Haagen Company announces the retirement of Christopher Fahey, President and Chief Operating Officer, effective December 1, 2023. After 45 years working at the Haagen Company and its predecessors, he will relinquish his day-to-day responsibilities to several current executives in the company. Chris will continue overseeing the design and entitlement process for the Indio Marketplace mall in Indio, the 56-acre Coachella Airport Business Park in the City of Coachella, and the 800-acre Starlight Solar Energy project in eastern San Diego County.
“Chris Fahey was hired by my father in 1978 after he graduated from Santa Clara University,” says Al Haagen III, CEO of Haagen Company. “He has worked for my family his entire career. Over the years, he has been assigned ever-increasing responsibilities in the company, including property management, project development, and Vice President of Design and Construction. When our family sold our interest in the then-public Haagen Development REIT in late 1997, Chris agreed to become the President and Chief Operating Officer of the new Haagen Company, the successor to the Alexander Haagen Development Company. ”
Al and Betty Haagen, owners of Haagen Company, said “We always relied on Chris and highly respect, trust, and value him, as does our entire family. We wish him health and happiness in his retirement and admiration for all he has accomplished during his career.”
Haagen Company is pleased to announce that Donald Kelley, Jr. will assume the role of President and continue as its Chief Financial Officer. Don has worked for Haagen Company for almost 24 years. He served as the CFO of Watson & Associates in Seal Beach for eleven years, so he has extensive experience in the retail real estate industry. He worked for Arthur Andersen early in his career, is a CPA, and has an MBA from Pepperdine University.
“Don’s experience with our company and working with Chris for so many years will make for a seamless transition,” stated Al Haagen III. “This was an easy decision for me. Don is the right person to take over for Chris as our President, and we have complete confidence in his ability to take over the company’s operation. I am confident in our executive team of Don Kelley as President and CFO, my son Alex Haagen IV as Executive Vice President, Greg Bradbury as SVP Leasing, and Shahin Shirvani as VP of Construction & Design. Our future is bright as we pursue many exciting opportunities.”
“This is a bittersweet moment for me,” said Don Kelley. “I have been at the Haagen Company for almost 24 years. I realize I never worked FOR Chris but rather WITH Chris, as he always treated me as a partner and maintained a collegial environment among the executive team. I am a better person professionally and personally from working with him. I am grateful he will continue to provide help and counsel. I intend to gently remind him, from time to time, that retired Haagen partners still have to answer their phones.”
Chris Fahey stated, “I have had an extremely blessed relationship with the Haagen Family and all the colleagues I have worked with over the last 45 years. It is not often that one can spend their entire working career with one company, but I give thanks to the Haagen family for allowing me to grow professionally within their organization over all these years. I will miss the day-to-day transaction with my current colleagues and associates in the industry, but know that I won’t be completely absent. This is a good time to step aside and let the next generation take the company forward”.