Our Team - Kenney Companies

Meet our Executive Team

Stephen F. Kenney

Owner & Founder

Over the last 25 years, Stephen Kenney has built more than a dozen marquis housing properties through North Carolina and the southeast, while also developing a reputation a well-known leader in the realty and development industries.

Prior to founding what are now collectively called The Kenney Companies, Mr. Kenney was known foremost as a professional football player. A proud Dean’s List graduate of Clemson University, Mr. Kenney was named ACC All-American and later inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame. After moving on from his beloved Tigers, Mr. Kenney played 8 years as an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions. The Eagles’ honored him as a finalist for their 75th Anniversary Team.

In founding Kenney Properties, and later Kenney Realty Services and Kenney Development, Mr. Kenney surpassed his acclaim as a professional athlete and built a lasting legacy. Today, the Kenney Companies control the entire process of developing, building, owning, and operating its apartment communities.

Additionally, Mr. Kenney is proud to have been honored with the following positions and awards:

Member of the Board of Directors for Clemson University’s Master’s in Real Estate Development and the Richard H. Pennell Center for Real Estate Development
Developer of the Year and Best Places to Work in the Triangle (Raleigh- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC)
1993 Developer of the Year Award for the Wake, Durham and Orange Counties Homebuilder’s Association
Chairman, City of Raleigh Road Bond Campaigns in 1998 & 2001
1998 Winner of Pinnacle Award for Outstanding Business in Raleigh & Wake County, NC Named “Tar Heel of the Week” by the Raleigh News and Observer 2006

Jere Buch, MBA, CPM

Senior Vice President

As Senior Vice President for the Kenney Companies, Jere serves as the chief executive under Mr. Kenney and is directly responsible for management and oversight of the property management division and its team members.

Jere adds degrees from North Carolina State University and The Wharton School to his more than 30 years’ experience in property management. A Certified Property Manager (CPM), Mr. Buch previously received the prestigious “CPM of the Year” award from the Institute of Real Estate Management.

Other accomplishments include:

President of the Triangle Apartment Association
Past President of IREM Chapter 105

Crystal Melvin, MBA, PHR

Human Resources Manager, Office Manager

As Human Resources Manager and Office Manager, Crystal is responsible for finding and attracting the highest quality staff across the Kenney Companies’s 12 properties and 3 divisions.

Crystal adds to her 10 plus years of human resources experience degrees from both East Carolina University and Strayer University. At the latter, she received the Strayer University Medal of Honor for maintaining a 3.9 GPA while pursuing her MBA.

Lastly, Crystal is certified by the HRCI as a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR), and is an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management and Raleigh-Wake Human Resources Management Association.