Debra Shantz Hart is a Woman Who Means Business

Providing affordable housing for families in the Ozarks and beyond is more than a day job for Debra Shantz Hart. It is a passion project fueled by the desire to make a positive impact on future generations, and it certainly keeps her occupied. But before she got started, she admits that she was reluctant to take on such a big task at first. “I realized that kids don’t choose where they are born,” Shantz Hart says. “I think the most compelling thing for me is that we can find a way to provide quality housing for folks that put them on a path to sustainability, and that has a positive impact on children in our community. That was the tipping point for me that convinced me to pursue it.”

But she didn’t arrive in her current field right away. Formerly a private practice attorney, Shantz Hart’s career plans took a sharp turn in 1995 when she responded to John Q. Hammons’s call seeking a “nitpicker.” “He wanted somebody to [help him dot the i’s and cross the t’s] on contracts,” she says. “He was in his 70s when I went to work there, and he was busy in the hotel development world. That job really nourished me. He and I became friends, and I think he enjoyed working with me.”

She began her job by reviewing contracts, then began accompanying Hammons on development trips and would help him craft development agreements. This exposed her to unique and large-scale transactions. Her time working for John Q. Hammons Hotels, and her career in legal work, came to a close in 2008 when she made the decision to put her new knowledge to the test and transition into development herself.

Originally, she intended to develop limited-service hotels in 2008, but she hit a roadblock when trying to gather financing opportunities. When an opportunity to submit an affordable housing application came her way, she jumped at it. She has been busy developing affordable housing ever since. 

Now, Shantz Hart can’t imagine working in any other real estate field. For her, it’s the moments when she meets thankful tenants that fuel her motivation. “When we just completed a project in Little Rock, Arkansas, this woman came up and asked me if I was involved with the project,” Shantz Hart says. “She said she had just moved into one of the units with her son. She said, ‘I just gotta give you a hug. This is the nicest house, and I’m so proud to live here.’ I don’t think you get that kind of satisfaction from virtually anything [else] in the real estate world.”

Currently, her days are bustling with property site visits and meetings with communities about potential developments. She owns not one, but three housing businesses: DHTC Development, Housing Plus and Sustainable Housing Solutions. To date, more than 400 residents in Missouri and Arkansas can thank her for providing attainable, comfortable housing that allows them to retreat from the world and still afford to meet other financial goals. 

Outside of her businesses, it’s one of Shantz Hart’s goals to encourage more women to serve on boards in Springfield, and as a former member of selection committees, she is quick to speak up when she feels that there aren’t enough women represented on a board.

Shantz Hart leads by example in this realm. She serves on a number of other nonprofit boards including the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and the Boys and Girls Club Trust Board. She was also the chairperson of the board for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce in 2018.