kolter group - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T01:39:17Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/kolter+groupDelray Beach: Earth Day beach cleanup; Delray Municipal Beach — April 22https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-earth-day-beach-cleanup-delray-municipal-beach-april2022-05-04T15:12:32.000Z2022-05-04T15:12:32.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10463431888,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10463431888,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10463431888?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>The Kolter Group, a Delray Beach-based real estate development firm, partnered with the End Ocean Plastic Foundation to clear plastic and other trash from the beach.</em><em><strong> ABOVE:</strong> Some of the nearly 100 corporate employees gather behind the foundation founders, Miles Julien (far left) and Jake Julien (far right), and their father, Bobby Julien, CEO of Kolter. </em><em><strong>BELOW:</strong> Kolter employees bag trash from the dune. <strong>Photos provided</strong></em></p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10463432862,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10463432862,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10463432862?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></p></div>Boca Raton: A charitable windfall: ‘Havana Nights’ raises $1.6 million for nonprofitshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-a-charitable-windfall-havana-nights-raises-1-6-million2019-12-04T18:00:00.000Z2019-12-04T18:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960919474,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960919474,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960919474?profile=original" /></a><em>Bobby Julien, CEO of the Kolter Group, and Sala Brown, his executive assistant, enjoy a comedy skit that was part of the poker extravaganza. Julien came up with the idea when he served on the Achievement Centers board. At left is Tarun Bhalla, Kolter’s IT chief. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related Story: A place to thrive for kids — As it turns 50, <a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-a-place-to-thrive-for-kids-as-it-turns-50-achievemen" target="_blank">Achievement Centers</a> ‘at top of its game’</strong></p>
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<p><strong>By Charles Elmore</strong></p>
<p>The price to get in started at $6,000 a seat. Dress was chic Havana evening attire. Live music, dinner and a cocktail reception set the stage for a poker tournament of epic proportions at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.<br /> Lest anyone be shocked — shocked! — to find gambling going on here, the proceeds went to charities offering preschool and after-school education, meals, help learning to read and a host of other services.<br /> The Havana Nights Poker Charity Tournament delivered its biggest jackpot yet, more than $1.6 million, for Achievement Centers for Children and Families in Delray Beach and other nonprofits in its latest incarnation Nov. 7.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960920462,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960920462,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960920462?profile=original" /></a><em>Dan Economos and his brother Nicholas Jr. (far right) are part of the charity event that raised one of the largest single-night amounts in county history. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p>More than 130 businesses sponsored the participants.<br /> Fellow organizers said the concept goes back to a suggestion from Bobby Julien, chief executive officer of the Kolter Group, a real estate development firm based in Delray Beach. Julien, a former Achievement Centers board member, wondered if there might be a different route to raise money instead of, say, a golf tournament or formal dinner. He said he heard about a similar event in another market and thought it might offer an entertaining twist.<br /> “I don’t like wearing a black tie,” Julien said, stepping outside the Cathedral Room at the Boca Raton Resort & Club as the din of festivities hummed inside. “I liked the idea of something more casual.”<br /> Michael Neal, chief executive officer of Kast Construction in West Palm Beach and a former board member at Achievement Centers himself, remembered that Julien even had an idea for the venue.<br /> “He said, ‘Let’s do it at the Boca Resort,’ ” Neal said. “Boom. Home run.”</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>A record night of giving</strong></span> <br /> Charity watchers said the total amount raised ranks among the largest single-night events in a county with a history of big-ticket largess.<br /> A February gala in Palm Beach raised a reported $1.5 million for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. Also early in 2019, the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society raised $1.75 million at its annual Tropical Safari Gala, according to published reports.<br /> “Palm Beach County is recognized as one of Florida’s most philanthropic counties,” said Bradley Hurlburt, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. “We are very fortunate to live in a community where people understand the importance and are committed to giving back to those in need throughout the year.”<br /> The focus of the poker event is on nonprofits based in the communities they serve, Julien said: “We want to serve grass-roots charities.”<br /> The total this year surpassed anything else seen in the four times the event has been staged, with planning and preparation taking as long as two to three years between galas, according to organizers. The 2016 event raised more than $1 million, a spokesman said.<br /> The leading beneficiary is Achievement Centers, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary of providing preschool and after-school care and education, among other programs.<br /> “This is incredible,” said Stephanie Seibel, chief executive officer at Achievement Centers, sporting a fedora for the occasion. “The people on our boards are so willing to jump in and help. People are there for the right reasons.”<br /> The event provides the single largest source of private-sector donations for her organization, Seibel said.<br /> Precise contributions were still being tallied, but more than a dozen charities will benefit in all, organizers said. One of them is Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, whose chief executive, Kristin Calder, was in attendance as well.<br /> “It really is wonderful to be the recipient of the generosity flowing this evening,” Calder said.<br /> Why do it? A place like Achievement Centers “steals your heart,” Neal said.<br /> Julien said, “A lot of people need help. We love giving back.”</p></div>Coastal Star: For successful real estate executive, achievement lies in helping kidshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/coastal-star-for-successful-real-estate-executive-achievement-lie2015-02-04T21:04:28.000Z2015-02-04T21:04:28.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960555692,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960555692,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960555692?profile=original" /></a><em>Bobby Julien, CEO of the Kolter Group, is a driving force behind fundraising efforts</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>for the Achievement Centers in Delray Beach.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Rich Pollack<br /><br /></strong> For Bobby Julien, what started out as casual dinner conversation with a friend has evolved into a passion-filled commitment that is making a positive impact on the lives of thousands of area children and their families. <br /> Julien, chief executive officer of the Kolter Group — a diversified real estate development and investment firm based in West Palm Beach — was with his friend Tom Murphy, who mentioned his involvement with the Achievement Centers for Children and Families in Delray Beach. <br /> Julien, Murphy suggested, should consider getting involved. <br /> “He brought the idea up at dinner and sold it hard,” said Julien, who lived in the Delray Beach area for several years and now lives in Gulf Stream with his wife and three children. “He arranged a tour, and when I went there and saw what they did, that was it. I was hooked.” <br /> What Julien saw was a great program he knew instantly he wanted to be a part of. <br /> The Achievement Centers serves more than 1,000 children and their families, providing affordable childcare as well as effective after-school and summer programs. <br /> The new 2015 president of the operational board of directors, Julien, 47, worked his way up in the organization’s volunteer leadership structure, first joining the board of the Achievement Centers Foundation in 2009. He served three years as board president of the foundation — the nonprofit wing of the organization — and last year joined the operational board. <br /> “When we got established in this area, I wanted to get involved with an organization that helps children,” he said. “There’s such a need and I thought there has to be a way to make an impact.” <br /> Julien’s business background and expertise proved valuable to the organization as it went through a leadership transition in 2013 following the retirement of longtime director Nancy Hurd and the hiring of Stephanie Seibel, who had been executive director of the foundation, as the new CEO. <br /> During his time as foundation board president, Julien worked closely with the foundation’s new executive director, Abigail Goodwin, with a focus on helping expand the organization’s visibility.<br /> “Our goal was to raise awareness of the Achievement Centers to help expand the base of donors,” he said. “We worked super hard on raising awareness through events and through being more visible in the community.”<br /> As part of the effort, the foundation board agreed to expand the team’s staff to four members. <br /> With his team at Kolter — which develops residential and commercial properties, including hotels — Julien has been a driving force behind one of the most successful fundraisers for the centers, the Havana Nights event.<br /> This high-end poker tournament, held in the Cathedral Room at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, raised $300,000 in its inaugural year of 2012, and last year raised $570,000 — with all of the proceeds going to the Achievement Centers and seven other nonprofits. <br /> The Kolter team obtains most of the sponsorships — which range from $5,000 to $25,000 — largely from its vendors, and underwrites all the costs associated with the tournament, Julien said.<br /> “Under Bobby’s direction and commitment, Havana Nights has made a name for itself as one of the most successful charitable poker tournaments in the state, benefiting eight charities,” said Seibel, the Achievement Centers’ CEO.<br /> In his new role as president of the operational board, Julien is now focused on helping the Achievement Centers continue to expand the services it provides to the community. The organization is also exploring ways to provide programs for children beyond the age groups it currently serves. <br /> “Bobby has a genuine interest in creating opportunities that lead young people to improve their futures,” Seibel said. “Moving to the operational board as the new president, his strong leadership will continue to guide the board’s vision for the future of the agency.” <br /> For Julien, the Achievement Centers for Children and Families has become a focus of his efforts to support the community. <br /> “I’m very fortunate I’m successful and I can help others,” he said.</p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;"><strong>If You Go</strong></span><br /><strong>What:</strong> The Achievement Centers for Children and Families 14th annual Delray Beach Home Tour in the southern beach area of Delray Beach. Guests will enjoy a leisurely day of exploring unique residents, a catered luncheon and trolley service between homes.<br /><strong>When:</strong> 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 12<br /><strong>Tickets:</strong> $100 (a portion is tax deductible.) Information: 266-0003, Ext. 16</p></div>