Laura M. Hughes is the Founding CEO and President of Fleur De Lis Development Corporation and native to St. Louis, Missouri.  A Graduate from Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. in International Business and Business Management, a Master’s in Project Management, and a J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law.

Laura enjoyed a 17-year career with Sprint where she became a subject matter expert in various areas in telecommunications and real estate. While at Sprint, she worked in five States, earned a master’s degree in Project Management, a CCNA certification, A+ and C++ certification, and managed municipal zoning easement projects for cell phone tower sites, which led to a very rewarding career in real estate. She spent the next decade, pursuing her passion for real estate in both personal and professional endeavors.

In 2005, she obtained a Missouri Real Estate Salesperson license and in 2006, she became a licensed Real Estate Broker and founded The Home Store, LLC. She entered Saint Louis University School of Law, with a focus on real estate and obtained a J.D. While in law school, she worked at the World Trade Center in St. Louis, a division of the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. At the World Trade Center, she assisted the developer community with economic development incentive programs, federal and state-based tax credits, and EB-5 foreign direct investment.

Fascinated by EB-5, Laura went on to become Chief Operations Officer for Great Southwest Regional Center and managed foreign direct investment in Oil & Gas Saltwater Recycling Facilities in West Texas.  Here she directed all aspects of foreign and domestic EB-5 investment and international compliance with USCIS, SEC, Texas Railroad Commission, OSHA regulations. 

Laura’s areas of expertise include real estate development, 203k renovations, and probate transactions. She is currently Master Developer for The Ville Redevelopment Project and continues to build sustainable solutions for communities.