GALEN DRU KAHLENBERG

Galen Dru Kahlenberg is a lifelong investor and entrepreneur, he has had a focus on property development in Texas and northern Mexico for the last fifteen years. Mr. Kahlenberg’s unique background and skill set distinguishes him in the industry of property acquisition, financing, and development. Drawing from his experience in engineering and manufacturing, he approaches the real estate development business with a detailed understanding of how to solve and implement efficient remedies for construction, environmental, or engineering issues. Where other developers might see the lack of an established sewage and water district as an impediment, for example, Mr. Kahlenberg’s capacity to license, design, and build such infrastructure, through companies he owns,, creates an opportunity to handle those issues directly and at lower cost, resulting in rapid and profitable development of acquisitions.
 
Mr. Kahlenberg began his career at the age of 14 in the engineering department of his family firm, Kahlenberg Brother Co., a manufacturer of heavy naval equipment and accessories for over 100 years. After receiving his degree in 1986 from the University of Wisconsin in management information systems, he first worked for American Apparel Co. before moving to Mexico to create from ground up, a manufacturing and industrial garment finishing firm. Using his experience and unique skills, Mr. Kahlenberg dramatically expanded the output of the firm and went on to co-found and lead a series of successful businesses that developed production techniques now standard in the sector. Always maintaining an entrepreneurial attitude, and using his unique skill set, well rounded engineering and technical background, and with the support of his wife as CFO, managed to grow the garment manufacturing and finishing operations into a successful supplier of fashion forward garments for many brands such as Levi's, Gap, Arizona brand, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, JLO and more.
 
Mr. Kahlenberg initially entered the real estate property development business as an outgrowth of his activities in the garment business. In addition to bringing in flagship U.S. clients to his garment businesses Mr. Kahlenberg drew on his education and training as an engineer to design, finance, acquire, and construct warehouses, retail centers and other industrial and commercial properties related to his existing garment businesses.
 
In 2006 Mr. Kahlenberg began leveraging this experience with property development and construction for his garment business and seized an opportunity to create a separate line of business in the real estate property development. Using his own capital and expertise, he acquired and developed a diverse array of light industrial and commercial properties in northern Mexico for sale and lease, including warehouses, factories, and hotels. After successfully expanding into the Texas market following the 2008 financial crisis, Mr. Kahlenberg decided to retire from active management of his garment businesses after thirty years and devote himself to real estate investment and development full time, starting with the design and construction of several retail centers in McAllen, Texas. He has since substantially expanded his development and investment activity in Texas particularly, with an expanded focus on the design, development, and construction of whole residential tracts and attendant infrastructural projects to serve the increasing demand from the region’s fast-growing north Houston area.
 
Now, after successfully expanding into Multi family construction, Single Family homes under Alta Homes, land development, under ClearLake Asset Management, affordable housing under Orbit Properties, and his nature conservation Foundation, The Galen Foundation, that protects 30% of all his land acquisitions in their natural state, and Humanity Squared, helping distressed homebuyers and renters through difficulties, GDK is taking on his newest flagship project, Solarus Tower, located in Galveston Texas.
 

LAURA KAHLENBERG

Laura Kahlenberg is highly motivated by her accounting expertise both domestically and internationally and has an exceptional aptitude for innovative solutions. Mrs. Kahlenberg's broad professional experience has sharpened her keen eye for numbers and expounded on her love for different cultures. With a naturally charitable heart, Laura Kahlenberg was the inspiration for the Galen Foundation and is at the forefront of Solarus' conservation efforts.

ANDRE LANDON, AIA

As Design Director and Principal of EDI, Andre leads the design process on a variety of luxury hotels, historical renovations, boutique style hotels, restaurants, high-rise condwominiums and country club projects. Recognized as an industry leader, Andre has the uncanny ability to ensure that a project’s exterior and interior work harmoniously to ultimately create memorable user experiences.

PATRICIA KNUDSON JOINER, FAICP 

Over the past 41-years, Patricia “Patti” Knudson Joiner, FAICP has built a reputation for creating and implementing innovative planning standards, design methodologies, and economic strategies for the Texas Gulf Coast Region.  The result has been the creation of over $14 billion in new taxable value from over $1 billion in signed developer agreements. That means that for every $1.00 of tax money spent for the developer reimbursement, the political jurisdiction received $14.00 in new taxable property revenues making a “win-win” strategy for cities, counties, and private sector developers.