# Ken Gaebler

> Ken Gaebler is a Chicago entrepreneur and the co-founder and former CEO of Walker Sands. His career spans consulting, early PC virtual reality at VREAM, online cosmetics retailer BeautyJungle, B2B marketing and the planned La Reina theater in Humboldt Park. He led Walker Sands for roughly twenty years before Mike Santoro succeeded him in January 2021.

- **Role:** Theater developer at La Reina Theater Chicago
- **Organizations:** Walker Sands, Gaebler Ventures, La Reina Theater Chicago, Chicago Helpers, VREAM, BeautyJungle, Platinum Technology, Arthur Andersen, Information Consulting Group, Astute Diligence, Grand Roads Executive Search
- **Education:** BS, Computer Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, MBA, Yale School of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded VREAM, which sold to Platinum Technology in 1996., Co-founded Walker Sands in 2001 and led the agency for roughly twenty years., Helped develop the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard, turning aggregated payroll data into recurring economic news.

## Career timeline

- **1985** — Graduated with a BS in computer science from the University of Illinois; first job was in Arthur Andersen’s information consulting division.
- **1989** — Joined the Information Consulting Group four years after his first job.
- **1993** — Earned an MBA from Yale and joined VREAM as a co-founder.
- **1996** — VREAM acquired by Platinum Technology.
- **1998** — Left Platinum Technology.
- **1999** — BeautyJungle raised a $3.6 million Series A in June and launched in November.
- **2000** — BeautyJungle closed in November; assets were sold to Fashionmall.
- **2001** — Co-founded Walker Sands with Ellen Hanson; also pursued Astute Diligence and Grand Roads Executive Search.
- **2002** — Met SurePayroll CEO Michael Alter and developed data-driven publicity around small-business payroll trends.
- **2021** — Mike Santoro succeeded him as Walker Sands CEO effective January 1; Gaebler continued on the board at that transition.
- **2026** — Plans for La Reina, a small cinema and community hub in Humboldt Park, received public coverage in September.

## Achievements

- Co-founded VREAM, which sold to Platinum Technology in 1996.
- Co-founded Walker Sands in 2001 and led the agency for roughly twenty years.
- Helped develop the SurePayroll Small Business Scorecard, turning aggregated payroll data into recurring economic news.
- Walker Sands had 130 team members and eight consecutive Inc. 5000 appearances at the January 2021 leadership announcement.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Public reporting described plans for La Reina, a 55-to-60-seat theater and community hub in a former Humboldt Park church; the historic-theater league lists the project as not yet operating.
- **2024-09** — Named to the advisory committee supporting Manufacturing Renaissance’s revised Early Warning manual and training curriculum.

## Links

- Website: https://www.gaebler.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaebler
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/gaeblerdotcom

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/ken-gaebler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22