Alex Kleyner has found groundbreaking success as a business leader, first as the owner and founder of the international online retail delivery service Store2Door and later, as the co-founder of the real estate debt investment firm ABK Capital. This is quite a unique achievement for an entrepreneur (especially one who started from scratch) to achieve such a high degree of success as Kleyner has done in what are otherwise two entirely different niches.
Alex Kleyner Store2Door
Kleyner had founded Store2Door back in 2002 as a cost-effective international shipping and delivery service making products made in the USA available to buyers in the Middle East. According to the company founder, this struck him as a lucrative business idea when he considered the sheer quantity of quality products that are manufactured in the US and that are available for sale at the retail level to US citizens or to people living in the US.
However, people living outside the US had to pay hefty fees for these very same items or products. First of all, there were the shipping fees which were considerable in themselves. In addition, there were export fees added to a large number of products. Finally, there were products that were simply not available for sale outside the US. Therefore, people living in other countries had to depend either on relatives visiting the US to get their hands on the desired products or, they had to purchase them at a much higher price via third-party sellers and marketers doing business in their respective countries.
This is why Kleyner felt that a business that can eliminate the third party has huge potential given the high demand for a variety of goods and products manufactured in the US. So, how does it all work? Well, to begin with, all international members of Store2Door receive a unique U.S. address of themselves. So, they can make their purchase online at any US retail store and have the item shipped to their US address. From there on, it is the responsibility of Store2Door to collect the items and ship and deliver them to the very doorstep of their customers. So, you could be living in Saudi Arabia, for example, and can buy an American product at the same price (and avail of any offers and discounts attached to the product in question) that an American citizen would and can then receive the item right at your own home.
Yes, you still had to pay the shipping fees. But here is where Alex wanted to make a difference. In other words, his goal was to be able to offer prices that are significantly less than usual shipping prices. To that end, he made fruitful collaborations with international shipping and logistics operator chains. This is also the reason why he chose a specific region (in this case, the Middle East) since this meant that he could cut easy deals with his collaborators as he would’ve been shipping items in bulk. And of course, it was a strategic decision on Alex’s part to choose the Middle East as his primary field of operation as the region was full of wealthy residents with enough disposable income.
Store2Door: Then and Now
Since then, however, Alex Kleyner’s Store2Door has come a long way. Once his initial venture started to deliver enough profits, Alex promptly began to extend his operations. And at present, Store2Door, in addition to being an international delivery service, has also made its name as one of the foremost alternative fresh market delivery stores in the US, serving as many as 325 cities in the US alone from their 300+ outlets in the country. Recently, the Burbank, California-based company has opened its second office in Miami, Florida, and has major plans to extend its international operations to a good number of cash-rich Latin American nations.
Alex Kleyner ABK Capital
Although Store2Door has begun its operations in Miami only recently, Alex is no stranger to the southeastern coastal city of Florida. Already back in 2014, he, along with Brian Hernandez, had founded the capital debt investment company ABK Capital in Miami. Many were surprised at the time since Alex had little background in real estate at that point.
However, Alex had already had enough knowledge of the real estate scene in the US back then and his ally Hernandez had hands-on experience. And the duo was spot on in their assessment of the huge requirements for capital that existed in the real estate market in the country (and this included both residential and commercial real estate).
Following the housing market collapse of 2008, it became increasingly difficult for property developers and sponsors to secure senior loans for their respective projects. This is why, as Alex puts it, both he and Hernandez were quick to recognize the rich potential that the scenario held for services like intermediary debt investors and advisors.
And once again, Alex was proved right. Since its inception, Alex Kleyner ABK Capital has already helped a great number of South Florida real estate projects (including building & construction, refinancing, high-value acquisition, etc.) secure their required capital. The company helps sponsors and developers raise their required capital through a generous range of lending options (that include Mezzanine Financing, Preferred Equity, and other types of Bridge Loans—in addition to Senior Loans as well as Hard Money Loans). According to Alex, apart from the business aspect of things, both he and Hernandez are also highly passionate about funding real estate endeavors in South Florida that they believe will be beneficial to the region in the long term.