HistoryMaker Homes Announces Retirement of Company President And Successor

HistoryMaker Homes, Texas’ oldest homebuilder with a 70-plus-year legacy of family-owned expertise in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Houston, and San Antonio markets, announced today that company president Lane Wright will retire at the end of 2023. Wright spent the last 10 years of his more than 36-year real estate career with HistoryMaker Homes, serving as the company's chief operations officer for four years before becoming president in 2017. Under his leadership, the company enjoyed some of its greatest successes to date, experiencing significant growth and becoming one of the most recognized homebuilders in the state of Texas. Zac Thompson, president of HistoryMaker Homes’ build-for-rent sister company, ONM Living, will take the helm as president of HistoryMaker Homes beginning in 2024.

“I’m grateful to Lane for his unparalleled commitment and continued dedication to our organization and its vision over the last 10 years and wish him all the best in this next chapter of his life," said Nelson Mitchell, CEO of HistoryMaker Homes. " Lane created a lasting impact on our team, both in his leadership with his colleagues and with the success of our company. Under his expert guidance, HistoryMaker Homes expanded its footprint to serve more homebuyers, positioning our team for sustained, long-term growth. I feel confident that as Zac takes the reins, he and our entire team will continue the momentum established by Lane well into the future."

Prior to Wright’s appointment in 2017 as the company’s first president outside the Mitchell family, HistoryMaker Homes closed approximately 800 homes annually and operated primarily in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Under his leadership, HistoryMaker Homes expanded to include nearly 40 communities across Texas’ largest markets in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and, in 2023, San Antonio. HistoryMaker Homes closed more than 1,250 homes in 2022.

“It has been both an honor and a privilege to work alongside Nelson and our entire team to continue to build on the legacy established with HistoryMaker Homes,” said Wright. “As I reflect back on my 36 years in the industry, I can confidently say that my work with HistoryMaker has been the capstone of my career. I know that the future holds great things for HistoryMaker Homes as it continues its work providing for homebuyers throughout Texas.”

In his new role, Thompson will draw on nearly five years of experience as president of ONM Living. During his tenure, he was responsible for the strategic direction and operational execution of the company, growing ONM Living from 200 units in 2020 to a projected 1,400 in 2024.

Thompson possesses more than 15 years of experience within public homebuilding, and throughout his career has held management and executive roles in finance, land operations, and homebuilding operations, which he will use to lead HistoryMaker Homes operations and strategy into the future.

“I’m thankful for the leadership Lane and Nelson demonstrated throughout my career at ONM Living and for their confidence in me to add value to the HistoryMaker Home team and its customers,” said Thompson. “I’m excited to work closely alongside Nelson and our team to build on the company’s recent expansion into the San Antonio market and carry out HistoryMaker Homes’ vision in Texas’ major markets well into the future.”

Thompson’s move from ONM Living to HistoryMaker Homes will take effect on January 1, 2024. Over the next six months, Wright will pass along his responsibilities to Thompson to ensure a seamless transition.