Frank McKinney
A MISSION FOR A MAN
BY SARAH MARTIN
McKinney wasn’t always known to be such a success. He attended 4 high schools in 4 years (being asked to leave the first 3) eventually earning his high school diploma with a 1.8 GPA. Searching for his life’s highest calling, McKinney packed up with $50 in his pocket and left Indiana for Florida. He had no idea that he would eventually create and sell the world’s largest and most opulent triple certified (USGBC, FGBC & Energy Star) green mansion for a staggering $22.9 million.
“Exercise your risk threshold like a muscle, eventually it will become stronger and able to withstand greater pressure.
McKinney is always looking to push himself further and further. At times you may see him running over a steep Intracoastal bridge dragging a large tire behind him or running miles and miles. It is all preparation for one of the world’s ultimate physical challenges….the Badwater Utramarathon. The race runs 135-miles non-stop through the Death Valley dessert in July and starts -282 feet below sea level. The air temperatures exceed 130 degrees, and ground temps are 200+ degrees. As the race traverses the135 miles through the Mojave, it goes over three mountain ranges, is run on blacktop pavement, and finishes nearly 8,500 feet above sea level. There are no aid stations. McKinney attempted the race seven times and finished four. McKinney is the first to admit that not finishing for three years in a row really affected his confidence for a period of time. However, McKinney, determined and devoted, finished one last time in 2016. When asked how he could possibly overcome such an amazing physical feat, he is the first to tell you: his team. McKinney’s team was comprised of his race coach, Bonnie Sun Collins, his wife, Nilsa, and daughter, Laura, who all ran side by side with him over those 135 miles. McKinney’s wife and daughter “run” with him every day and are a large part of what gets him across every finish line in life.
As McKinney grew in success, it became apparent to him that there is more to life and he began his search to find the best way for him to make an impact on the world. Thus, the Caring House Project was born. The Caring House Project Foundation creates projects based upon self-sufficiency by providing housing, food, water, medical support and opportunity for the desperately poor and homeless in Haiti. To date, the Caring House Project has built 24 self-sufficient villages with a mere $4 million. “It’s free enterprise and capitalism that provides the only true solution to poverty, thus requiring far less local/international government intervention, welfare and entitlements,” says McKinney. In fact, his knowledge and understanding of Haiti is what recently put him on the short-list to be chosen as Ambassador for Haiti as appointed by President-Elect Donald Trump.
The next endeavor for McKinney is in the world of “micro-mansions”. McKinney coined the new real estate term based upon the current living trends of the ultra wealthy. McKinney paid attention to the specific clientele who live throughout the world and want to have the luxurious private home experience without the largess of a mega-mansion. McKinney elaborates, “I’ve dominated the high-end speculative real estate marketplace for over 25 years and I’ve witnessed the evolution of the high-end buyer. It’s been dramatic. They desire artistry, luxury, quality and leading edge technology yet now want it in a much smaller and more manageable home. This exclusive Micro Mansion will have the $4,000 per square foot finishes, yet will need only 4,000 square feet, not 40,000, to showcase the artistry that distinguishes this home from all others.” McKinney’s newest creation (with a second already underway) recently launched in January 2017. The home is located in Ocean Ridge, Florida.
It is obvious that McKinney has an unbelievable knack for seeing opportunity where most can’t or won’t. Fear of failure is not an emotion that McKinney entertains. He strikes with a superhero devotion that gives him the strength to conquer and push himself and others to achieve their personal greatness….mission accomplished.
FAVORITE BOOKS
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
The Bible
Crazy from the Heat, David Lee Roth
Awareness, Anthony Demello