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Ryan Kolar (born 5 March 1982) is an Environmental Entrepreneur focusing on sustainability, Architect, Inventor, Author, and the CEO of ARIISE, a leader in sustainability and its subsidiaries: ARIISE EQUITY, a social impact investment fund and ARIISE Partners, a consulting group specializing in scaling start-ups with fundamental business and ethical standards. He also founded the wellness app, Pozer in 2018 and the international marketplace, Shelved in 2019.

Early Life
Born March 5, 1982 in Johnstown, PA to Don H. Kolar, Steelworker and Janet M. Esposito, Pharmacy Tech. As an only child, Ryan was shy, reserved and socially awkward, having a stammer and lisp, the latter being surgically repaired, and was bullied and embarrassed by having to take speech classes even though he maintained straight A's throughout school. An accomplished scholar and baseball player, idolizing Bo Jackson and Andy Van Slyke due to their stammer issues.

His Family Name meaning Wheeler or mechanic in Czech, which is literal in the case of Ryan’s family. His great-grandfather John Kolar, a steelworker, born to Czechoslovakian parents in Slovenia. John directly cast steel working for Bethlehem Steel that ended up in The Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and other notable structures throughout the United States. He began a tradition of buying a junk car with sons in the family before they were allowed to drive, and spending time rebuilding the car together and giving it to his son. John did it with his son Henry (Ryan’s grandfather), and thus Henry did it with his sons: Donald (Ryan’s father), Joseph and James (twins) and David, his youngest. Joseph went on to become an engine builder for multiple race teams and a hobbyist car restoration enthusiast. Ryan raced at every opportunity until his hero Ayrton Senna died tragically in 1994 when Ryan was 12.

His grandfather Henry Kolar, one of the most influential people in Ryan's life, had a long and ugly Cancer battle from mesothelioma and died of cancer-related complications in 1993. He quickly lost empathy for both parents as he was abused in both homes and bided his time to pursue his own future.

Although touted as a raw 5-tool player playing for traveling teams (to avoid molestation by the later-convicted coaching staff in Bishop McCort High Scool). Ryan didn’t attempt to pursue the major leagues after he had a serious back injury in football and eventually quit playing baseball in college. He instead pursued architecture after he won a history scholarship at age 16 to tour London and Paris and his maternal grandmother rightfully pointed out he had no people in his pictures, only buildings.

Undergraduate Education and Architecture Career
First attending North Carolina State, and later Oxford St. Benets School and The Glasgow School of Art on scholarship, Ryan found himself designing and constructing his own ideas. Graduating with a dual bachelors in Environmental Design and Architecture, he worked for a series of high profile firms in Chicago and New York, including Rafael Vinoly, which he helped lead the interior architecture team designing the Center for Care and Discovery at the University of Chicago.

After completing the permit drawings for the hospital, and with the impending economic recession, Vinoly laid off 70% of his staff, and although he had been promised transfer to his choice of offices in New York, San Francisco, or Dubai, Ryan was laid off only days after he lost his grandmother to cancer and his engagement to Nancy T. Nguyen crumbled. He attempted to piece together freelance work throughout the recession, but found only part-time jobs consulting with firms and small businesses.

He moved to Florida, North Carolina and back to Pennsylvania for a time, aiding start-ups with friends and trying to start his own hybrid company of consulting/design, even submitting a comprehensive yet pro-bono city plan to the Johnstown Chamber of Commerce and City Council in 2010, which was later taken and used without permission as the financial and political platform by their current Mayor, Frank Janakovic. Ryan has never visited Johnstown or his family there since.

Real Estate Development Career
After moving back to Chicago, he met his future wife who had plans to move to Madison, WI. He moved with her and found success developing buildings for JDMormick being named VP of the Company and Director of Operations. Before being unceremoniously fired prior to a large owed bonus, Ryan was responsible for developing and aiding design on the building projects: Riverview Terrace, The Brooks House, The Lake House, The Dude Abodes, Delafield Woods, and Tyberius Terrace. His marriage ended shortly after due to abuse, theft and suspected infidelity by his wife.

He quickly moved back to Chicago where he again began consulting with small businesses to aid their growth, and attending the Kellogg at Northwestern University for his MBA while he raised his infant daughter. During his time at Kellogg, he founded his company ARIISE, and its Equity Group.

ARIISE and Pozer
Founded in 2012, days after his divorce, ARIISE quickly found a foothold in the design/development real estate mid-market in Chicago and signed clients and building projects from 2012-2016. He named Rey Ramsey, Board Director and launched capital-raising efforts.

At the end of 2016, Ryan used his Equity Fund and his own savings to build 2029 West George Street, the most Sustainable home in North America. After the home was sold and Ryan’s company grew to where he had to split the firm into a consulting group, an equity fund. and an online marketplace he has plans to make public in 2020.

While a few projects were delayed, Ryan founded Pozer, a mobile app for too-busy professionals and sedentary lifestyle types to fit an aerobic routine into everyday lives without a gym, special equipment or changing their behavior. Ironically, he made his childhood hero Bo Jackson a minority partner and spokesperson.