Q&A with Adam Hill: Development firm CEO keeps his team focused

Adam Hill is CEO of Indianapolis-based developer LOR Corp., and he knows success depends on a team.

LOR has six employees, and most have worked for the company for decades. The newest employee, Vice President of Development Phil Sundling, came early last year from Westfield-based Henke Development Group, where he helped develop golf course communities at Chatham Hills in Westfield and Holliday Farms in Zionsville. It’s the type of experience Hill said has helped LOR expand into large-scale projects like the 175-acre residential and commercial development Morse Village in Noblesville.

Some of LOR’s other ongoing projects include a 72-acre development in Noblesville that will include a Kroger Marketplace and nearly 100 single-family houses; a 43,000-square-foot building in Carmel’s Arts & Design District that will house Indianapolis-based Huse Culinary’s 1933 Lounge, a new headquarters for LOR and 12 town houses; and a project in Westfield featuring a Lifetime Fitness gym, restaurants and housing.

Hill’s grandfather, Leon Riggs, founded LOR in 1965, a year after he started United Package Liquors Inc. In 2013, Hill sold United Package Liquors to Bloomington-based Big Red Liquors and shifted LOR’s focus from strip centers to mixed-use projects.

Hill, who was a first-team All-American point guard and conference player of the year at Huntington University, spoke with IBJ about his goals for LOR, what led him to where he is today, and the lessons he learned from basketball that have helped him in business. This interview is edited for length and clarity.

What was a formative moment that led you to where you are today?

I went to Huntington College and played basketball. Really didn’t know what I was going to end up doing as a business management major, but my main focus was basketball. I didn’t really think about the future, and I got a phone call from my grandfather. His name was Leon Riggs, so LOR is Leon Ollie Riggs. And so, he called me, and I was a junior in college, and I was in the computer lab. You weren’t supposed to have your phone in the computer lab, and so he called, and I stepped out and took his call.

Just the way he talked, he goes, “Hey, boy. I think you should go to law school.” And I was like, “What?” And he said, “Yep, I’ve been thinking about it. I think that’s what you should do. Let me know on Jan. 1.” This was in October, and I didn’t even know. I mean, I knew law school existed, but I had no clue.

I went to the career development office and said, “What do I need to do to think about law school?” I started to take [pre-LSAT tests], and I called him back on Jan. 1, and he knew it was me. And he answered the phone and said, “What did you decide?” And I told him, and he goes, “All right, that’s a good choice. I have to get back to watching my show. Take care.”

So your grandfather was one of the most influential people in your life?

When I look at my grandfather, he’s the one who kind of pushed like, “Hey, we’re ready to go.” He had a plan of action that he had implemented. He was a stunt pilot back in the 1960s and ’70s. He was just a really remarkable guy. But he got in an accident, so he got paralyzed from the waist down from 1973 until he died [in 2015].

And he had just so much time to sit back and reflect and think through things. What stood out most to me about him was his perseverance. He was an active person. You’re out and about, you’re doing stuff, and that’s exactly how he was. And then one day, snap of the fingers, he can’t walk anymore.

And I think you can go two different routes. In that instance, you either just decide to fold up and you’re done. You just go into this deep depression like, “I’ll never live like I used to.” Or you decide to move on, and he moved on. He grew his business, and he moved on.

I think what I’ve learned from him the most is just perseverance. If he could do this stuff in his condition, I have an obligation to continue the legacy, and I love doing it, and I keep it going.

What are your goals for LOR over the next several years?

When you look five to 10 years down the road, we want to continue to grow in a very conservative and smart, respectful way. We don’t have these huge growth goals of a number we have to hit. We want to help transform areas.

And so, if that means Morse Village, which I really think will transform the area, if that means Marketplace. Midtown Carmel—we’re not transforming Midtown, but we’re adding a really cool building with a 1933 Lounge to an area in Carmel that will benefit Carmel. We want to transform those areas in a positive way.

We want to take projects that we truly believe in and that we can get behind as a company and say that’s a good project that will transform that area for the positive.

What is your process when you encounter a challenge?

We always sit down at the table, and we always listen. Phil and myself are both very creative when it comes to challenges. First and foremost, we sit down at the table, and we try to understand, “What are the concerns? And what’s the goal?” And then once we have those two things, there’s not too many challenges that can’t be overcome or solved.

We can get as creative as we need to. As a family-owned and -operated company, I think that’s one of the benefits. We can make decisions immediately, and we can get as creative as we can to try to work through challenges. We don’t have to report back to a big national board. We can get as creative as we can to satisfy some of the goals or challenges that pop up.

How do you manage stress when you’re working on a project?

I really love to work out. I think that’s one way and the most effective way that I handle stress. I enjoy golfing. But when I say golf, that’s going to the range and just beating balls. I try to eat healthy and all that good stuff, but I also think it’s seeing the big picture.

How is being a point guard in basketball like being a CEO of a company?

From a team standpoint, I couldn’t do it all on my own. I was a point guard. I had a shooting guard, I had a big man, I had all that stuff, and so I had to rely on all those people. When you compare that to what I do now, I try to put myself in the best position to lead our team, but at the same time, knowing you can’t do it all on your own. And that’s been hard.

Phil has come in, and being able to say, “Hey, Phil, you take the reins on the development arm. How can I provide assistance to you?” I kind of view it as like I’m the point guard of our team. We’re all just as equally important. I’m just the one who’s bringing the ball up and passing the ball here, passing the ball there. The best comparison I can think of is putting myself in the best position to make sure that I’m being the best teammate to all of our team.•

—Daniel Bradley