6150 Center Street, #297, Clayton, CA 94517

(925) 209-6610

About Us

Kelly Klute, MBA, CBB

President/Managing Principal

With over 30 years of corporate executive and consulting experience, Kelly’s career is marked by success in a wide range of areas, from financial analysis and management of a multi-billion dollar project at Bechtel Engineering to strategic planning as a regional manager at AT&T and later Director of Business Operations supporting mergers and acquisitions at Sybase. In addition to achieving the results highlighted at the top of this page, Kelly was one of the team leads instrumental in securing the largest single contract in Arthur Andersen Business Consulting’s history and co-championed the development of one of the company’s fasting growing and most profitable service lines. As interim CEO, he turned around a financially troubled construction services company in less than two years, reengineering almost all of its internal processes and reversing a multi-year decline in profits. Kelly received a BS in Business Administration & Construction Engineering from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley.

Community and Professional Affiliations

Satisfied clients aren’t our only achievement. And making a difference in our community means more than just providing outstanding services to our clients and building a good reputation. At The Koan Group, we believe that one of the fundamental obligations of any successful company is to give back to our community in meaningful and significant ways, through donation of time, money, and talents. We are proud to be affiliated with and support the following professional, community, and charitable organizations (especially those that benefit children, education and families):

Licensing Organizations
  • California Department of Real Estate – Broker’s License #01334663
  • California State Licensing Board – License #452036, Class A – General Engineering and Class B – General Building; dba Kalscope Corp. (Currently Inactive)
Professional and Community Organizations
  • ACG (Association of Corporate Growth)
  • CABB (California Association of Business Brokers)
  • IBBA (International Business Brokers Association)
  • M&A Source
  • CBCA (Clayton Business Community Association)
  • BAN (Berkeley Angel Network)
  • IMF (Investment Marketing Forum)
Philanthropic Organizations
  • Bay Area Housing Program (through Hello! Housing, formerly known as Hallmark Community Solutions), benefitting developmentally-challenged
  • Contra Costa County Area Schools
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Special Olympics
  • American Red Cross
  • Juvenile Foundation for Diabetes Research
  • Make-A-Wish FoundationThe Koan Group was founded in 2001 by Kelly Klute, after a successful 25-year corporate and consulting career with such global firms as AT&T, Bechtel Engineering, Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, and Sybase.
Some of his achievements include
  • Tripling revenues and quadrupling profits within a five-year span as COO of a construction and development firm.
  • As Senior VP and Regional Managing Director, helping a business process outsourcing startup with $65 million in initial funding grow from the three founders to over 500 associates in six months.
  • As interim Director of Business Development for a construction management firm, bringing in $45 million in new projects, a four-fold increase over the previous year.