Robin Scott Hunden, President, ISHC, offers extensive experience in managing the feasibility and implementation of major real estate projects as well as organizational development. Since launching Hunden Strategic Partners, he has been a sought after consultant for dozens of hotel, convention, mixed-use entertainment and retail projects as well as other tourism and economic development projects and master plans. He also has experience moving organizations to a position of focus and action through strategic planning initiatives.
Prior to starting the firm, he served as Vice President of C.H. Johnson Consulting in Chicago. There, he conducted nearly 100 destination development assignments for the firm, specializing in hotels, conference centers, sports, urban entertainment-retail districts and convention center developments. He also managed much of the firm’s work on performing arts and tourism projects during his five-year tenure. Some notable projects include the new Omni convention hotel in Fort Worth, the Erie Bayfront Convention Center and Sheraton, arena projects in Kansas City and Albuquerque, Fourth Street Live! in Louisville, the Kansas City Power & Light District, and the Nassau Coliseum redevelopment.
Prior to joining CHJC, he worked for several years on real estate finance and transaction activity for a number of projects at Landauer Associates and Grubb & Ellis, which purchased Landauer in 2000. In this capacity, Mr. Hunden sought financing for hotels and other real estate projects across North America, giving him a real-world perspective on how banks and other financial players analyze various real estate developments. He also conducted transaction work involving hotel, retail, apartment and industrial assets.
His public-sector experience began at the Indianapolis Bond Bank, which is Indianapolis’ economic development finance authority. There, he worked for the Mayor’s Office and the Bond Bank on the Indiana Convention Center expansion, financing for the RCA Dome renovation and Conseco Fieldhouse construction, managed the pre-development process for the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott convention hotel, managed the redevelopment strategy for Union Station and Glendale Mall, among many other community development projects, including retail, entertainment, tourism and special events.
Mr. Hunden has written articles on economic development topics (including on the subject of convention headquarter hotels for the Economic Development Journal) and taught Destination Development and Tourism courses at Kendall College. He has been active in special event and nonprofit work, serving on the boards of the Murat Centre for the Performing Arts (Indianapolis), is currently board president for Imagination Theater (Chicago), is involved in the Arts & Business Council of Chicago, and served on the board of Chicago Games, Inc. from 2000 to 2007. Having conducted the feasibility study for the City of Chicago for the Chicago Fashion Incubator, he also serves on the board of the new non-profit Chicago Fashion Development, Inc. He has participated in bids for national sporting and political events in Indianapolis and Chicago and has been a volunteer for events such as the RCA Tennis Championships.
Mr. Hunden is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC), the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the International Downtown Association (IDA), the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the International City County Management Association (ICMA), and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
He has been a speaker and conducted panel discussions at IEDC’s “If You Build It, Will They Come?” conferences in Kansas City, Tempe, AZ and Tampa, FL as well as taught courses for IEDC’s professional development courses in Columbus, OH and San Antonio (2005 & 2007). He will speak on financing public-private developments at the 2008 “Cutting Edge Public Private Partnerships” in Charlotte. He has also spoken at the Greek Conference on Tourism in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2005 and the Bond Buyer’s “Tourism as Economic Development” conference in 2006. Mr. Hunden received a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana.