Robert Hughes, III

Biography: Robert E. Hughes III serves as President and CEO of Hughes Development Corporation (HDC), an over 75-year-old full-service real estate development company based in Greenville, SC. HDC has developed and owned projects throughout the southeast across nearly every product type. Today, the company focuses mostly on mixed-use, urban developments with an emphasis on placemaking. Over his 13 years at HDC, Robert has overseen the management of HDC’s portfolio and led the development of several key projects, including the redevelopment of the Bank of America Building and the development of ONE Laurens, a vertically integrated mixed-use project with retail, office, parking and an Aloft Hotel, both in downtown Greenville. Currently, HDC is leading the redevelopment of the 181-acre BullStreet District in Columbia, SC, into a thriving downtown district. A graduate of Duke University, Robert moved to New York City where he started his career at Lehman Brothers. After receiving his MBA from Columbia Business School, Robert returned to Greenville and joined his family’s business. Robert is committed to community engagement, serving on boards of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, SC’s Institute of Medicine & Public Health Board of Directors, ICSC’s Government Relations & Public Policy Committee, the Palmetto Business Forum, and is a member of the 2020 Class of Liberty Fellowship within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute. Robert and his wife, Scottie, reside in Greenville with their two children.