Minnesota Real Estate Hall Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Kraus-Anderson Realty’s Dan Engelsma among six new inductees
Minneapolis, Minn. – The Minnesota Real Estate Hall of Fame celebrated its 10th anniversary by inducting six new members: Alan Arthur, Kim Culp, Dennis Doyle, Daniel Engelsma, Marjorie Nolan, and Ken Rothschild. “This is an usually large group of inductees, which is a testament both to the quality of nominations we received this year and the tremendous caliber of real estate talent in our region,” said Herb Tousley, who oversees the Shenehon Center for Real Estate at the University of St. Thomas.
Over 300 guests attended the November 5 Hall of Fame Program at the Golden Valley Country Club. John Allen of Industrial Equities delivered the keynote address. Jean Kane, CEO of Colliers Minneapolis/St Paul presented the awards to the following:
Alan Arthur
Alan Arthur is president & CEO of Aeon, a nonprofit that creates and sustains quality affordable homes which strengthen lives and communities. The organization, which he joined just two years after its founding in 1986, has built, purchased, or renovated more than 4,300 apartments and townhomes in the Twin Cities area that provide stability for 9,000 people each year. Under Arthur’s leadership, Aeon has won praise for its high design and construction standards, and for ensuring its homes will become community assets for generations. Arthur himself has been lauded for what one Aeon board member called the ability to “lead the organization to do what is right, always.”
Arthur’s strong leadership is rooted in nearly 50 years of experience in housing and real estate development, including construction, project development, lending, code enforcement, and city planning. He is known for his ability to spot opportunities and adapt to changes in the community and political landscapes, such as Aeon’s recent focus on acquiring naturally occurring affordable housing, or NOAH, properties before they are sold to market-rate developers.
Kim Culp
Kim Culp has a unique talent for reading the real estate market, understanding where the industry and relevant business is heading, and being there when it arrives. He was a pioneer in expanding the concept of third-party property management for institutional clients, as evidenced by his success as president of the Shelard Group, which grew more than tenfold under his leadership and managed more than 10 million square feet for companies such as Prudential, Principal and Travelers. Culp went on to form The Excelsior Group (TEG) in 2005 as a full-service real estate firm offering boutique-level services in management, real estate investments and advisory services, homebuilder lending, and development. TEG also manages an affiliated family of investment funds for Opportunity Advisors, overseeing more than $350 million of commercial assets to date.
One of Culp’s biggest strengths is his ability to recognize talented people. He has a keen interest in mentoring that talent while still allowing people to lead in their own way. Virtually every top commercial real estate company in the Twin Cities has a Kim Culp disciple in its employ, a testament to his mentorship, leadership and vision.
Dennis Doyle
Dennis Doyle began his career in real estate while still a teen, working construction for his neighbor, George Welsh. After completing his education, Doyle returned home, and he and his childhood neighbor formed the Welsh Companies, a full-service commercial real estate firm. Doyle has said that Welsh taught him two very important lessons: do the right thing, and work hard every day.
Doyle eventually sold the Welsh Companies to Colliers International and built Wildamere Capital Management, a full-service commercial real estate company that offers development, management, and investment services and opportunities. At the same time, Doyle funneled his and his wife Megan’s passion for helping people into the creation of MATTER, a nonprofit that distributes corporate surplus to organizations around the world. Since its inception 20 years ago, MATTER has given away more than $650 million through food programs and hospital furnishings.
Daniel Engelsma
During his 50 years with Kraus-Anderson, Dan Engelsma has helped grow the company into one of the top developers and property managers in the region, with more than 100 holdings comprising over 5 million square feet. Despite having no formal real estate training, Dan joined KA’s nascent real estate team in 1969 as its third member and learned by doing: leasing, managing properties and assets, handling financial and mortgage placement duties, and even – on the weekends – renting apartments.
Eventually, Dan was steering a real estate and development enterprise that extended from coast to coast. As the scope of business expanded, so did his expertise, which grew to include public utilities, medical office development, senior housing, and historic tax credits. And through it all, he has adhered to the tenets of judicious growth, adaptability, integrity, and investing in people that guided another Kraus-Anderson leader and Real Estate Hall of Fame member: Dan’s father, Lloyd Engelsma.
Marjorie Nolan
As a native of the Brainerd Lakes area, Marjorie Nolan is perfectly positioned to help lead Kurilla Real Estate, which lists and sells premier lakeshore in the region. An owner of the company as well as a broker, Nolan has been expertly matching buyers and properties for nearly 35 years and is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Realtors® and a past national director for the National Association of Realtors®.
Nolan is also a linchpin of the Brainerd community, having volunteered her time and talents to the area’s arboretum, arts center, community and technical colleges, and various women’s organizations as well as the City of Nisswa, where Kurilla is based. In addition, Nolan has 15 years of political experience at the local, state and national levels.
Ken Rothschild
In 1885, brothers Henry and Val J. Rothschild founded a company to sell real estate in the rapidly growing city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. As the city matured, so did the company. By 1930, H & Val J. Rothschild had expanded into multifamily housing and mortgage financing.
In 1950, Ken Rothschild – great-grandson of Val J. Rothschild – became a third-generation employee in the family business. During his tenure, the company concluded several successful mergers in the 1960s and 70s, and before his retirement in 1989, Ken Rothschild led the transformation of the company into a large, multidiscipline residential and commercial real estate company. He was also an early advocate of open housing in St Paul, was chosen by President Jimmy Carter to serve as member of the National Housing Partnership. Ken has dedicated his life to provide safe, sanitary affordable housing. He was also active in the community having served on the boards of the Minnesota Historical Society, the St. Paul Urban League, the Wilder Foundation, and the Minnesota State University System.
About the Hall of Fame
The Minnesota Real Estate Hall was established in 2010 by the Shenehon Center for Real Estate at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business to honor, preserve and perpetuate the names and outstanding accomplishments leaders who have made significant contributions in real estate and demonstrated care and concern for improving their communities.