"When I graduated from high school in 1972, I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. I served four years in the medical field much of it at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. The Vietnam War was raging and there were many war protesters that treated our returning servicemen and women very poorly, blaming them for the mistakes of our politicians. I always envisioned having an avenue that would allow me to pursue my philanthropic desires of honoring and giving back to those who have served our nation.
Throughout my 33-year career as an advocate of taxpayer rights and interests I committed time and financial resources to various causes, but I never really felt satisfied. Continuing to climb the corporate ladder, I was recruited by KPMG, became a partner, and held some leadership positions.
In 2004, I was so blessed to have the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream with a group of young, talented, and dedicated professionals. We took a calculated risk, borrowed many millions of dollars, and acquired my state and local tax practice. We formed the Paradigm Tax Group and built the enterprise over the next nine years. There were many ups, downs, sleepless nights, and obstacles to overcome before we sold the company through two transactions in the early part of the last decade. At that point, I retired and managed my investments, gave seed money to a former client to start a real estate company in Austin which has grown exponentially.
I have served as a City of Austin Commissioner for Veterans Affairs focusing on Veteran homelessness and Veterans Benefits. I also served on the Veterans Advisory Council at Texas State University and was an alumni advisor to the student Veteran organization.
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​These blessings allowed me to reach and exceed my professional goals. The fact of the matter is, I owe so much to the dear friends and teammates that helped me realize my professional dream. It was through this career journey and by the grace of God that I was able to create and operate the Kolbe Family Foundation to support causes near and dear to my heart. It gives me great satisfaction to give back, and through the Kolbe Family Foundation, I am now able to bring that dream to fruition".
Del Kolbe
USAF Veteran
1972-1976
"A 'Veteran' - whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his life." That is honor. There are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact."
- Unknown