Biography
Braden Power was born and raised in Dallas, where he attended Cistercian and Jesuit for his formative years. His first job was as a waiter at Treemont Retirement Center at the age of 14. He went on to work his way through high school and college. He won the Herman Entrepreneur Award, the BF Foundation Award, a YMCA scholarship, and scholarships from both SMU and USC. He attended Semester at Sea and earned college credit while traveling around the world on a cruise ship on full scholarship. His entrepreneurial drive led him to start Power Properties during a course he took during his senior year at the Cox School of Business at SMU.
In 1990, Braden purchased a home that was previously sold for $180,000; he got it through a bank foreclosure for $23,500. He personally renovated the home and leased it out to students from Baylor University. With the lease, he refinanced the home and used the seed money to start Power Properties. His projects grew to complexes with densities as large as 12 units.
In 1995, Braden was presented with the opportunity to purchase a 45-unit building on Gaston Avenue. The building was slated for demolition. Although he initially lost the battle to take over the building, the judge overturned the ruling based on a technicality caused by the city attorney. The judge granted him the chance to make something of the dilapidated structure. Because of the size and lack of resources, Braden joined forces with his brother Craig, with whom he is partners to this day.
Braden Power’s life’s ambition is to provide a different way for people to view their living environment. His most recent project consists of an extremely high-end home that features a pool in the central corridor. Each space redefines the way people think about traditional rooms. For instance, the kitchen looks more like a meeting space and the bathroom feels like a full-amenities spa. The home took over 5 years to develop. Braden hopes to develop this concept on lots all over the world.