Empowering Communities Part 1 with Bo Menkiti

Today our conversation is with Bo Menkiti. We had to break it into two different episodes because it was so good!

In this episode we learn about Bo’s background–growing up on the “other side of the tracks” in an immigrant neighborhood–he talks about how this shaped his perspective on finding value where others may not have seen it and his educational experiences at Harvard University.

Then he takes us back to when he was COO of the nonprofit College Summitt and he had six weeks of mandatory vacation time on his hands. So he decided to buy and resale the six vacant houses next to him in Columbia Heights, DC.

Fast forward and he now is CEO of the Menkiti Group, an integrated real estate services company focused on a double bottom line, measuring success in terms of positive social impact and financial returns. Bo is also the CEO and founding partner of Keller Williams Capital Properties, a residential real estate brokerage managed by the Menkiti Group.

The Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties have been recognized by Inc. magazine as being among the fastest growing private companies in the nation. They have also been named as two of the fastest growing inner city businesses in America by Fortune magazine.

As his company grew more and more successful, it invested in eighteen different minority-owned development companies. With the investment from the Menkiti Group, these development companies were able to secure the financing they needed to make deals, catapulting them to success.

There are a ton more fascinating life stories and development lessons that we can’t even fit into this description. So take a listen! And don’t forget to stay tuned for Part 2.