NEWPORT — Developer Harvey Hanna & Associates has announced it has appointed a longtime executive as its president and formed a board of directors to help prepare the firm in the years to come.
John Fannin III, who has served as HHA’s chief operating officer since July 2023, has been named president. Fannin joined the company after holding several executive leadership roles such as SafePlace Corporation, Telgian Holdings, Inc. and KCI Technologies, Inc. as well as serving with the Delaware State Fire Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In his new role, he will handle the day-to-day operations of the development firm, while longtime CEO Thomas “Thom” Harvey III will continue to shape the company’s vision.
He has also been named the chairman of the newly established board, which also includes John Harvey, E. Thomas Harvey IV, William Harvey, and firm co-founder Thomas “T.J.” Hanna.
“As HHA continues to evolve, this realignment reflects our unwavering commitment to sustainable growth, collaboration, and strong corporate governance,” Thom Harvey III said in a prepared statement. “These changes will build upon our strong foundation, empower our leadership team, and ensure long-term success while continuing to serve the communities in which we operate.”
As HHA closes in on 30 years, spokesman Jordan Seemans said it was time for the firm to consider succession plans for the decades to come.
“This is more about getting more structure within the company itself. The board will be focusing on strategic oversight, long-term financial governance, and most importantly aggressive growth,” Seemans told the Delaware Business Times. “We manage more than 4 million square feet of industrial space and commercial properties, and with the hospitality management arm, there’s different doors of opportunity opening now.”
HHA is a multidisciplinary real estate, development, and management firm that has worked in industrial, commercial, mixed-use, and hospitality projects – most notably redeveloping brownfields, or properties where the government considers redevelopment is hindered by environmental contamination. Under its subsidiary Big Box Buildings, HHA develops industrial warehouses and other logistics centers.
The biggest deal the firm can claim is what eventually sparked turning the former General Motors plant in Newport into the largest Amazon warehouse in the state at 3.7 million square feet under one roof. HHA has also expanded its portfolio with its hospitality arm, TKo Hospitality, and acquired hotels in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, and Kent Narrows, Maryland.
The company also is a family business, as Thom Harvey’s three sons have held roles for several years, alongside his business partner Thomas Hanna.
John Harvey is the director of risk management and oversees Big Box Buildings; Thomas Harvey IV is the director of development, who oversees portfolio management; and William Harvey is the director of operations, who oversees construction and property management.
