Harnessing the Power

of Underutilized Property

Emmaus Projects empowers organizations to sustain and maximize their mission impact by helping non-profits identify and monetize underutilized property assets.

Unleashing

Hidden Assets

Non-profit communities often possess valuable assets that are not fully utilized as a sustainable funding source to their mission. By unlocking the financial potential of these assets, organizations can secure a reliable revenue stream that will contribute to their mission activities in a profound and sustainable way.

A Tailored Approach

Emmaus Projects recognizes that each non-profit organization is unique, with its distinct set of challenges, resources, and objectives. Many often occupy key real estate in their cities, but are burdened with a lack of resources to navigate the legal, financial, and architectural complexities that come with leveraging their existing real estate. With our expertise, Emmaus Projects is dedicated to helping guide your team through the process of exploring solutions that will not only maximize the financial value of your underutilized property, but also ensure the sustainability of your mission activities for generations to come.

Impact

That Lasts

At Emmaus Projects, our ultimate goal is to empower non-profits to thrive sustainably and make a lasting difference in their respective missions. By turning underutilized property into valuable resources, Emmaus Projects helps organizations diversify their revenue streams, broaden their philanthropic efforts, and ultimately achieve their mission at a greater scale.

Our Clients

This all stated when Patricia and Christopher were sitting in volunteer seats, like many of their clients, at their home parish of St. Austin Church & School. The many lessons learned on their journey is what they want to share with others and feel this work is a mission calling to serve. Join in the exploration!

Featured Profile

Project Overview

Our Team

Christopher Kennedy

Trish focuses on client readiness, project structure, strategic management, and change management consulting for real estate and funding-related engagements.

Trish served as the project manager for the redevelopment project at St. Austin Catholic Church & School in Austin, TX. The project entailed St. Austin ground leasing a portion of its property to a real estate developer and then constructing a brand new, 125,000 square foot ministry center and school building with financing secured by the ground lease payments. St. Austin raised $39MM in construction funding which will be fully repaid within 30 years, largely with proceeds from the ground lease payments. Trish’s responsibilities for the project included building design, financial analysis & modeling, business negotiations, and review of legal documentation.

Trish has many years of experience in various leadership roles at St. Austin Catholic Church & School, including serving as chair of the Pastoral Council and Finance Council under several different pastors. Her professional career includes 20+ years of consulting in Texas’s deregulated retail electric industry, in which she is an expert in customer protection regulations. She is known for her ability to “get to the point” and “easily explain complicated topics”.

Trish earned a B.S. in Architectural Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. She resides in Austin, Texas.

Christopher focuses on client readiness, project structure and change management consulting for real estate and funding-related engagements.

Christopher led the Re-Development Committee in organizing a public-private partnership at St. Austin Catholic Church & School in Austin, TX. This project includes $45MM in new church ministry buildings being developed with 88% of the cost being funded through a long-term property ground lease. Once the 30-year mortgage is paid, St. Austin will continue receiving ground lease payments that will fund expanding parish and school missions for the next 69 years.

Christopher is a community engager focused on building the interpersonal and communication skills necessary to forge successful working relationships. He served seven years as CEO of Leadership Austin and had a 22-year career at the Lower Colorado River Authority where he was responsible for managing all administrative functions that supported the public utility needs in the 58 county Central Texas service area. He currently serves on the national board of the Courageous Conversation Foundation. Locally, he serves on the advisory councils for Austin Together, the Austin Young Chamber, Young Women’s Alliance of Austin and the Junior League of Austin.

Christopher graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Communications and is an avid - some call rabid - Texas Longhorn fan. Christopher resides in Austin, Texas.

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