Arnis Kakulis

Biography: May 2004 ARNIS B. KAKULIS A Principal and Senior Consultant at OWP/P, Mr. Kakulis specializes in facilitating and managing projects that require complex strategic decisions. His clients include the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Argonne National Laboratory, The University of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, Kellogg/Keebler, Aramark, Tellabs, Hewitt Associates, Exelon and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In his tenure with OWP/P, a Chicago-based 300 person multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering and consulting services firm, he has distinguished himself as a leader of many of the firm's most challenging projects, often working with real estate professionals during critical pre-design programming and real estate analysis efforts. His skills in facilitation, strategic planning, programming and process design provide the requisite background to assist and enable clients to make informed decisions about their real estate assets. For example, Mr. Kakulis was the primary facilitator of a ULI sponsored workshop to create a plan for the development of a major undeveloped block in Chicago's Loop. This two-day planning session included major players from the development community, as well as representatives from the City of Chicago, and was aimed at achieving consensus for how to structure an implementation plan for this high-profile parcel in the heart of Chicago's Central Area. Over the past three years, Arnis Kakulis has been instrumental in the development of OWP/P's security consulting services. Closely collaborating with in-house security specialists, Arnie works with clients to analyze existing and proposed physical security methodologies based upon both quantitative and qualitative assessment methods. Prior to joining OWP/P, Mr. Kakulis was the Executive Vice President of SYLLA, Inc., a multidiscipline architecture, engineering and planning firm in Tampa, Florida, and as such was instrumental in the operations, business development and project management of multiple transportation, higher education and corporate projects throughout Florida. Mr. Kakulis earned both his Master of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as well. To support and enhance his personal ethnicity and cultural diversity, Arnis is the Chairman of the Board and the Director of the Development Committee for the Latvian Center Garezers in Three Rivers, Michigan. The multi-million dollar not-for-profit organization provides essential educational and cultural programs to the entire age spectrum of Latvians throughout the Midwest and beyond. He also is an active participant and advisor to the Chicago Latvian Childcare and Preschool Board of Directors, an organization that is spearheading efforts to establish a full-time, dual language program for children ages 2 to 5 of Latvian dissent. Arnis Kakulis is the Vice Chair of Programs for the Chicago District Council of the Urban Land Institute, and in so doing is also an active member of the Executive and Steering Committees. Mr. Kakulis has provided the requisite leadership to successfully develop, organize and implement various programs including monthly breakfast meetings, awards receptions, specialty panel discussions and other social networking events.