HRI Properties CEO and leadership

With more than 20 years of experience in information technology strategy and execution, Leroy Prout is adept at keeping pace with the ever-changing IT landscape. As HRI Properties’ chief information officer, Leroy leads the company’s IT efforts, focusing on strategic investments in technology and innovation, protecting against complex cybersecurity threats, and staying abreast of changing data privacy regulations.

Leroy brings a depth of experience few can match, having held senior leadership roles at companies in a wide range of industries. In addition to real estate and hospitality, he has worked for businesses specializing in oil and gas, chemicals, natural resources, and education. He’s even lent his skills to a multinational management consulting firm. Leroy’s work experience spans both the public and private sectors; he joined HRI from Superior Energy Services, a publicly-traded company where he served as the corporate vice president for information technology.

He holds a B.S. in engineering from the University of Memphis, and his credentials and associations show his passion for continued growth. Leroy is a member of the CIO Executive Council and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as well as a certified information systems security professional and project management professional. Through the Gartner Executive Program and Corporate Executive Board, he stays up to date with the latest technology and best practices for IT leaders.

The real trick with success is knowing how to repeat it, and that’s what makes Chief Financial Officer Craig Devine so valuable. A veteran of more than 30 years of the hospitality industry’s financial side, he knows what goes into innovative, sustainable business models. With a background in the operational aspects of finance, he has worked with both senior leadership and frontline associates, serving industry leaders such as Marriott, Wyndham International, and, prior to HRI Lodging, Aramark. Thanks to his track record of success, he’s risen steadily throughout his career and has become an integral part of the HRI leadership team.

Eddie Boettner isn’t just HRI Properties’ chief administrative officer, he’s also a true believer in the company’s mission. As a chief administrative officer, he helps ensure HRI’s day-to-day operations are running smoothly. His key responsibilities include managing HRI’s IT and shared service groups.

He assumed his current title in 2000, the same year he became a member of the HRI Properties board. Since joining HRI in 1997 as the company’s acquisition officer, he’s helped it expand upon its reputation for innovation and historic preservation. Prior to HRI, he built and ran his own successful business, a photo classified for automobiles called News on Wheels Magazine, which he sold to a division of the Milwaukee Journal.

Since 1988, Eddie has been a member of the Fore! Kids Foundation, which raises money for children’s service organizations through golf events, such as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. To this day, he serves on the foundation’s executive committee and board of directors. An avid golfer, Eddie had the honor of serving as chairman of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2012. He is a proud graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, where he earned a B.S. in printing management.

Bringing AAA five-diamond experience and a touch for customer service, Gary Gutierrez knows excellence when he sees it, which makes him the perfect person to oversee the operations and performance of HRI’s hotel and residential assets. In his role as HRI’s chief operating officer and president of lodging, he guides and supervises project acquisitions and brand relations with leading hospitality companies. He’s also HRI’s expert on assessing properties and developing appropriate revenue and profit initiatives.

Throughout his more than 30-year career, he’s become known for turning around distressed and underperforming properties - overseeing more than $500 million in renovations and repositioning programs. His pedigree includes VP-level positions at some of the most respected players in the lodging industry, such as Highgate Hotels, Remington Hotels, and Wyndham International. He has also overseen a variety of properties both nationally and internationally. These include San Francisco hotspots, such as the 676-room Westin San Francisco Hotel and 1,010-room Parc 55 Hotel, as well as the iconic NYC landmarks the Paramount Hotel and On the Avenue Hotel. His résumé also boasts the Boulders Resort and Golden Door Spa, a AAA five-diamond property just outside Scottsdale, Arizona, and the AAA four-diamond Grand Isla Navidad Resort in Mexico.

He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and currently serves on the Hyatt Owners Advisory Committee.

Strong numbers, strong ideas, and strong leadership are the foundation of successful businesses. No one knows this better than Chief Financial Officer Steve DeLong. Steve boasts more than 15 years of experience in accounting, auditing, and finance. At HRI, he handles two of the most critical aspects of the business. One includes vital functions such as internal and external financial reporting, taxation compliance requirements, and general accounting. The second key aspect of his role involves corporate and project financing and structuring.

Prior to joining HRI in 2010, Steve served as an associate at Ernst & Young providing assurance and advisory services to a number of public and private entities. Steve holds a B.S. in business administration and a Masters in Accounting from the University of Georgia.

Eddie Boettner isn’t just HRI Properties’ chief administrative officer, he’s also a true believer in the company’s mission. As a chief administrative officer, he helps ensure HRI’s day-to-day operations are running smoothly. His key responsibilities include managing HRI’s IT and shared service groups.

He assumed his current title in 2000, the same year he became a member of the HRI Properties board. Since joining HRI in 1997 as the company’s acquisition officer, he’s helped it expand upon its reputation for innovation and historic preservation. Prior to HRI, he built and ran his own successful business, a photo classified for automobiles called News on Wheels Magazine, which he sold to a division of the Milwaukee Journal.

Since 1988, Eddie has been a member of the Fore! Kids Foundation, which raises money for children’s service organizations through golf events, such as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. To this day, he serves on the foundation’s executive committee and board of directors. An avid golfer, Eddie had the honor of serving as chairman of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans in 2012. He is a proud graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, where he earned a B.S. in printing management.