OUR PHILOSOPHY
EKN Development is a hospitality-focused real estate development and investment firm headquartered in Southern California. EKN pursues select- and full-service ground-up development and adaptive reuse projects. The company’s guiding philosophy targets unique locations, both nationwide and internationally, with diverse demand drivers and high barriers to entry—effectively decreasing exposure to risk while maximizing returns on investment. With a systematic real estate development process, EKN yields a distinct competitive advantage by integrating all disciplines in-house, including finance, construction, legal, architecture, engineering, and creative. The firm maintains a proven track record of delivering successful projects with a current portfolio of five developed hotels in operation, two hotels under construction, and another five projects in the pipeline.
EKN specializes in developing timeless projects that capture the essence of the local community and personifies the spirit of each location. EKN believes in creating transformative places that provide a location for human connection and enrichment. Guided by our creative vision and decades of experience, we deliver human-centric, state-of-the-art resorts and projects that transcend materiality. EKN is dedicated to creating the outstanding spaces of tomorrow that draw visitors and locals together, encourage economic growth, and stand the test of time.
OUR STORY
In 1990, Ebbie founded EKN Engineering as a civil engineering firm with a comprehensive range of planning, entitlement, and development advisory services for commercial real estate projects. The company has since evolved, integrating state-of-the-art technology to provide fully customizable engineering and software solutions that streamline operations and implement safety and compliance practices in the power transmission sector. EKN Engineering now operates with a team of highly skilled engineers, programmers, and software developers and offers multi-disciplinary services including civil engineering, electrical engineering, land use and development, database architecture and maintenance, data processing, and infrastructure project management. Built on a reputation for excellence, the firm has established long-term consulting relationships with the country’s leading owners, developers, and major utility companies.
While running EKN Engineering in its earlier years, Ebbie parlayed his expertise into real estate development and founded Terrafirma Development in 1995 with a focus on retail, multifamily, and office projects. His path then led him to Las Vegas in2001, when he co-founded York Capital and partnered in Transit Real EstateDevelopment (TRED), which held exclusive rights to develop all real estate related to the Las Vegas Monorail and XpressWest—the then proposed high-speed rail betweenLas Vegas and Southern California. Now known as Brightline West, America’s first high-speed rail project officially broke ground in April 2024 and will connect the two regions with zero-emission, fully electric trains capable of speeds up to 200 miles per hour. Closely collaborating with Caesars Entertainment and other major stakeholders in Las Vegas, Ebbie led York Capital in association with TRED to advance many development and transportation projects. His efforts included securing a $100 million line of credit with First Interstate Bank (FIB) and spearheading the acquisition and predevelopment of Desert Gateway, a proposed 50,000-acre master-planned community in Southern California to include 1,200 acres of commercial mixed-use and 60,000 residential units.
In 2011, Ebbie then contracted with CTC Global to exclusively distribute its patented ACCC Conductor for high-voltage electrical transmission lines in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Russia. Liaising between CTC, ministries of energy, and electrical power companies, he worked to solve national deployment and upgrade challenges, establish manufacturing in Egypt and Bahrain, and successfully introduce the ACCC Conductor in more than 10 countries.
From the origins of Terrafirma Development, Ebbie founded EKN Development in 2012, specializing in hospitality and mixed-use projects. Today, EKN's companies bridge the worlds of engineering and real estate development and have grown to employ nearly 200 highly skilled professionals.
OUR PEOPLE
Join Our Team
We are a fast-paced, dynamic company that prioritizes growth and innovation in every project we undertake. We're currently seeking passionate, motivated individuals to join our team and help shape the future of sustainable and transformative property development.
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