Greg W. Kahlert has a rich background as a philanthropist and businessman in Maryland. He spent almost 30 years at Evapco, a company his father William “Bill” E. Kahlert co-founded in 1976 and is now a worldwide manufacturer of evaporative cooling products. Evapco’s international headquarters are in Taneytown, MD.

Greg retired as a Vice President in the Sales and Marketing Department at Evapco in 2011 to continue his father’s legacy in the Foundation of giving back to the communities where he worked and lived. Greg now serves as president of The Kahlert Foundation, established by his dad in 1991.  The Foundation provides millions of dollars in support to non-profits across the states of Maryland and Utah. The current annual grant budget of the Kahlert Foundation makes it one of the largest private foundations in Maryland and Utah.

The impact of the Kahlert Foundation is profound. In 2017, The Kahlert Foundation was named the Outstanding Foundation in the state of MD by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). 

The Kahlert Foundation supports numerous charities that fall within its core focus areas of education, healthcare, youth, veterans, and human services. The Foundation not only provides critical philanthropic dollars, but Greg is involved in helping each organization thrive and grow even after the check is cashed. You can often see him involved in organizations like Carroll Community College where he serves on the board of trustees. Most notable is Greg personally visits and meets with many charities on a regular basis to get to know the people and places he supports and to learn what else is needed. Greg and his wife, Roberta volunteer at the MD Food Bank and Carroll County Food Sunday

The Kahlert Foundation continues to be a family effort.  Greg’s daughter Heather, who lives in Utah, has been building a philanthropic legacy through her support there. Roberta and their son Scott, who is the first third generation employee at Evapco, are also active on the foundation’s board of directors.  The Kahlert Foundation recently pledged significant funding to establish the Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine at the University of MD School of Medicine and to endow the newly named Kahlert School of Computing at the University of Utah.

Greg never envisioned himself as a philanthropist.  He graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana with a bachelor’s in business. His first job was a tennis pro and then Greg ventured into sales and customer service which led him to join Evapco. Greg still loves to play tennis, golf and travel and most of all, spend time with Roberta and their children and grandchildren. He and his wife, Roberta, lived and raised a family in Ellicott City and then moved to Sykesville in 2006.