Mr. Sierra is a lifetime Tampa native with many highly acclaimed local as well as national real estate developments accredited to his name. Mr. Sierra's local development successes include Avila Golf & Country Club, Bloomingdale, and Northdale. In addition to Mr. Sierra's vast development experience, his impressive background includes ventures in home building, real estate sales, mortgage lending, and insurance.

Mr. Sierra has achieved success through the application of the extensive knowledge for all aspects of the real estate business.

In 1957 he began his professional career in the insurance industry. In 1962, Mr. Sierra assumed executive operational responsibilities with his partner in the insurance industry, Molton, Allen, & Williams Corporation of Birmingham, Alabama. Working closely with C. Molton Williams, he was able to increase the mortgage banking firm's business and earn the title of being the largest mortgage banking firm in Florida.

In 1968, leveraging the experience Mr. Sierra obtained regarding construction loan lending, he formed the Horatio Corporation of Florida. Horatio specialized in the land development business as well as single-family construction.

In 1972, MGIC Corporation (NYSE:MTG) purchased Horatio. Following this purchase, MGIC Corporation merged Horatio and LaMonte Shimberg, one of the largest homebuilders in the Tampa area, to form Criterion Corporation. Mr. Sierra served as Chief Executive Officer for the newly formed Criterion Corporation, where he led the company through an exceptional growth period during the early 1970s, which included the building of over 2,000 homes per year. During this time period, Criterion Corporation was the dominant home builder in the markets of Hillsborough County (Tampa), Pinellas County (St. Petersburg), and Orange County (Orlando).



In 1978, Mr. Sierra commenced development on what would become Avila Golf & Country Club, the Tampa Bay area's finest golfing community. Avila Golf & Country Club is located on a prime 850-acre site in northern Tampa and includes an 18-hole championship golf course redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 1988. In addition to the highly acclaimed golf experience that Avila Golf & Country Club offers, the community has been nationally recognized for excellence in architectural controls, community planning, and overall resident security.

In 1983, Mr. Sierra and Mr. Nicklaus partnered to form the Nicklaus/Sierra Development Corporation. The goal of this company was to create the finest golf course communities in the nation. Avila Golf & Country Club would serve as the benchmark for subsequent Jack Nicklaus communities. With Mr. Sierra serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for Nicklaus/Sierra Development, this goal was not only met, but also exceeded as seen by various signature communities such as Country Club of the South (Atlanta, GA), Wynstone (Chicago, IL), English Turn (New Orleans, LA), Bear Creek (Murrieta, CA), and Country Club of Louisiana (Baton Rouge, LA.)



Currently, Mr. Sierra continues to offer expert strategic decision making that will enable Sierra Properties to strengthen its image as a leader in real estate development.  As Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of SIERRA PROPERTIES, Mr. Sierra utilizes his extensive knowledge of the real estate industry in order to play an integral role in leading Sierra Properties towards much future success.