CEO of Columbus-based Steiner + Associates, Inc., a masterplanning, development and property management firm. 

Mr. Steiner formed Steiner + Associates in 1993 with a clear vision: to create sustainable, pedestrian-friendly and high-energy New Urban Town Center environments where guests would enjoy memorable experiences with every visit. Over the past 12 years, the company has developed, or is in the process of developing, more than 8 million square feet of New Urban Retail projects where people are inspired to shop, live, work and play.

Deploying experience, creativity and diplomacy, Mr. Steiner and his team of more than 200 employees in six states, have elevated the tax base and exposure of urban and suburban communities alike by stimulating economic reinvestment and creating one-of-a-kind retail environments.

The Company’s completed projects include: The Fashion District at Easton Town Center, Columbus, Ohio; Centro Ybor in Tampa, Florida’s historic district; Newport Aquarium and Newport on the Levee in the Greater Cincinnati market; and Zona Rosa in Kansas City, Missouri. Projects currently under development include: Zona Rosa Phase II, Kansas City Missouri; Easton Town Center Phase III, Columbus, Ohio; Greene Town Center, Dayton, Ohio; Bayshore Town Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Peninsula Town Center, Hampton, Virgina; Coopers Crossing, Camden, New Jersey; and Arlington Town Center, Arlington, Texas.

A new urbanist who speaks four languages and exercises his philosophy degree every day, Mr. Steiner emphasizes critical mass, proper scale and pace, leisure time uses and public space anchors in every project he develops. His projects are designed and sustained by employing the same fundamental principles of town planning that have created and maintained vibrant urban city centers for more than a century.

Mr. Steiner oversees all development, leasing and management efforts for the Steiner + Associates’ portfolio. He travels extensively to meet with community leaders and tenant partners and maintains a “hands on” approach to property management within the portfolio. He is often invited to speak to community, civic and professional organizations to share the success of his developments and outline his philosophies regarding the future of new urban development.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey and a former member of the French 11th Airborne Division, Mr. Steiner holds a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering and a post graduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Toulouse in France. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers and CNU.

Thomas O. Hicks is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Hicks Holdings LLC, a Dallas-based private investment firm, which owns and manages assets in sports and real estate and makes corporate acquisitions.  Previously, Mr. Hicks co-founded, and was Chairman 1989 through 2004, of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, a nationally prominent private equity firm that specialized in leveraged acquisitions.  During Mr. Hicks’ tenure as Chairman, Hicks, Muse successfully raised over $12 billion of private equity funds, consummated over $50 billion of leveraged acquisitions, and was one of the most active private investment firms in the country.  The successful acquisitions of Hicks Muse and its predecessor firms included AMFM Inc., A&W Brands, Inc., Berg Electronics, Inc., Dr Pepper/Seven Up Companies, International Home Foods, Inc., Life Partners Group, Pinnacle Foods, Sybron International Corporation, and, Yell Group plc, among others.

Hicks Holdings’ sports ownership holdings include the Texas Rangers Baseball Club, the Dallas Stars Hockey Club, and a 50% interest in the American Airlines Center.  In addition, the firm is a partner with Hillwood Development Company in the Victory Park project in downtown Dallas, and is also developing 200 acres around Ameriquest Field in Arlington whose neighbor will soon be the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  Hicks Holdings is also developing 40 acres in Frisco, Texas adjacent to the Frisco Sports Complex.

Thomas O. Hicks is in his seventh season as Chairman of the Board and Owner of the Texas Rangers and serves as the team’s representative on the MLB Board of Governors.  During his ownership, the club has captured two American League West Division titles, winning a franchise record 95 games in 1999. Mr. Hicks is on the board of directors of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the internet-based subsidiary of Major League Baseball. 

Purchasing the Dallas Stars in February 1996, Mr. Hicks is the team’s Chairman of the Board and the club’s representative on the NHL Board of Governors. He also serves on the NHL Executive Committee and the NHL Audit and Finance Committee.  The Stars were the 1999 Stanley Cup Champions, were Stanley Cup finalists in 2000, won the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular season record in both 1997-98 and 1998-99, and have captured six division titles under Mr. Hicks’ ownership.

Mr. Hicks serves on the board of directors of Crow Family Holdings, as well as The Center for Strategic and International Studies Board of Trustees, St. Mark’s School of Texas Board of Trustees, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business Dean’s Board of Advisors, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation Board of Trustees, and the University of Texas Chancellor’s Council.  A former member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, Hicks has served as chairman of the University of Texas Investment Management Company, which manages the $13 billion University of Texas Permanent University Fund and Long Term Funds.

Mr. Hicks also annually serves as the "Distinguished Guest Lecturer" at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Hicks graduated with an MBA from the University of Southern California in 1970 and a BBA from the University of Texas in 1968.