In October 2004, Richard Baron received The Urban Land Institute J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development. The Nichols Prize was established by the Nichols family in 2000 to recognize individuals whose career has demonstrated a commitment to the highest standards of responsible development. Mr. Baron is the fifth recipient of this prestigious award.

Mr. Baron serves on the Executive Committee of the Regional Chamber and Growth Association, and on the Boards of St. Louis Downtown Partnership, Downtown Now!, and The Center of Contemporary Arts (COCA). He is also on the Board of Trustees at St. Louis University. He is a past-board member of John Burroughs School and a past-member of Washington University's George Warren Brown School of Social Work National Council.

He currently is on the Advisory Board for the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy of The Brookings Institution, and is an emeritus member of the Board of Trustees for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Mr. Baron is the founder and developer of The Center of Creative Arts (COCA), in University City, Missouri, a community-based visual and performing arts center that serves more than 50,000 children annually. Mr. Baron currently serves as the co-chairman of the Vashon Education Compact which targets 7 low-performing public schools in the City of St. Louis for major transformation.

Mr. Baron is a graduate of Oberlin College and holds a masters degree in political science from the University of California-Berkeley and a law degree from the University of Michigan. Mr. Baron has been awarded honorary degrees from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio and from St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri.

Mr. McCormack has been with the company since 1981 and has served as President since 2000. In addition to his oversight of the entire development process, he continues to be closely involved in Project Finance and in Asset Management. MBS projects are known for their solid design, high quality and innovative financial structures which blend federal, state and community subsidies with conventional debt and equity to provide quality urban development. From 1981 to 2000, Mr. McCormack was responsible for structuring the financing for most of the company’s real estate development projects. Prior to joining MBS, Mr. McCormack served nine years with Chemical Bank/J P Morgan-Chase as a vice president. Mr. McCormack is a speaker on residential urban development topics and a consultant and advisor to not-for-profits, cities and states. He is a graduate of Lehigh University and received a Master’s degree from University College, University of London, England.

Tony Salazar
President of West Coast Operations
Mr. Salazar’s entire professional career has been dedicated to rebuilding inner-city communities. He has used his skills and expertise to bring a sense of belonging and hope for the future to America’s forgotten neighborhoods. Currently, his primary responsibilities include managing the day to day operations of McCormack Baron Salazar’s Western Division. This involves new business development; coordinating the planning process; acting as liaison with joint venture partners; interfacing with government officials and local community groups; and, coordinating the final design (architecture) process including the integration of construction, marketing and management disciplines. Mr. Salazar specializes in developing large-scale urban projects in distressed communities that involve mixed-use (housing and retail), mixed-income (affordable and market-rate), multi-generational, various housing types (rental and for-sale) and blended financing. The financing for his projects involve a combination of conventional debt, government sources (CDBG, HOPE VI, Low Income Housing Tax Credit, New Market Tax Credits, Section 8, HOME, Bonds and Tax Increment Financing), Foundation grants and/or PRI loans, pension funds. Mr. Salazar has been instrumental in developing over 4,000 residential units located in the cities of Los Angeles, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Phoenix and San Francisco. This includes six HOPE VI projects, two senior projects, seven mixed-income developments, three transit villages, a SRO and five earthquake recovery projects. He currently serves on the board of Enterprise Community Partners, CUREx (Center for Urban Redevelopment at the University of Pennsylvania) and Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council. Previously, he served as a board chair of the National Council of La Raza, the largest Hispanic advocacy organization in the country and as director of the California Community Foundation. He also served as director of The Enterprise Social Investment Corporation, The Community Development Research Center at the New School of Social Research and with several private sector companies. Tony has a Master’s degree in Social Work specializing in Administration from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Ms. Heiney has been with McCormack Baron since 1985. Her division is responsible for annual tax returns, financial statements, audits, budgeting, cash management, internal controls, HUD-insured mortgage processing, tax credits, cost certifications and not-for-profit reporting. Ms. Heiney oversees the Compliance aspects of the New Markets Tax Credit Program that MBS Urban Initiatives was awarded in 2006 and 2007. Prior to her appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Heiney worked as job cost accountant, accounting manager, and controller for McCormack Baron. Ms. Heiney is a member of the National Association of Female Executives. She also volunteers for the Girl Scouts and as a St. Louis Regional Chamber of Growth Association tax preparer. Ms. Heiney holds a Certified Public Accountant Certificate. She is a graduate of Southwest Missouri State University and holds a Master’s of Finance Degree from St. Louis University.