Kennie is a 3rd generation rancher born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai’i. She grew up ranching every weekend and did rodeos as a little girl. Kennie attended college in Oregon and shortly after, decided to move to Anchorage, Alaska. There, she managed the front office then went into sales at the large downtown Hilton Hotel. She enjoyed the beauty Alaska offered and even met her husband while volunteering for the American Cancer Society. After moving back to the Big Island in 2012 and working in all aspects of her father’s cattle ranch and trucking company, her and her husband bought their first home. With a desire to install barndoors in her bedroom and supplies not being readily available in Hawai’i; she decided to tackle the project and build it herself. This led her into a passion of woodworking and even creating and running a successful wooden sign and furniture business, Mrs. Bender Builds. Her father, Peter, is a rancher, but used to be a carpenter, so precision, attention to detail, and quality are all important factors in Kennie’s everyday life. While working on the ranch, running her sign/furniture business, she became a foster mom to over 21 children in 3 years. To this day, she still has a huge heart for children in need of families and homes. Her Faith, family, hard work, and giving back are some of the strongest characteristics she holds the closest to her.
After much prayer, reflection, and discussion, Kennie and her husband decided it was time to move from Hawai’i to much larger, Texas with their daughter, James Marian (2). They enjoy exploring all the amazing things that New Braunfels and the surrounding areas has to offer, going to the community events, floating the Comal, their church, and enjoying the great outdoors!
