Background
Fayez Kazi is an activator of people and industry disruptors with expertise in engineering, development and entrepreneurship to nurture the next wave of leaders through mentorship, investments and philanthropic efforts. As the founder and CEO of HEXAH, a collective of industry leaders and partners creating connected and complete communities, he employs his two decades of leadership and engineering experience to expand the Austin skyline and develop more opportunities for future leaders.
Kazi was born and raised in Kuwait, a country bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia. During the Gulf War, Iraqi forces invaded the region, and Kazi's family of 20 was forced to flee to a Red Cross refugee camp in Jordan. After some time, the Red Cross reunited them with extended family in Mumbai, India - during this 18-month stay, the allied forces took back Kuwait, and they were able to move back to their home country, where Kazi finished high school. Graduating as valedictorian, he found a knack for math and drawing. Kazi combined the two interests by studying engineering in the United States, even though he had never been to the country. He set his sights on attending the University of Texas at Austin because its architectural engineering program was one of the best.
Creating Possibilities
After graduating, Kazi spent a few years working as an engineer and encountered disappointment in how civil engineering was practised. In 2010, he founded Civilitude Engineers & Planners, a civil engineering and planning services firm centred around land development for private and public projects. The firm started with K-12 schools and affordable housing projects – and now works on a healthy mix of public and private businesses, including the Google tower in downtown Austin, Waterloo Terrace, The Ann Richards Schools and A at Lamppost.
As Civilitude expanded its volume of projects and expertise, Kazi found other gaps that needed filling in both the community through affordable housing solutions and in industries like development, construction, etc. Due to this, he founded Capital A Housing, an Austin-based and focused development company of affordable and mixed-income projects and Constructinople, a general contractor offering build and design services. Since then, there have been other additions to the roster of entities, including Urbanity, Fabitat Realty & Property Management, KCK Concrete and more. Eventually, these entities came together as the Civilitude Group of Companies in 2020.
In 2022, Civilitude Group of Companies became HEXAH, a collective of industry leaders and partners utilizing their engineering, development and investment expertise to create connected and complete communities that work towards the common goal of living better together. Through HEXAH, Kazi hopes to expand on the work he's done with the Civilitude Group of Companies by empowering people to create thriving communities.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Kazi has been extensively involved in the Austin community by serving in leadership roles. From 2015 until 2020, he served as the chair and vice chair of the city of Austin planning commission, a committee that amends master plans, recommends approval or disapproval of proposed zoning changes, controls land subdivisions within neighbourhood planning areas, and annually submits a list of recommended capital improvements. He also served as the vice chair of the city of Austin zero waste commission, which reviews and analyzes the policies and resources relating to solid waste management in the city and advises the council on solid waste management policies and resources. Kazi has also invested in innovative ventures and their founders. Some of these include Aadhikesh Boopalam and Collin McCloskey of Terra Golf, a company developing sustainable golf products, Katie Fritts founder and CEO of Underclub, a luxury underwear subscription service and AJ Bingham of the Bingham Group, an Austin lobbying firm serving businesses, nonprofits and trade associations. Kazi believes in investing in founders, not ideas, so these leaders can find their true potential by utilizing skill and diversity of thought and experience to disrupt their industries truly.
Kazi holds an engineering license in the state of Texas in addition to being a LEED-accredited professional. He has a master's in engineering and a bachelor of science in architectural engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. For more information, please visit civilitudegroup.com.
