Chris Dahlstrom
Statement of Focus
I believe very strongly in
protecting
and
enhancing
our property values, which
means being a guardian of our
property rights and spending
our neighbors’ money fairly and
wisely. My values include Kiawah’s beach, natural beauty, peace,
quiet, safety, privacy, friendliness and being fair to our neighbors.
I make my living by knowing the difference between a good
business idea and a bad one - by understanding value. I believe
my education and experience have helped me to develop a
strong sense of duty, honor and fairness. I take great delight
and pride in being a team player and a problem solver. As
the developer executes its exit strategy and the resort explores
growth strategies, I believe we need careful and diligent
representation for the island’s ordinary property owners.
I strongly believe this is an important time for Kiawah. We
need to leverage the island’s natural beauty by making sure our
infrastructure is rock solid. All of our assets - roads, drainage,
boardwalks, bike trails, and Sandcastle - have to be excellent.
Candidate Bio
• Family: Betsy (Wife) and Alex (Son)
• History of Kiawah Property Ownership: Purchased 7
Angler Hall in March 2004, Full-Time Resident since
August 2004
• Hobbies: Golf, Running, Swimming, Nature
Photography, Singing
Career Highlights
• Private Investor on Kiawah Island for 12 Years
• Finance Positions in International M&A and Brunswick Corp
• Treasury, Manufacturing Finance, and Profit Analysis at
Ford Motor Company
• Program Management at Northrop Gruman
Education/Certifications/Military
• Bachelor of Science in Economics, US Air Force Academy
• Master of Business Administration in Finance/Marketing, Kellog
Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
• Offered Graduate School Scholarship and Faculty Position
from the Air Force Academy
• Captain, USAF Navigator/Bombardier B-52 and Bomb Wing
Staff Positions (Resigned in 1984 to Attend Business School)
Other Experience/Volunteerism
• KICA Finance Committee Member, 2005-2007,
Chairman 2008. Recalled in 2009-2010 to Assist with
Property Purchase Proposal and Investments
• Board of Governors Club Men’s Golf KMGA, 2005-2006
• Volunteer - 2004 UBS Cup, 2005 PGA CPC, 2007 Senior
PGA Championship and 2012 PGA Championship
• Member and Advocate for Charleston Men’s Chorus,
2004-2015
• Charleston Collegiate Golf Fundraiser Committee, 2005-2007
• Volunteer - Porter Gaud Fathers’ Association, 2009-2011
• Volunteer - 2013 USGA Women’s Amateur at CC Charleston
Additional Comments
My Air Force experience taught me how important it is to
respect and understand the jobs of the other people on your
team. This helped me to become very versatile and useful in
corporate finance. In my finance career I took pride in being
willing to go anywhere and work with anyone in order to solve
a problem. I worked with press operators on hot production
floors, government officials in India, and with investment
bankers on the eighth floor of the Ford World Headquarters.
Always got results, saved lots of money, held a wonderful variety
of positions, and made a difference. Now I want to try to help
KICA because I plan to live here for 30 more years.