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In the words of our judges
”Don’s drive has grown DLP Capital into a diversified powerhouse where prosperity and purpose go hand in hand. He is building thriving communities and empowering millions of working families through affordable housing, financial innovation and a forward-thinking vision for lasting impact.”
Some people approach business as a zero sum game, in which each transaction has a winner and a loser. Don Wenner has a different philosophy, and it affects everything about DLP Capital, even its name: an acronym for “Dream, Live, Prosper.”
Wenner was 21 and in college studying finance when he founded the company in 2006. His vision was to provide housing that was attainable for families. This involved selling people’s homes guaranteed, buying homes directly, renovating, and then reselling them, typically to first-time buyers. The company would also rent homes to families who could not qualify to buy, and it conducted short sale negotiations on behalf of families all over the country, helping them avoid foreclosure.
To support this endeavor, Wenner has built a real estate brokerage, an investments division, development and construction businesses, property management, and a short sale negotiation company. But in the beginning, with virtually no resources and no investors, he focused heavily on cultivating his employees and building a culture centered on attracting driven, curious, gritty and humble people.
In 2014, Wenner refined his vision for the business: “To transform lives through the building of thriving communities.” By investing in communities of homes that families could afford, he grew the business across much of the US, with a focus on the Southeast and Texas. To that end, he has overseen the acquisition of more than 25,000 homes and apartments.
Today, DLP Capital is investing in, and partnering with, other organizations that are building thriving communities. It also has expanded into banking, via affiliated business lines, and it owns two banks, including DLP Bank. Currently, the company’s average annual growth rate exceeds 50%, and it has been on the Inc. 5000 list for 13 consecutive years.
DLP Capital may have transformed, but its core values remain grounded in Wenner’s commitment to provide places where people can live fully, for a life of success and significance.