A Gift for the Generations
H.S. Lopez Family Foundation Creates a Legacy of Giving
By Jay Gonzales
As Humberto and Czarina Lopez look ahead to the generations in their family who will follow them, they’re certain the financial empire they’ve built through HSL Properties will give their family members every opportunity to build something close to what they’ve built.
But the benefits of the Lopez family success will not be exclusive to their descendants. The H.S. Lopez Family Foundation has committed to providing the same type of opportunity to those in need in the Tucson region through the success HSL Properties has had here over its 50 years of its existence.
“We have made a pledge that all our wealth is going to go to the foundation,” Humberto said. “Our children and grandchildren are going to be taken care of by trusts. They’ll be well taken care of but not as millionaires. If they want to become millionaires, they’ve got to do it on their own.”
When people ask why so much of the family resources are going out to charity and to help others, Czarina says the philosophy is engrained in the family.
“What good does it do to have more than you need?” she said. “We do have more than we need, but I think sharing it with the people that are less privileged gives you a satisfaction that does not equal any material satisfaction.”
“My wife adopted the philosophy with me that we’ve been givers all our lives,” Humberto said. “We help families and tons of people out there.”
Already one of the leading, if not the leading philanthropists in Southern Arizona, the Lopezes have a long list of major donations they’ve provided in three priority areas – education, welfare and health.
There have been multi-million-dollar donations to the University of Arizona Eller College of Management and similar donations to the UA Sarver Heart Center and the College of Medicine. The foundation has supported smaller but no less important causes as has HSL Properties through its team members who give their time and their money.
The centerpiece of the foundation’s giving is the Center of Opportunity, a massive effort to address homelessness at a campus, formerly a hotel, that the foundation purchased and converted to a homeless shelter with extended services such as education classes, counseling, medical care, and simply a place to get back on one’s feet.
The foundation purchased the former Holiday Inn Holidome at 4550 S. Palo Verde Road in 2018 with a goal of creating a “one-stop shop” for those trying to turn their lives around. It has contracted with Gospel Rescue Mission to operate the facility with no government intervention and no public funding.
“It’s about giving opportunities to people that otherwise would not be offered to them,” Czarina said. “Not everybody has the clarity of mind to say, ‘Oh my God, this is an opportunity for me, let me take it.’”
With the Center of Opportunity and support of other foundation causes as an example, it’s easy for team members to follow the lead of the philanthropic couple, said Lisa Rosenfeld, executive VP at HSL Asset Management, one of the business entities that manages a segment of the business under the HSL umbrella.
“When people come to work for us, it’s very common for them to let us know that one of the things that attracted them to HSL was our commitment and involvement in the community and their ability to be part of that kind of team,” said Rosenfeld, who has been with HSL for 21 years.
“They come here expecting to have the opportunities to be a part of what we do and a part of our commitment to the community. They refer their friends for employment. And that’s a big part of it.”
Given the magnitude of the donations HSL has given over the years, the foundation board, made up mostly of Lopez family members, operates with a formal structure as with any other large foundation one might find anywhere. There are eight board members with Humberto as president, Czarina as secretary and HSL Properties President Omar Mireles as treasurer.
Clint Mabie, the former CEO of the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, is one of two non-family-members on the board and provides expertise gained over years of philanthropic and fundraising work throughout his career. Since retiring from CFSA, Mabie joined Northern Trust Bank as senior relationship advisor to lead bank strategies in community giving.
“I know these nonprofits and can add my expertise beyond just reading what’s in black and white,” he said. “Doing homework is the No. 1 thing that I do for the board, and I would say No. 2 is just trying to stay current on what’s happening in the nonprofit community.”
Humberto Lopez predicts that there will be a day when the H.S. Lopez Family Foundation will be the largest, certainly the most impactful, foundation in Southern Arizona. It’s not a brag. It’s a statement on the success of the company, of the family’s priority to make lives better in the region, and of building a lasting legacy when the family’s wealth is in the coffers of the foundation for the good of the community.
“When that happens, it’ll be the biggest foundation in Tucson,” Humberto said. “Another reason we’re doing this is to keep the family together so they become members of the foundation. I want all the family to be involved at some point to be able to give all that money we’re going to leave behind.”
Pictured above Czarina & Humberto Lopez. Photo courtesy HSL Properties
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