Arthur and Paul Kenjora: Brothers collaborate naturally

Paul Kenjora (CTO of Arkayne) and Arthur Kenjora (CEO of Aware Labs) have both been chosen as 2 of the 35 Arizona Republic’s yearly 35 Under 35 award recipients.  Arizona Republic also published the article below outlining the hard work, collaboration, and family support that has made Paul and Arthur successful in the work they have done with both Arkayne and Aware Labs, both being local Phoenix, AZ start-ups founded during one of the most difficult economic times we have seen in over 25 years. We here at Arkayne are proud of you both and appreciate what you bring to our team each and every day.

See the original article below:

As the sons of Polish immigrants, Arthur and Paul Kenjora say they grew up with the spirit of self-reliance.

When their father, Kazimierz Kenjora, came to the United States in 1984, he took a lot of odd jobs that were typical for immigrants, including painting and plumbing work, Paul said.

Today, their father owns his own heating, air-conditioning and ventilation contracting business in the Valley.

The brothers, who are 14 months apart in age, cite their parents for their desire to collaborate on business startups.

“It was kind of ingrained in us,” said Paul, 30. “They made it clear if we’re going to work smarter, we’re going to work harder. The best way to work smarter is to work for yourself and work with people that you can choose to work with.”

Paul now is chief technical officer of Arkayne Inc., a company that offers a social-media tool to help bloggers track Web content related to their area of specialty.

Arthur, 29, is chief executive officer of Aware Labs LLC, an information-technology firm that spun out of a previous venture he and Paul started while they attended Arizona State University.

Each is focused on his own venture, but from time to time they have leveraged each other’s strengths.

Their different skills provide value to each other, Arthur said.

“I’ve been doing business analysis and project management for the last 10 years,” Arthur said. “Paul, he’s got the technical skills and knowledge to actually build the product.”

Their different personalities did spark conflict over priorities early on. Over time, though, “we kind of rubbed off on each other,” Paul said. “If it wasn’t for Arthur’s influence, I probably wouldn’t be an entrepreneur.”

Arthur echoed the sentiment:

“I think Paul brings me down to reality with capabilities, so it’s a good balance between the business side looking at the opportunities and the technical side – being realistic about those opportunities.”

Published in Arizona Republic Newspaper and azcentral.com Oct. 23, 2009 05:13 PM:

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2009/10/23/20091023biz-35entrepreneurs1025Kenjora.html