In 1960, Ken Clausen opened up a Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Fullerton, California. Little did the Clausen family know, but this was the start of over 60 years of monumental growth.
While the Clausen family did go on to open many other successful Shakey’s locations in the area, we opportunistically invested in real estate within the communities in which we operated. From retail shopping centers, to self-storage facilities, to multi-family apartments, we applied the same discipline over the generations, deploying capital across various categories of real estate.
From our humble beginnings as a family-owned restaurant, to a real estate Family Office, we have always had one common goal: to maintain the Patient Capital approach. This approach allows us to pursue growth plans and make strategic decisions solely in the best interests of the companies and assets in which we invest.
All of our investments undergo rigorous due diligence to ensure they align with our Mission and Goals, and we use the following Portfolio Filters to guide us:
Asset Manager
President & CEO
COO
Advisor
Advisor
Advisor
We are always looking for new opportunities and we would love to hear from you.
Craig serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Clausen Enterprises, a Single-Family Office born out of the golden aged era of Shakey’s Pizza Parlors in the 1960’s. A highly regarded thought-leader and entrepreneur, Craig leads all aspects of the Leadership Team at Clausen Enterprises with a focus on long-term business strategy, corporate governance, and high-level investment performance. As the only child to the Founders of Clausen Enterprises, Kenneth and Louie Clausen, Craig was active in the family business from early childhood. In the late 1980’s, after decades of hard work and deep passion for the family business, Craig gained the opportunity to take the reins. Over the next 40 years, under Craig’s leadership, Clausen Enterprises would flourish into the successful real estate focused Family Office it is today. Over the decades, Craig has traveled all paths of real estate ownership, including the arduous path of development. Craig is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education, addiction recovery and the arts, among other things. Craig has dedicated himself to tackling big opportunities with transformative solutions. In 2020, Craig developed the Clausen Family Foundation to advance his philanthropic goals with a more purposeful Mission: Empowering Others to Become Agents of Their Own Uplift. As a fun fact, Craig is an airline transport rated pilot. This skillset has allowed Craig the opportunity to see many parts of the world.
Since grade school, Andy has loved flying. In 1991 that passion led him to the aviation industry. As Aviation Department Manager of heavy corporate aircraft for more than thirty years Andy purchased, completed, managed, insured and sold several Bombardier Challenger jets. Working closely with multiple vendors, maintainers and the FAA, as well as owners, passengers and charter customers, Andy has assured Mission Accomplished for his principals. Licensed as an aviation insurance broker in 2002, Andy founded AvPac Insurance Services leveraging his experiences and relationships to benefit both AvPac clients and underwriters. Building on a foundation of integrity and client service, Andy maintains relationships between clients and insuring companies helping aircraft owners select risk management solutions. Andy joined the Clausen Enterprise Board of Advisors in 2018 at inception.
Joining the team in January 2022, Tom Baumann is the Asset Manager for Clausen Enterprises, bringing over two decades of professional management and business administration experience across multiple industries including technology, retail, and restaurant. Rooted in traditional values and core beliefs, he drives results by building meaningful relationships with clients, vendors, and members of his team. In his free time, Tom is an avid fitness enthusiast, and regularly enjoys bodybuilding, grappling, mixed martial arts, and hiking.
Lee Froschheiser’s background spans 30 years, holding positions as President and Regional Vice President in differing companies, managing all aspects of business operations, providing consulting to a broad range of businesses, and working in the public sector in the field of education. He has developed and conducted training curriculum for all aspects of business operations. Lee provides a wide span of consulting and management development programs that include implementation of the MAP Management System, leadership training, skills development workshops for staff and executive strategic planning retreats. Lee served on the board of directors for several associations and financial institutions. He was a faculty member in the Nebraska public school sector and the University of Phoenix. Lee is the author of MAP’s best selling book, Vital Factors: The Secret To Transforming Your Business And Your Life, published by Jossey-Bass. Lee joined Clausen Enterprises as a Consultant in 2000 and later joined its Board of Advisors in 2018 in a formal role.
Charles Albano has been a licensed CPA in California since 1982, spending nearly nine years at the start of his career in public accounting. Most of that time was focused on tax work for corporations, partnerships, and individuals. In 1988, Charles joined the team at Clausen Enterprises to oversee the accounting department for the company’s restaurant and real estate operations, as well as to bring all the tax related preparation and compliance in-house. Over time, Charles’ duties expanded into property management, involvement with real estate development projects, and all aspects of operating the family office. To maintain his work-life balance, Charles likes to get outdoors. An avid mountain biker, he has ridden in the Wasatch Range in Utah, down the slopes of the Irazuú volcano in Costa Rica, and many other places in between. He has also hiked the Grand Canyon from rim to rim, an experience he believes everyone should have!
Bob Sattler has over 35 years experience in commercial real estate, from developing small industrial buildings for sale and multi-tenant parks for lease, to being a broker, leasing and selling office and industrial properties in the North Orange County market. After 15 years at CB Richard Ellis he joined Lee & Associates in 1998 and has been a consistent Top producer. His community and civic involvement include being president and board member of organizations such as the Rotary Club of Fullerton and the Executive Council of the College of Business at Cal State Fullerton. Bob Sattler is the current President of the Lee & Associates Orange office, Principal and has a seat on the Board of Directors. Bob Sattler join the Board of Advisors at Clausen Enterprises at inception in 2018.
David is an empowering and transformational senior executive who has held leadership roles in numerous companies across different industries. As the Chief Operating Officer for Clausen Enterprises, David serves as an integral part of the Leadership Team and is responsible for all critical strategic, operational, and financial decisions. Prior to joining Clausen Enterprises in 2016, David served in several senior leadership positions at 3G Capital under the Restaurant Brands International umbrella. Since 2011, David served in increasingly dynamic roles including Director of Franchise Performance for Burger King™ Corporation and later as Vice President of U.S. Operations for Tim Hortons™. In these roles David oversaw the revitalization of the company’s U.S. based operations and was responsible for a portfolio of over 1,200 Franchises across 14 states. David holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Sonoma State University and is certified in Six-Sigma through McKinsey & Company.