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FloridaHomesMag.com | 31 A As a general rule, real estate developers' egos are directly proportional to the size of the projects they build. One exception to the stereoty pe is Ma K ihnke, developer of the new, contemporar y high rise, SA NSA , in downtown Sarasota. Originally from Chicago, K ihnke and his brother have built numerous notable buildings in the Windy City and beyond. Inspired by his mother, who began investing in real estate when he was a child, K ihnke learned the business from the ground up. A er graduating college, he started rehabilitating homes, and then joined his brother on residential projects. Soon they moved on to new construction high-rise development with a distinctive flair for modern design. K ihnke's love of architecture is evident in the sculptural, artistic quality of his first construction project in Florida, SA NSA . e antithesis of famous self-promotion real estate king Donald Trump, K ihnke has a relaxed, easy-going style and likeable nature. A full-time resident of Sarasota for several years, K ihnke's low- key lifestyle fits his affable personality. Forgoing an opulent mansion, he lives in a Sarasota School of A rchitecture style coage on Siesta Key. When I first met K ihnke for breakfast almost a year ago, the hours flew by as we discussed architecture, the construction industr y, and a myriad of taboo subjects from religion to politics. A well rounded, informed guy, he's the ty pe of man you would like have a beer with – the guy you want to see succeed. He's someone who has forged his own path with hard work and thankfully held on to his humility along the way. Ty pically shy of publicity, he's allowed me to share some of his ideas about the region, architecture, and his histor y in the real estate business. Is there a significant difference in the buildings under construction now compared to those built a decade ago? e current generation of buildings being built today cater to the Baby Boomer generation, so we are seeing more sophisticated design. A lso, technolog y is beer integrated in the design now. Projects built 5 to 10 years ago are dated now. Technolog y is advancing at such a rate that ever y five to seven years, the systems become outdated. But it's an exciting time to build with the advancement of the home systems. You walk into your house, hit one buon and your entire house lights up according to whatever mood you want, whether it's night or day. So, it's literally a custom lifestyle that you build from the ground up. Do you offer that type of smart technolog y in your new building? Yes, we consider ourselves a boutique luxur y property. It is an upgrade, but you can go to whatever level you want. You can run these homes from any where in the world from your phone or iPad. Many people in this market are only living here a few months out of the year. So, it gives them a comfort level to be able to check on their home. ey can turn on the camera in their residence and see what's going on. We've also integrated the camera system throughout the building to be accessible for our residents. ey can see who is at the front door, in the lobby, or on the amenity deck. How did you get your start in the industry? e first house I ever owned, I was about eight years old. My mother, who was a special education teacher, was an avid real estate investor. When her mother passed away, my brothers and I were given a small inheritance. She pooled the money together to buy a rental property for us, introducing us to real estate investing. A er college, I started a technolog y company with a buddy. We were fortunate to have some success, but I Technology is advancing at such a rate that every five to seven years, the systems become outdated. By Jules Lewis Gibson Photography by Detlev Von Kessel Fascinating Floridian Continued on page 32 " "

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