A fresh perspective: Small town roots serve attorney well in city life

By Jeanine Matlow
Legal News

It’s not every day you encounter someone from Nebraska. But Kyle Hauberg, director of the real estate department at Dykema in Bloomfield Hills, does his hometown of Talmage (about an hour south of Omaha) proud.

The desire to study law brought him to University of Michigan Law School.

During that time, he met his wife, Alisa, who is from metro Detroit. After a brief stint in Chicago, they returned here to raise their family. The couple currently lives in Rochester with their four children; Emma, Alaina, Nick and Ellery.

His chosen profession seems to suit him.

“The real estate industry is filled with clients that possess an entrepreneur spirit, always challenging the status quo, and it’s enjoyable to work that type of clientele,” says Hauberg, who also serves as the current president of the Michigan Chapter of CoreNet, a global corporate real estate industry group.

“I also work with a great group of smart and engaging people.  Being an attorney is a demanding job, so I think it is very important to enjoy the people for whom you work and with whom you work.”
Dykema attorney Adam Fishkind has a great deal of admiration and respect for Hauberg, his colleague and friend.

“It’s hard to believe he came from a small town. It had to be difficult to have been as successful as he was in college and law school and in his career,” says Fishkind. “It’s really admirable and he has a different view of the world as a result.”

It’s no secret that the field of real estate has been more stressful in recent years.

“He’s truly exceptional as a problem solver,” adds Fishkind. “He empathizes with his clients. He’s really been able to take his life experience and use it. It has brought him great success.”

At the firm, Fishkind says that Hauberg is a great mentor and an exceptional colleague to “brain share” with each day.

“He doesn’t take things for granted as much as other people do. He’s an impressive guy and one of our most respected in the group.”

Hauberg credits his colleagues and family with helping him balance a career with non-profit involvement and other interests. During his downtime, he enjoys golfing, skiing, and good food and counts Silver Spoon in Rochester and Sagebrush Cantina in Lake Orion among his favorites.

Shortly after returning to Michigan, Hauberg asked one of his partners, Joel Kellman, who is very active in the local community, if he could recommend an organization with which Hauberg might become involved that would be a good match.

“There are a lot of great organizations in Southeast Michigan, but Judson Center was one of his first suggestions,” says Hauberg. “Joel’s wife, Betsy, was a board member at that time, and Betsy introduced me to the folks at Judson.

“Judson supports so many great missions, among those foster care support for abused and neglected children, family unification programs, and vocational training and support for adults with disabilities, that it was an easy sell for me to support their mission.”

Soon after, he found himself working with their Development Committee to draw support for various fund-raising events. A few years later he was asked to join the board.

Since then, Hauberg has worked on various committees, including the Program and Policy Committee and Governance Committee, and he recently joined the Executive Committee of the board. 

In 2009 Judson was offered an opportunity by Masis Kayayan, owner of Prlanta Fine Jewelry & Timepieces in Troy, for the store to host a “Treasure of Hope” event, where attendees could win jewelry or buy items at a discount, with a percentage of the proceeds going to Judson. 

Hauberg and his wife asked their good friends, Kevin and Jamuna Kennedy to co-host the event with them.

“It was a great wayfor us and the Kennedys to introduce our friends to Judson,” he says. “Kevin works out of BlackRock’s Bloomfield Hills office, and BlackRock was particularly supportive of the event, as were many of my and Jamuna’s work colleagues.”

They raised $20,000 at the event.

Hauberg’s small-town background has helped him to help others in a big way.

“Growing up in a rural community, it was very easy to appreciate the importance of community involvement, as the results are so easy to see with people you know on a personal level,” he says.

“My parents were particularly active in our local community, and they set a great example. You may not as easily see the results in an area as large and dense as Southeast Michigan, but you know those differences are being made just the same—and that’s very rewarding.”
 

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