Bio

Kenneth G. Block is the managing principal of Block Real Estate Services, LLC. He entered the real estate field in 1975. Ken specializes in investment sales and the development of industrial, office, business park, and multifamily properties. To date, he has developed over 340 buildings with a total value of more than $4.8 billion. Ken has also been heavily involved in the representation of REITs, pension funds advisors, and insurance companies in both acquisition and disposition of real estate properties. Over his career, he has been involved in more than $5.3 billion of property sales and dispositions in all asset classes. He has also been involved as a consultant and/or developer in numerous build-to-suit projects for national companies, including General Electric, IBM, AT&T, Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc., Corporate Express, Xerox, Amazon.com, Kiewit Corporation, Teva Pharmaceuticals, WellSky, Mariner Wealth Advisors, and many others. In addition, Ken is currently the managing member of nearly $1.9 billion of property including Pine Ridge Business Park, a $150 million, 223-acre, mixed-use business park, CityPlace, a $400 million mixed-use development, and Galleria a $350 million mixed-use development. BRES also leases one of the premier office parks in the country, the 2.2 million square foot Corporate Woods Office Park. Ken is thoroughly knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate brokerage, development, construction, financing, syndication, leasing and marketing. He has been quoted on numerous occasions in well-respected publications, including: The Wall Street Journal, The National Real Estate Investor, Forum, Midwest Real Estate News, Business Facilities, Commercial Property News, Real Estate Today, Corporate Report, Ingram’s, Kansas City Business Journal, Kansas City Star and many others. He has also been a guest speaker at many prominent real estate symposiums for over four decades. Ken currently is an active industrial member of SIOR and a member of CCIM. He recently served for years on the editorial advisory board of Midwest Real Estate News. He has served as Secretary, Vice Chairman, and Chairman of the Commercial Investment Branch of KCRAR, Director of the Metropolitan Kansas City Real Estate Board, Director of the Missouri Association of Realtors, President of the Kansas City Chapter of NAIOP, Regional Vice President of NAIOP and Secretary/Treasurer of the Western Missouri-Kansas SIOR Chapter. Ken is involved in the Kansas City, Missouri Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City, Kansas Chamber of Commerce, Lenexa Economic Development Council, Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Kansas City Area Development Council, and a host of other economic and development organizations. Ken is a supporter of many local and regional charitable enterprises including American Cancer Society, American Royal, Boys & Girls Club, Business Council – Nelson Atkins Museum, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Children’s TLC, Heart of America Boy Scouts Council, Hope House, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Zoo, Kemper Museum, Nelson Atkins Museum Society of Fellows, New Reform Temple, University of Kansas Hospital and is a Board Member for the Allen J. Block Scholarship Fund at the Lewis White Real Estate Center at the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management. Ken serves as a founding member of ReNew KC Neighborhoods, a 501(c)(3) with the mission of Renovating, Restoring, and Renewing blighted Kansas City Metro neighborhoods and working to relive the housing crisis that exists among the homeless veteran, impoverished, and elderly population in our community. Ken’s recent accomplishments include in 2010, the first ever “Allen J. Block Realtor of the Year” Award by the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors, the 2010 Commercial National Award from the National Association of Realtors, a Top Sales Producer Rainmaker by Ingram’s Magazine, in addition to being selected as an inaugural member of the Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame by Midwest Real Estate News. Ken is a Life Member of the Kansas City Metropolitan and Missouri Multi-Million Dollar Clubs. He has been selected Realtor Associate of the Year for Metropolitan Kansas City Board of Realtors, nominated for Realtor Associate of the Year in the Missouri Association of Realtors, named to Who’s Who in Real Estate in America and elected as an Outstanding Young Man in America. Additionally, he was selected as one of the top 31 Brokers in America by the Commercial Property News, and a commercial broker Allstar by Real Estate MidAmerica magazine. In 2011, Ken received the first ever Jim Davis award by the Kansas City Business Journal, which was given in memory of former Kansas City Business Journal real estate/development reporter Jim Davis. Ken was selected because of his 39 years of leadership in the community and his passionate commitment to development throughout Metropolitan Kansas City. The award seeks to recognize those outstanding real estate leaders whose efforts made a significant difference in the community. In 2013, Ken received the National Award from the National Association of Realtors for outstanding achievements in the real estate industry. In 2014, he was chosen as one of the Top Real Estate Dealmakers in Commercial Real Estate in the United States and has been selected from 2014 through 2020 as one of the Power 100 in Kansas City by the Kansas City Business Journal. From 2015 through 2020, Ken has been named one of KC’s 50 Most Powerful People by the Kansas City Business Journal.