OUR LEADERSHIP

John Renken The Renken Company

JOHN H. RENKEN, MAI

PRESIDENT

After his graduation from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration emp. Real Estate Finance, John spent four years with a national real estate firm.  Then he founded The Renken Company, a full-service real estate company providing property management, brokerage, real estate appraisals, and consulting.

John’s passion for real estate and vast experience of over 25 years in brokerage, property management, and appraisals of all types of assets has given him a unique and diverse perspective of the commercial real estate industry. Much of his expertise focuses on consulting real estate investors in the buying, selling, or growth/expansion of their real estate investments. John directs and oversees all aspects of company operations, including guiding brokerage transactions, setting property management operations, spearheading all appraisal reporting, and consulting clients in the acquisition, growth, and disposition of their investments. To date, he has procured both real estate acquisitions valued at over $125Million under his leadership, The Renken Company manages a portfolio valued in excess of $1Billion, and appraises over $500Million in commercial real estate annually. 

In addition to his real estate endeavors, John was a Co-Founder and Director of Stellar Business Bank in 2007. As Co-Founder, John was directly involved in capitalizing the bank and helped navigate through the arduous State and Federal approval process. During his time with the bank, John chaired the Asset/Liability Committee. In addition to this, he also served on its Loan Committee until the bank merged with Alta Pacific Bank in 2012 and most recently, Banner Bank in November 2019. As a result of his expertise, John is a sought-after expert witness and guest speaker for multiple local institutions and organizations. He also currently holds board positions with privately held companies and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to being actively involved in the Claremont community, Mr. Renken has been a guest speaker for the Citizens Business Bank College Program and Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Inland Empire Division.

In his free time, John is a fitness enthusiast, participating in prominent events like the Boston Marathon (5-time finisher), the New York and Chicago Marathons, and Half Ironman’s in 2018 and 2019, among many others. John is married to his wife of 25 years, Kelly, and has three adult children, all of which are or have been collegiate athletes at the leading universities of Washington University in St.Louis, the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School of Business), and the University of Southern California (Marshall School of Business.

Professional Affiliations - Founding Board Member | Supporting Member | Member

• Appraisal Institute, No. 105546 – Member
• Citrus Valley Board of Realtors – Member
• Apartment Owners Association (“AOA”) – Member
• High Desert Association of Realtors – Member
• USC Real Estate Alumni and Friends – Member

• Claremont Chamber of Commerce – Member
• Haynes Family of Programs – Board Member
• Friends of Foster of Children (FOFC) – Patron Member
• Claremont Education Foundation – Supporting Member

• Southland Data Processing – Board Chairman
• McKenna Labs, Inc. – Board Member
• National Thermal Processing – Board Member
• Chatfield Clarke, LLC – Board Chairman

Credentials

  • California Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, License No. AGO14453
  • Appraisal Institute, MAI Designation
  • California Real Estate Broker, License No. 01056811
  • Served as an Expert witness in Los Angeles County Superior Court

Education

  • The University of Southern California, Bachelor of Science Business Administration, Emphasis: Real Estate Finance

Philanthropy

  • Haynes Family Programs – Board Member (Past Chairman of the Board)
  • Friends of Foster of Children (“FOFC”) – Patron Member
  • Claremont Education Foundation – Supporting Member
  • The Salvation Army – Property Committee (1996-1999)
Kelly Arft

KELLY M. ARFT, CPM

VICE PRESIDENT / DIRECTOR

Graduating from Central Michigan University in 1988 with a degree in Finance and Marketing, Kelly continued to develop and sharpen his business acumen throughout his time overseeing the operations of a family-owned retail business in Birmingham, Michigan. For the next 10 years, Kelly successfully navigated the trials and tribulations of owning and managing a brick-and-mortar business. After that, he relocated to Southern California to lead the Property Management Division of The Renken Company.

Under Kelly’s guidance, The Renken Company’s portfolio of properties grew exponentially. Totaling over 2 million square feet of commercial, mixed-use, and multifamily real estate, he not only guides daily operations, but also designs the strategies for acquiring, managing, maintaining, and repositioning the standards for all assets under TRC’s control. Additionally, Kelly oversaw the design, development, and grand-opening of The Renken Building in 2004. His diligent contributions to The Renken Company have also been an integral part of the company’s steady growth. He has developed and led the implementation of many key initiatives that have maximized efficiencies and vastly improved its services to clients. 

For over 20 years Kelly has helped run The Renken Company as a Principal partner and Vice President of Real Estate Operations.  He has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate ownership and administration including syndication, legal formation, financing, due diligence, property management, brokerage, construction management, financial analysis, and IT integration to name a few.

Involved in the planning, implementation, financing, and development of non-real estate related companies, it is Kelly’s firm belief that all successful enterprises have small business roots. In addition to being a partner and board member, Kelly is involved in guiding the future of these companies for the benefit of all involved. This experience allows Kelly to advise brokerage clients, landlords, and tenants in a manner that maximizes their ability to thrive in their unique endeavors. No matter what the situation, it is Kelly’s opinion that a viable product or service can only be successful when a good plan is managed by the right people.

On the personal side, Kelly is a father of four daughters and has been married to his high school sweetheart, Lisa, for almost 29 years. As a jack-of-all trades, Kelly enjoys soccer, running, gardening, useless movie trivia, and the occasional poker game.

Professional Affiliations - Supporting Member | Member

  • Institute of Real Estate Management – Member
  • National Association of Realtors – Member
  • Citrus Valley Association of Realtors – Member
  • Claremont Chamber of Commerce – Member

CREDENTIALS

  • Certified Property Manager – IREM 2003
  • California Real Estate Broker, License No. 01231023

EDUCATION

  • Central Michigan University, Bachelor of Science
  • Business Administration, Finance & Marketing
The owner of this website has made a committment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.