Q&A With Anne Kihagi, Owner of West 18 Properties

Anne Kihagi is acutely aware of her choice to create beautifully designed, environmentally friendly designs for the properties that she owns, operates and manages. Over the past fifteen years, she has brought new innovations to dilapidated Victorian and Edwardian buildings that line the streets in the city of San Francisco. With a keen eye for a minimalistic design and a delightful flair for the practical, Anne has brought a new charm to many of the city’s older structures.

As a child, Anne Kihagi attended boarding school where she acquired a passion for education and an unwavering drive to succeed. That passion launched her on her path when she was accepted into top universities in the U.S.

Anne Kihagi’s never-ending zeal for success has led her to become the Owner and operator of West 18 properties, which is a property management company that renovates and manages properties in San Francisco and the surrounding areas.

Anne Kihagi enjoys a variety of styles of designs. She has a great interest in utilizing clean energy and conservation. She has been exploring her interests throughout her career. Her interests are demonstrated in her beautiful remodels of kitchens and bathrooms. She has gotten involved with “green” properties which provide solar panels for apartments. Her preference was to take advantage of using a clean energy alternative. The West 18 properties building is a solar-powered building.

There is change and transformation in Anne Kihagi’s future, as she looks toward new horizons. She is researching Los Angeles and Hollywood as perspective areas to purchase locations with modern architectural lines. Anne Kihagi’s future is to embrace an evolving perspective for her new designs.

What are your thoughts on whether we’re doing enough to preserve the environment?

I believe that everyone should become more consciously aware of the impact our lives affect our environment. We buy from local vendors as often as possible. We use leading-edge products to create eco-friendly apartments and dramatically reduce our use of plastics.

What do you think are the repercussions of harming and destroying our oceans?

The repercussions of our deteriorating oceans are not limited to the destruction of marine life habitats. It threatens our own health and certainly our way of life. 90% of all fisheries around the world are exploited. Billions of fish die needlessly every day. Plastics are dumped in our oceans at a rate of approximately 1.5 million pounds per hour. Plastics also ruin the soil and our underground water. The repercussions are tremendously negative on human life and the diversity of marine and wild like infrastructure.

Have you participated in any sort of environmental activism movements? What types?

I do my part in planning and creating my renovations to be as eco-friendly as possible. I use clean solar power at the West 18 properties building for apartment tenants as well as our offices. Buying locally so that supplies, whether it be for food or for renovations, are not being shipped from a distance, is another way to save our environment. I have educated myself and shared information with others empowering them to become consciously aware of eco-friendly solutions.

What more do you think we can do to help to minimize the dangers of global warming?

There are two distinct and controversial beliefs and discussions regarding global warming. The first is that humanity is the cause of global warming. The other is that the earth is simply going through her natural, cycles of life taking on the same exact cyclical pattern of behavior that it has throughout the history of the earth. We are currently going through a solar minimum at this current time. Historically, the sun’s effect on the earth has always caused destruction on our planet.  I believe both views are valid. We have sped-up the destruction of our world. However, we cannot beat mother nature as she goes through her changes. I have empowered people in my blog with knowledgeable solutions to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. What we can do is to find every solution possible to reduce our own carbon footprint to a minimum. There are so many practical solutions and information provided online.

Do you get involved in any other charitable events?

I founded the Anna Kihagi Foundation to help few students in Los Angeles with their preparation to get into college. There’s nothing more motivating than for minority students to meet normal people like me and then go to colleges and meet college students who are attending great schools on scholarships. I am trying to get students to learn that financing is not the key block to getting into college. Most of the time, the block is seeing other normal people in the top colleges.

I contribute to the Osteen ministry. The organization has brought me through my toughest times. It was as though Joel Osteen was my therapist. I gain so much benefit from listening to him. This ministry has a message that everyone is powerful and capable of overcoming all challenges presented as lessons. We are designed to withstand challenges. We will not break. When we meet and overcome our challenge, doors will open and opportunities will arrive. I contribute to this organization for my own personal growth, as well as the growth they provide to people around the world.

I am so excited as I want to start working with St. Jude’s Hospital. Having lost a nephew to cancer at the age of 6, I felt this would be a great fit for me.

What inspired you to get involved in such charitable events, to begin with?

What involved me in this organization was the growth that I experienced when I allowed myself to feel like a victim during the time that I felt as though I was being treated unjustly by the city of San Francisco. The word of this ministry gave me the strength and fortitude to understand that everything happens for a reason. We all have a purpose in life that we are required to fulfill. We must address all challenges and survive them in order to be taken to the next level. I realized that there was nothing that could break me. It made me more powerful in the end. I can share my experience with others and empower them to seek a better path.

What would you say to others to convince them to get involved in charitable work?

I would tell others to take the time to listen to Joel Osteen’s message every weekend. People listen to him on the radio or attend his church. I would tell everyone to find their purpose or their mission in life and leave no stone unturned to fulfill that purpose. Address your challenges and amazing events will be put in your path to assist you in accomplishing your goals. It is inevitable that challenges met will provide opportunities and growth.

What inspires you every day?

What inspires me every day is that I am doing exactly what I love to do. I can wake up in the morning and know I can handle challenges that are thrown my way and know that it will only succeed in making me even stronger. I love designing. I am looking forward to finding the right project for me to be able to use my creative talents in modern architecture. I have enjoyed designing and renovating Victorian and Edwardian style homes in San Francisco. But remaining stagnant has never been for me. I believe that change is necessary to stir up life. The idea of having a new perspective in my design excites me. Change excites and inspires me.

As a successful entrepreneur, what steps would you recommend to people that just finished school?

I believe that persistence with everything whether it is for school or business is the key to success. Never give up your dreams or your goals. Be pushy if you must. Target what you want and take a laser-eyed view and never give up your position. Seek out mentors and surround yourself with successful people, then follow their flow. Success will surely follow.

If you could start all over again would you still choose the same career? Why or why not?

I have a lot to be proud of with what I have built with West 18 properties. I am proud of my work, I am proud of my designs, and yes, I am proud that I survived the onslaught from the city of San Francisco’s corrupt legal system. We have not only survived, we thrive. I am doing what I do with purpose and fulfillment. Property management comes with many unforeseen obstacles, but it is what I do and I do it very well. Yes, I would absolutely choose the same career.

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