"Belief creates the world we know. I help people see the possibilities."

As PlaceMakers' Managing Principal and Director of Sales, Hazel Borys inspires the company to continually rise above the expectations of our clients and ourselves, forever striving to deliver an exceptional product to a developing marketplace. In the role of principal listener, Hazel keeps a finger on the pulse of the new urban community and helps PlaceMakers be a responsive force within the movement.

Hazel believes in the SmartCode. So much so, in fact, that she leads all aspects of the SmartCode Workshops for the code's authors, the oft-praised town planning firm of Duany, Plater-Zyberk & Company. DPZ turned the marketing and training associated with the code over to someone uniquely passionate about promoting it — PlaceMakers — who also assists with its customization in local municipalities.

Hazel has been growing companies for years, beginning with Smith and Johnson, a road construction company that she took from the startup phase to the 17th largest road builder in the United States, all within a ten year timeframe. As one of the two principals in the firm, she contributed to its high profitability and exponential growth while defining and branding the company within its desired niche.

Going from making companies to buying companies, Hazel was one of a five person mergers and acquisitions team for American Electric Power, the largest generator of electricity in the US. Responsible for creating and implementing strategies for a $3 billion acquisition budget, she led a sixty-person acquisition team in friendly takeovers.

Hazel graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing. She is an active member of the Congress for the New Urbanism and has participated in the CNU's invitation-only Charter Design Council. She lives and works in Bradenton, Florida, with her husband, Stephen, a historian of art and architecture, and son, Roman.

E-Mail:
h a z e l @ p l a c e m a k e r s . c o m