scending the stairwell and making a right through the doorway, colleagues would be able to see the glowing yellow light emanating from the sliver of glass of his open office. Edging toward the entry, we can usually catch a glimpse of him, focused intently at his desk, fingers on the keyboard and mouse, eyes glued to the monitor. One quick and bright, “Hey Ray,” his eyes would crinkle, and the corners of his mouth would turn up, shifting his gaze to welcome your presence. His warm disposition will never be forgotten.

With the recent passing of our esteemed colleague, President and HMH Principal, Ray Hashimoto is greatly missed. For the last 25 years, his impact on HMH has been magnanimous, overseeing the Land Planning and Entitlements department, gleaning from his contributions in both the public and private sector that have been integral to the built environment of the City of San Jose and surrounding communities. Ray’s aptitude for building and fostering long-term relationships began much earlier than HMH. While with the Cities of Palo Alto and San Jose for the first fifteen years of his career, he conditioned himself to develop invaluable skills that would eventually lead his teams to process a myriad of development projects throughout the South Bay Area that resulted in such a diverse network of meaningful connections. Working for the City instilled into Ray that taking initiative and building a network is a key factor in project momentum, and that’s where it all began. Then, onto the private sector through JM Consulting Group, a company that provided real estate, entitlement, and construction services for the telecommunications industry, he learned to leverage that network, expanding throughout jurisdictions.

Ray’s extraordinary ability to build strong communities has shaped HMH’s prestigious reputation, often resulting in repeat clients and mutually beneficial partnerships. It’s especially evident when HMH colleagues attend industry events where it’s common to find those who have worked with Ray at some point or another in their careers. And apart from his massive network, his extensive experience in entitlement and planning has provided HMH with a solid foundation for projects, allowing him to identify solutions while keeping the process running smoothly. His work spans a wide range of projects from inception through construction including multi-use and industrial/commercial projects, large-scale residential projects, and specialized projects such as operating and post-operation landfill sites. Most notable among his projects include Communications Hill, Samaritan Medical Center, Gateway at Millbrae, Agrihood (first community farm in Silicon Valley), Meridian at Midtown, the Verve, The Irvine Company’s Santa Clara Square, Google Downtown West, The Harker School High School Campus, the Kelsey Ayer residential project, and Shea Properties’ San Jose Japantown Mixed Use project.