Randall Presley

Randall Edward Presley (1919–2012) was a real estate developer who has been called "one of California's top home builders." He was responsible for developing over 160 communities in Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Career Presley was born in Pensacola in the Florida panhandle in 1919. He did "light construction work" there before moving to New York City to work as a model. In 1956 he founded the Presley Development Company (later Presley Cos.). In June 1969, the Presley Development Company became a publicly traded company. He contributed to many other organizations including the Sea Scouts (a Boy Scouts coed program) and the Salvation Army.

Ahwatukee One of Presley's significant projects was Ahwatukee Foothills in Arizona, "the largest and riskiest development project of Presley’s career." The project encompassed over two thousand acres of what was then farmland south of Phoenix. Originally envisioned as a golf course retirement community named "Foothill Park," the project was changed to include both retirees and young families. Ground was broken in 1972. Later 640 acres at the base of the South Mountains was added as a projected "custom home section." "At its peak in 1984, Ahwatukee houses sold at the rate of more than one a day." To attract potential buyers, in 1979 Presley built the "House of the Future," designed by the Frank LLoyd Wright Foundation featuring an early home automation system. Tours of the House were available between 1980 and 1984.