Bill Ross

Senior Vice President

Mitchell Historic Properties

Galveston, TX

 

Bill Ross, senior vice president & general manager of Mitchell Historic Properties (MHP), manages the operation of multiple historic buildings and projects owned by Galveston preservationists Cynthia and George Mitchell. MHP owns more than 20 historic buildings in downtown Galveston and three hotels-Hotel Galvez & Spa, The Tremont House, and Harbor House.

 

Bill began working for George Mitchell in 1992 as vice president of the Woodlands Corporation, a subsidiary of Mitchell Energy; he was responsible for all of the Mitchell Resort Properties and Timberlands. In 1998, he began managing all of Mr. Mitchell’s personal properties on Galveston Island which now operate under Mitchell Historic Properties. Bill was responsible for the development of Pirates Beach West and Laffite’s Cove on Galveston’s west end. The undeveloped portions of Pirates Beach and Lafitte’s Cove have since been sold. He was involved with the development of the Strand Harborside project, now known as Pier 21 and home to Harbor House Hotel, Olympia Grill, Willie G’s and Fisherman’s Wharf.

 

Prior to working for Mr. Mitchell, Bill served as vice president of ARVIDA Corporation in Punta Vedra Beach, Florida, developing Sawgrass, a gated, planned-unit Village comprising 1,200 acres and several golf courses including the Oak Bridge Club, Sawgrass Country Club, the Valley Course, the Tournament Players Course, and Jacksonville Golf and Country Club.

 

He sits on the board of the Galveston Chamber of Commerce and executive committee of the Galveston Economic Development Partnership. Bill is a board member of Edgewater Retirement Committee, Historic Downtown Strand Seaport Partnership, and UTMB Community Service Excellence Committee. He serves as chair of the UTMB School of Nursing Advisory Committee and of the Rudy and Sophie Tomjanovich Golf Tournament. The golf tournament has raised more than $1 million toward scholarships to Texas A&M Galveston and Galveston Community College. He is also a member of UTMB President’s Council, International Council of Shopping Centers, National Association of Homebuilders and Urban Land Institute, and Galveston’s Sunday Morning Coffee Club.

 

The Galveston Chamber of Commerce named him as a person of the year with its Christy Mitchell Beachcomber Award, and the Mayor of the City of Galveston proclaimed February 17, 2005, as Bill Ross Day in his honor. Additionally, the Downtown Partnership presented him with the Edward J. Weiss Spirit Award, and he is an inductee of the Downtown Renaissance Hall of Fame.

 

Bill is an avid golfer and has served on the board of the Galveston Country Club – Texas’ oldest country club. He and his wife, Penny, love to travel and enjoy being a part of the social scene in Galveston. Penny is actively involved in women’s issues and hospice.