TEAM
DKG
DEDICATED
TO OUR CRAFT,
AND OUR ENVIRONMENT
Based in Phoenix, DKG Urban Concepts provides expert guidance during the development of high-performance sustainable buildings. We promote cost-effective, energy-efficient strategies and innovative solutions intended to support architects, owners, contractors, and end-users to deliver and maintain a successful sustainable project.
DKG LEADERSHIP
Owner and Chief Executive Officer
A Chicago native, Derek moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado early in life. Growing up surrounded by the beauty and pristine natural environment of the Rockies Mountains, a strong sense of environmental awareness was instilled in Derek from an early age. Inspired by his surroundings, Derek began developing his skills in construction in his early teen years and completed a variety of projects in the Aspen/Snowmass Village area. After graduating high school, he attended Arizona State University to pursue what he thought would be an ideal career path, a degree in Business Administration. Realizing shortly thereafter that his strengths and interests kept steering him back to construction and architecture, Derek completed his studies in the Housing and Urban Development program in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Prior to completing his degree and graduating with honors, Derek launched DKG Urban Concepts in 2004. He completed several small projects for DKG while also working for a large real estate development firm building invaluable skills in Land Development, Urban Planning, Alternative Energy Applications, Team Building, Project Management, Feasibility Studies, Project Estimation and Construction Management. Over a short period of time he developed hundreds of thousands of acres of real estate development projects in the Valley of the Sun while fostering invaluable professional relationships with local experts and leaders in the development industry.
When the economic crisis hit Phoenix and real estate development came to an abrupt standstill, Derek turned to solar energy as his next venture. This opportunity allowed Derek to develop over 2.5 megawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) system projects all over Arizona, California and Colorado. Now thriving in a much more prosperous real estate environment since the Recession, Derek proudly remains Owner and Chief Executive Officer of DKG Urban Concepts. DKG’s work has created a trademark in the industry of beautifully constructed, fully integrated, energy efficient buildings that utilize solar, the highest in water savings and cleanest indoor air quality in an attempt to create livable spaces that are healthy, environmentally sound examples of how to “live lightly”.
As a 5th generation Arizona native, Clint’s roots are deeply woven into the rural and urban fabric of the State. Growing up with a passion for the outdoors and a strong connection to the environment, he was steadfast in completing his collegiate career earning multiple environmental science degrees and building an extensive career in real estate development. He possesses a diverse background in Landscape Architecture, Master Planning and Zoning, Climate Science, Sustainability & Green Building, Project Management, Energy Modeling and Greenhouse Gas accounting. Clint received his Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from Arizona State University. He gained instrumental “ground-up” experience working with an award-winning designer on hundreds of residential landscape design/build projects. Expanding his expertise, Clint transitioned his focus onto larger Master Planned Community designs and worked as a Land Planner where he coordinated the many levels of land development from land survey, entitlements, preliminary design, civil engineering, hydrology, city council & neighborhood meetings, construction documents, permits, and construction management.
The economic crisis that recently devastated the Phoenix building industry forced Clint to relocate to Anchorage, Alaska. Taking advantage of this unfortunately tumultuous time in the market, Clint chose to return back to school, studying the effects of climate change. After a year of independent study, he was selected as a 2011 National Science Foundation Fellow. He subsequently completed his Masters Degree in Climate Science and Sustainability Solutions at Northern Arizona University. Here he learned many techniques and processes by which to mitigate the polluting effects of a built environment. He devised ways to utilize cutting-edge sustainability initiatives to greatly improve a built environment by developing places where people are able to live, work and play in a healthy indoor environment while reducing the surrounding environmental impacts and building operational costs.
