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Robert Macomber

New Position: CEO, regional vice president, Florida operations, Atwell-Hicks, Tampa. Previous Position: CEO, president, Atwell-Hicks, Ann Arbor, Mich.

By Times Staff Writer
Published October 10, 2005

Spearheading Atwell-Hicks' first expansion out of the Midwest, chief executive Robert Macomber has relocated to Tampa to personally oversee the land development consulting firm's growth into the Sun Belt.

Tampa was chosen, Macomber explained, because the city is "probably the most diverse in terms of the number of industries represented." In addition, Macomber said, many of Atwell-Hicks' customers - national home builders, national retailers and regional developers - already are established in Florida.

"We thought that from a base in Tampa, we would be able to work up and down the Gulf Coast but also be able to take on projects in Orlando, even Ocala, as we currently have," he said.

Macomber said the 100-year-old company is strong in the Midwest, but turned southward for its best growth prospects.

"We're growing about 25 percent a year in the Midwest region: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois," Macomber said. "These markets . . . are not nearly as well known in terms of being robust in terms of job growth and housing growth as places in the Sun Belt area."

Macomber remains CEO of the Michigan company while working as the on-site manager in Tampa, where one of his prime roles is to recruit personnel. The office opened Aug. 1 with a staff of four; now there are 15 employees. "We think we will be at 30 employees by the first quarter of next year, and within two years, close to 100," he said.

Macomber said he has long been interested in real estate and "being able to shape and mold land in productive ways. That has always been very, very compelling to me."

A native of Ann Arbor, Macomber attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1976 in land surveying.

He said he knew in high school that he wanted to be an architect, and he sought out work experience from Ann Arbor area architects. The only firm hiring at the time, Macomber recalled, was Atwell-Hicks. The company hired him as an intern when he was 16 and a junior in high school, and he has worked for Atwell-Hicks since.

"And during every opening in my schedule during college, I also worked for Atwell-Hicks," he recalled. "I've done everything from running blueprints to putting my jeans on and my boots on and working on survey crews."

As his career progressed, Macomber rose into finance and management positions with the company.

"When I joined the company, there were 30 employees," he said. "Now there are 400."

Macomber said he is inspired by seeing the growth of the entities he is involved with. "Growth is what gets me up in the morning," he said. "That's truly what I'm passionate about."

At 50, Macomber has seen growth in other areas of his life. He helped found and grow a church in Salinas, Mich., that now has 450 members. He was on the church's building committee four different times, he said.

Macomber continues to serve on the board of directors of a hospital in Salinas and a bank in Ann Arbor. Temporarily, Macomber is living in South Pasadena but plans to move permanently in December. He and his wife, Jane, have two adult children, and they are expecting their first grandchild in December, he said.

In his spare time, Macomber said he likes to be outdoors, either hunting or on the water. "Most people would say I have a real affinity for boating," he said, an activity he has enjoyed for the past 15 years on Lake Michigan. His 38-foot inboard boat is being shipped from Michigan to a dock on Boca Ciega Bay.

[Last modified October 5, 2005, 20:30:05]