Gabe del Rio remembers when he was a boy his mother would drive him around different communities and developments around the world to study their layouts. “She would challenge me to look at what was going on there with the signage, the traffic and whether it was residential or commercial,” says del Rio, now 27. “She was a city planner and community activist and that’s what she taught me.”

Del Rio’s mother died during his teen years. “But if she were still around, we’d be a big development team,” he says. “Her greatest legacy was writing the wetlands ordinance for the state of Maine a few months before she died.”

After attending James Madison University, del Rio became a licensed contractor and started at age 22 his own design-build firm that grew to sales in the millions and 15 employees. In 2003, he joined Community HousingWorks as director of the home ownership division. It is a countywide, nonprofit housing and community development organization that assists people with rental and ownership housing options.

“I like helping people,” says this Hillcrest resident. “There are so many people who’ve been told they won’t qualify for a loan and so they can’t buy a home. But we’re teaching them to set the bar higher.”

In the community Del Rio is board president of Directors for Rebuilding Together a local San Diego non-profit that rehabs and assists low-income, disabled and elderly homeowners. He also is second vice chair of the City Heights Area Planning Committee.

The recent upswing in San Diego home prices has been a challenge. “But I like a challenge,” del Rio says. In 2003, the organization helped 75 families become homeowners and this year should help 100. “It’s all about problem solving and creativity,” he says. “It’s a wonderful thing to help people get their first home. I think my mother would be proud of me.”