Les Strech
McNair Living, Managing Principal
Professional Summary
Les is the founder of McNair Living and serves as Managing Principal. Les founded McNair Living in late 2021 to build longevity-based real estate developments that allow people of all ages and all abilities to flourish together. McNair Living is a wholly-owned subsidiary of McNair Interests. Daily, he leads the conceptualization of each real estate development as he works closely with architects, city planners, senior living and hospitality operators. McNair Living’s lead brand is Varcity which partners with Power 5 universities to build on-campus, residential, longevity communities for their alumni. Les has a history of remaining highly responsive to business owners in his board roles. In January 2024, as the board chair of Joseph’s Junk Removal (Atlanta-based company), Les helped facilitate the private equity acquisition of the company after the company experienced 3 consecutive years of tripling revenue and profits. He was previously the President of Thrive Senior Living where he led team members across 10 states. Thrive developed, owned, and operated luxury apartments, cottages, and residential homes for older adults throughout the Southeast, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. Under Les’ leadership, Thrive opened over 350 million dollars of senior living ground-up development while being awarded Fortune’s Best Place to Work in Aging Services multiple times. Les was recently recognized by his peers in the industry for his impact on senior living design and operational standards when he was named one of the 2021 American Changemakers in Senior Living by Senior Housing News. Prior to Thrive, Les founded Burdenlight Memory Care and served as COO of Sundance Memory Care. Les has served as a panelist speaker several times for the American Senior Housing Association (ASHA) and Senior Living Innovation Forum (SLIF). He is a frequent speaker on university campuses; most often seen each semester in Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business and Diane Garland School of Social Work covering topics ranging from leadership to effective communication, embracing controversy, and building a company culture to stand the test of time. Les received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. Les currently serves as the head coach for the Georgia Kings travel basketball team which he led to win the 2023 YBOA 16u National Championship. Additionally, Les serves on the Advisory Board to Reach Architects out of Austin, TX and as Chair of the Advisory Board for Joseph’s Junk Removal, an Atlanta based sanitation company. Les is a native Houstonian living in Atlanta, Georgia with his bride Emily (Baylor grad) of 21 years and 4 children. Les’ oldest daughter is a freshman at Baylor and a member of Chi Omega sorority.
Education
Baylor University BBA, Finance