Our Team
A successful custom home project starts with a successful team. You’ll find that team at Barranca Builders. Owners Kal Kalinowski and Karen Kalinowski work directly with you and our in-house, licensed architects to design your home and ensure that it matches your lifestyle. A field supervisor with more than 20 years of experience takes the project from there, overseeing each step of the construction process. The rest of our client-oriented team provides professional, responsive service during every phase of the project.
To complete the vision of your home, we collaborate with some of Santa Fe’s finest interior designers and providers of luxury fixtures, appliances, flooring, and wall coverings. These gifted design experts are part of our process from the outset so that they can weave your personal tastes into every aspect of your home.
Kal Kalinowski
Founding Partner
As owner and licensed realtor, Kal has more than 30 years of experience in the development and homebuilding industry on the East Coast. He retired to Santa Fe in 1990 but his own home remodeling project inspired him to return to the development business. In 1996, he started his own, semi-custom home building company – Barranca Builders. Kal’s creative vision and reputation for exceeding clients’ expectations with semi-custom homes of superior quality and value have fueled the company’s growth and earned Barranca Builders many accolades. Kal is responsible for architecture, sales, finance, and strategic development.
Karen Kalinowski
Partner
After graduating from Boston College, Karen worked in the financial services and mortgage industries before moving into marketing institutional investment products around the world. After almost three decades in the financial sector, Karen moved to Santa Fe with her husband and children in 2004. In October 2004, she joined Kal (her brother-in-law) as a partner in Barranca Builders, where she applies her management and marketing expertise. Karen is responsible for client service, design finishes, marketing, and strategic development.
Carlos Kinsey
Lead Architect
Carlos Kinsey earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee in 1990 and became a licensed architect in 1997. After becoming a partner at an interior design firm and owning his own architecture firm for a decade, Carlos joined Barranca Builders as lead architect in 2007. Carlos is also a licensed Real Estate Associate Broker and building contractor so he brings true depth of industry experience to the table.
Victor Baerga
Project Manager
Victor earned an associate’s degree in architecture from the State University of New York at Farmingdale. He continued his architecture studies at New York Institute of Technology and at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington. Victor has applied his talents at architecture, interior design, and civil engineering firms before joining Barranca Builders in 2007.
Ryan McNeil
Broker
Ryan studied anthropology and archaeology and worked at two national monuments before moving to Santa Fe and earning his license as a New Mexico Real Estate Broker. His knowledge of history, the environment, and the landscape inform his responsibilities which include project management, sales coordination and general administration oversight.
Marla Storms
Business Manager
Born and raised in New Mexico, Marla has devoted much of her career to assisting New Mexico small businesses to attain and maintain success. Prior to joining our team, Marla worked with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce to provide support to small minority businesses in New Mexico. She also has extensive experience in the construction industry, having owned her own construction company in Santa Fe.
Jorge Ramirez
Construction Manager
Jorge is responsible for managing all field work and personnel. He has over thirty years experience in the construction industry and has owned his own construction company. Jorge holds a New Mexico contractor’s license and is an armed forces veteran. Raised in Santa Fe, and from a family that has been in construction for generations, Jorge learned at a very early age the importance of building a high quality home. He brings to Barranca Builders vast experience in managing employees, subcontractors and knows the importance of “doing it right the first time” and of matching the right people to the job at hand.