Newly appointed as CEO of Hubbell Realty Co., Kyle Gamble says he has “grown up in the organization.”
That’s not hyperbole. Gamble joined Hubbell in 1994, immediately after completing his education at DePauw and Northwestern universities. And as a native and lifelong resident of Des Moines, he was familiar with the name and legacy of the company. Founded in 1856, Hubbell is only five years younger than the city itself.
Gamble says he has at one point or another in his 32 years at Hubbell led every one of its 16 commercial and residential real estate divisions. He had been chief operating officer since 2023 and added the title of president in 2025, and has had a hand in the company’s property management, development, construction and asset management operations.
For the last two years, Gamble has prepared for the transition to the company’s top executive position by working alongside 22-year CEO Rick Tollakson, who retired at the end of March.
“We have been working on this thoughtfully and intentionally for probably four to five years,” Gamble said. “So working up to this stage was not a surprise to me, and I don’t think it’s a surprise to the marketplace.”
‘We have a very long-term mentality’
Gamble said he appreciates how thoroughly the company has prepared him for the job.
“I have been thankful that the leadership and ownership here at Hubbell have given me a chance to see the company really from every angle,” Gamble said.
He said he saw Hubbell as a “gold standard” and decided after his hiring as a real estate broker to make it his home.
“It was a company that I was just familiar with, growing up in Des Moines,” he said. “I knew they had a super-high reputation, a longstanding commitment to the community and it was just something I wanted to explore.”
With such a long history, the company has been involved in many of its developmental landmarks, from the founding of its first streetcar company to the construction of the Hubbell Building that once housed its headquarters; the Equitable Building that for decades was the city’s tallest structure; the Hub Tower and the now-demolished Kaleidoscope mall; and Terrace Hill, the ornate former family estate that is now the Iowa governor’s mansion.
Nowadays, Hubbell’s focus is homebuilding, shaping neighborhoods such as 61-acre Mill Ridge, a single-family and townhome community in West Des Moines, and the 75-acre Gray’s Station just south of downtown Des Moines.
Gamble said his role is to keep the company moving forward as the Des Moines metro grows.
“I am not doing as much of the work as I am guiding our teams to be as effective as possible and setting our vision and strategy for our future,” he said.
The company will continue to have a strong focus on homebuilding, he said, with plans that include constructing more than 500 single-family homes in what’s now a farm field in northeast Des Moines.
The real estate market in central Iowa is strong, Gamble said. The quality of life, cost of doing business and population growth make the Des Moines metro an attractive location for Hubbell, he said.
“We will continue to take advantage of those fundamentals and deliver quality real estate projects to these communities,” he said.
Gamble said his priority is to maintain Hubbell’s team, similar to how he remained with the company for more than 30 years, while investing in projects that the company “can be proud of.”
“We have a very long-term mentality, a mentality of stewardship,” he said. “That is one of the reasons Hubbell has been so successful and has had the longevity that it has. It’s not something I am looking to reinvent. It’s something I am looking to build upon and protect what’s here.”
Kate Kealey is the growth and development reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on X at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New Hubbell CEO Kyle Gamble says he has ‘grown up’ with the company
Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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