Our 2025 CEOs to Watch are forward-thinking leaders transforming family businesses across generations and industries. Some are building values-driven enterprises from the ground up, others are modernizing multigenerational companies. Some are family members, others are not. But they’re all united by a shared commitment to creating inclusive, purpose-driven cultures that blend innovation and tradition.
They also have another trait in common: the ability to balance long-term vision with day-to-day execution, ensuring their companies remain competitive while staying grounded in the family’s values.
Alex Norr
Mountain States Property Management | CEO | Second Generation
Alex Norr’s leadership at Mountain States Property Management has helped the company start the transition from a single owner and founder to the founder’s five children. Under Noor’s leadership, the company established a board of directors to provide a governance structure and guidance to the five new owners of the company. He has also established an executive team to help lead the operations of the company and set up the company for future growth while enhancing operational efficiency.
“At Mountain States Property Management, I’ve led the second-generation transition with a focus on succession and expansion,” Norr says. “I developed our first formal strategic plan, established a board of directors, strengthened the operating management team and collaborated with leadership to define our core values, long-term vision and shared purpose. A key priority has been developing a management and governance framework — both within the business and the family — that can scale effectively.”
According to Mountain States’ Vice President of Construction Brent Willie, Norr “has actively worked with all of the owners (many of them passive owners) to help them understand their roles on the board, listen and accommodate their requests for what they want out of the business while at the same time helping to train the new executive team on their roles and drive the company towards greater efficiency.”
“I’ve built my career on the principal’s side of the real estate industry, and I enjoy the challenge of creating lasting value through investment, development and management,” Noor says. “My professional experience has been shaped by roles in a Fortune 500 company, a century-old family-owned business and a fast-growing first-generation family company preparing for a sale. “These experiences deepened my understanding of how leadership, culture and governance must evolve at different stages of growth. Ultimately, I’ve gravitated to family businesses because the intersection of purpose, people and performance offers uniquely meaningful work.”