Sutton’s career with The Woodlands® spans 26 years, including rich contributions to community service.
The Howard Hughes Corporation has announced the retirement of Alex Sutton from his position as Co-President of The Woodlands Development Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Howard Hughes Corporation.
Alex Sutton joined The Woodlands Development Company, formerly The Woodlands Corporation, as Vice President, Engineering and Construction in 1994, after an eight-year consulting relationship. Since then, he has held several positions of increasing scope and responsibility, being named, in 2005, Co-President of The Woodlands Development Company.
During this tenure, he managed design and construction of the extension of major thoroughfares, including, among others, Woodlands Parkway, Lake Woodlands Drive and Lake Woodlands Bridge, Research Forest Drive and Gosling and Kuykendahl Roads, residential home sections and commercial building sites, The Woodlands Waterway®, and all six Waterway bridges, including Lake Robbins and Waterway Avenue Bridges.
For nearly two decades, he has also overseen commercial development, including Town Green Park, Waterway Square®, The Westin at The Woodlands, Embassy Suites by Hilton at Hughes Landing and numerous retail, multifamily and office buildings in The Woodlands Town Center®, Hughes Landing® and Research Forest.
Prior to joining The Woodlands, Sutton was a shareholder with Pate Engineers, where he managed complex projects for municipal and private clients, focusing on water resources, transportation and land development matters. Earlier, he held several professional and technical positions of progressive responsibilities with ExxonMobil. He has authored several technical papers and articles and holds two patents for computer-aided management approaches to managing public works systems.
He earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering from Rice University and a Master’s in Business Administration from The University of Houston. He is a Licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Public Accountant.
His civic and industry involvement includes service as Director and Chairman of Interfaith of The Woodlands, Director, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Founding Director and Chairman of The Woodlands Arts Council, Director, The Woodlands Economic Development Partnership, Director and Chairman of the North Houston Association, Director and Chairman of Montgomery County Youth Services, Director, The Montgomery County Community Foundation, Director and Secretary of The Woodlands Township, and he is a Member of the Urban Land Institute. He was named a Hometown Hero in The Woodlands in 2019 by Interfaith of The Woodlands.
“Alex’s leadership and community service to The Woodlands have significantly shaped its recognition as one of the most successful master planned communities in the nation and its status as a thriving economic hub,” said Jim Carman, President, Houston Region, The Howard Hughes Corporation. “As a longtime resident of The Woodlands, he epitomizes what it means to live, work, learn and play in the community he has helped create.”
Alex and his wife, Sharon, live in The Woodlands Town Center. They are members of The Woodlands United Methodist Church and have eight grandchildren, four of whom reside in The Woodlands.