When John Kelly, a respected structural engineer with deep market insights, moved to Las Vegas in 1995, he didn’t realize that he was starting his own business, The Kelly Design Group (KDG), and shaping his career in a booming market.

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Raised in SoCal, after working at BORM Associates, Inc., a Irvine full-service engineering firm based in California for about a year, he was asked to open its first satellite office in Las Vegas 31 years ago, which was one of the hottest markets in the country at that time. The number of homes being built at that time was significant, 19,500 new homes per year, second only to Atlanta, Georgia. Kelly, in his 30s, was on a trajectory to become a partner in the firm.

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Then, in 1999, Kelly was badly hurt in an off-road accident and had to recover from multiple broken bones.

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“You have a lot of time to think, and, at 32, I decided what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to do something different. I’ve always wanted my own company, ever since I was young, but, of course, I didn’t know the path to get there. However, lying there, I decided that if I’m ever going to do it, I might as well do it, now,” explained Kelly. “I started my company, The Kelly Design Group (KDG), with $30,000 in the bank and one client, and I’m still here. While weathering the storms, and ups and downs of the economy, we’ve built a good reputation for quality and innovative design.”

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Kelly works with several partners and vendors, offering value-engineered designs for homebuilders, architects and commercial developers throughout Nevada, California and Arizona.

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Kelly still sees Las Vegas as a hot market. “Even though we’re building fewer homes than before 2008, when we built nearly 40,000 new homes annually, the market remains profitable and resilient,” said Kelly, emphasizing ongoing opportunities.

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As Kelly explained, many production homebuilders used to build entry-level, small 2,000-square-foot boxes. Now, they’re building 3,000-square-foot- to 5,000-square-foot ranch-style, single-story homes on half-acre lots. They’re making more money per house than they were years ago.

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During the housing boom of the late 1990s, builders would have crews framing 10 to 20 houses at a time, in stages: concrete, framing, trusses, drywall. Today, crew framing involves five to six guys building a complete house.

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“When we got up to even 12,000 new homes a few years after the 2008 crash, that was a big deal. Now, I think we’re still hovering between 10,000 and 15,000 new homes. I still believe this is a hot market. Could it be hotter? Of course.”

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According to Kelly, there is a pent-up demand for new housing, but it’s got to be affordable. In Southern California, the average house in the middle of nowhere is still $750,000. In Las Vegas, the average price is now about $480,000 to $509,000. For a family of four, to be able to afford a 2,500-square-foot, two-story house at $650,000, they need to be making $150,000 to $200,000 combined, and that can be difficult in today’s economy.

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Kelly, bullish on Vegas’ future, anticipates a surge in housing demand in Southern Nevada once rates and land prices decrease, highlighting his optimistic outlook on market growth and opportunities.

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“There’s absolutely room for growth, and Las Vegas will explode, and our population will grow to 3 million people,” Kelly said. “I don’t need to be the biggest engineering firm in Las Vegas, but just continue to keep our clients happy and get our little piece of the pie. Life’s good.”

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Many design professionals with decades of experience and success might be thinking of retirement, but for John Kelly, the future is too bright — and interesting to step away just yet. He enjoys the challenge of working with new, emerging technologies, and new materials, tackling new projects and interacting with both long-term, and new clients. One thing is certain: When Kelly does, one day, turn over the day-to-day management of KDG, Inc., he’ll do so only after first building a legacy of integrity and excellence.