Mr. Kai Lewards

Entrepreneur of the Year

Ever since Kaiker Development + Construction Principal and Founder Kai Lewars was young, he made it clear that he wanted to be involved in construction.Growing up Kai enjoyed seeing the positive impact that resulted from development and construction projects and their influence in transforming communities, businesses, and residents’ lives for the better.It was only a matter of time until he would realize the role he would play as he focused his education on the many niches of the construction process.

Motivated to excel by witnessing and learning from his family’s wisdom, hardships, and successes, Kai earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and studied Construction Engineering Management at Oregon State University. He began his career interning with Bremik Construction and later with Gores Construction in Portland, OR. Prior to graduating, Kai was offered a full-time salary position with Gores Construction to begin upon graduation as service manager and later took on additional roles as safety and quality control coordinator. Several years later, he accepted a position with the Portland Public Schools as a project manager for facilities and asset management, transitioning his career from construction to an owner’s representative for the school district where he grew up.

After living and working in the Pacific Northwest for most of his life, Kai eventually realized that it was time to make the leap of faith and take the risk to further grow in his career. His father, who had lived in Cincinnati for years, suggested relocating to the Queen City where Kai could take advantage of the real estate development market by growing his personal portfolio of properties as well as finding the right fit within the development and construction industries. In 2016, Kai sold his house, packed his bags, and purchased a portfolio of properties prior to moving to Cincinnati – without knowing anyone in the local development or construction market.

Kai turned over these properties selling some and holding onto others. Slowly gaining traction in the market Kai began offering his CM services to other investors and developers interested in 1–4-unit properties. Realizing the potential in the marketplace was so much more in the high volume residential and light commercial sector, but limited based on his network Kai decided not take any further active projects with KDC beyond his existing rental portfolio and personal small projects. Kai reached out to another up and coming commercial and industrial development and construction management firm that gave him the opportunity to grow in his career by taking on larger projects. Kai was the 2nd Project Manager at Cincinnati-based Terrex Development & Construction managing projects in the $5-15 million range until June 2021 when he left to scale and grow his own company, Kaiker Development + Construction.

In his free time, Kai enjoys travelling, playing, and watching a variety of sports, attending music concerts, and spending time with his children, family, dogs, and friends. He especially likes being outside during the spring and summer months at music festivals, exploring nature and BBQing.