Ralf G. Bahr is a career-long serial entrepreneur. He founded his first company in 1976 in Cologne, Germany, where he provided advisory services to middle-market businesses. He focused on strategic planning for international expansion and development and assisting these businesses in securing financial support. As the Founder and CEO of the RGB International Group, he specialized in raising private equity capital at various levels.
After helping many of his clients connect with U.S. business activities, he relocated his family in 1981 from Germany to New York in 1981, where he opened a new headquarters. He expanded into new markets following significant growth, establishing additional offices in London, England, and Zurich, Switzerland, in the late 1980s.
In the early 1980s, RGB International experienced substantial growth in its activities within the oil and gas industry. However, by the mid-1980s, real estate investments became increasingly attractive. As a result, RGB partnered with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to develop a long-term acquisition and leasing program to support Goodyear’s expansion of its Service Center project in the Northeast and South-Central regions of the United States. Anchored in a fifteen-year triple net lease from Goodyear, RGB acquired multiple locations over five years, managed construction, and sold the service centers to international investors.
In 1990, following the collapse of communist regimes in several Eastern European countries, international investment firms began to focus on these emerging markets. However, the lack of a Western-style business culture and the unfamiliar operational landscape posed significant challenges. RGB International opened an office in Prague, Czech Republic, in late 1990 to address these issues. This office was established to assist with operational and capital restructuring during the post-privatization phase of various government-owned companies in Eastern Europe, particularly in former Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Ukraine.
In 1994, Bahr moved from New York to Boca Raton, Florida, to oversee various commercial real estate projects in Southeast Florida. At the same time, he also worked as a senior consultant for a European merchant bank in the United States.
In 2004, he teamed up with a fellow real estate and car enthusiast to establish a classic and exotic automobile dealership. The dealership focused on buying and selling high-end vintage cars at auctions. In addition to managing his own car collection, he also helped take care of the collections belonging to his customers and friends.
In connection with the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic created, the dealership was closed, and the remaining cars and collections were sold. In 2022, Bahr retired to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to be closer to his sons’ families.
Bahr, a passionate Porsche enthusiast who bought his first Porsche in 1972, became a board member of the Nashville Porsche Club in 2023. He chaired the activities committee, organizing events and entertainment for over a thousand club members until the end of 2024. His commitment to the club and its activities was recognized in January 2025 when the Porsche Club of America – Musik-Stadt Region honored him with the “Enthusiast of the Year 2024” award.
Bahr has long served on various boards by leveraging his international background and passion for driving the development of international business relations. Bahr was a member of the International Society of Financiers and served as the Chairman of the German-American Entrepreneurs Association, Inc., whose primary goal is to promote business relations between Germany and the United States. He served as a board member of the American-German Club of the Palm Beaches in Florida, where he achieved Club Life Member status. Additionally, Bahr is a Life Member of the Plattdeutsch Home Society in New York. He belongs to the VDAK/USA Council of One Thousand, which is part of the United German-American Committee of USA Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C.
In 2004, Bahr co-founded the German-American Hall of Fame (GAMHOF) alongside prominent Americans of German ancestry. GAMHOF is a nonprofit organization recognized as a 501(c)(3) by the IRS in New York State. It serves as a virtual hall of fame that celebrates the contributions of individuals with German roots who have shaped the United States throughout history. Currently, Bahr serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Bahr, originally from Germany and raised in Cologne, and became a U.S. citizen in 1990. He served in the German Air Force and earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate development and financing from the Cologne Business School.
Bahr is married to Janka Bahr, and they have two sons, Oliver and Marvin. He enjoys attending car events and spending time with his four granddaughters.