Vocational Biography

Wakefield Properties & Lavoro Development (2000-present)

After a decade in the non-profit sector, I joined Wakefield Properties, a partnership focused on multi-family development. My role quickly shifted to include almost all aspects of development. As one of only two members of Wakefield, I became responsible solely or jointly for recognizing development opportunities, acquiring land, planning site layout, value engineering & design, securing entitlements, interacting with the public, managing marketing, consultant & construction teams, and providing service to purchasers & renters.

While continuing to develop multi-family projects such as The Hawthorne (284 apartments) and The Kennedy (125 units), Wakefield began developing retail centers in 2001. I eventually managed the construction of three retail centers, two with “lifestyle” elements – the southern half of Mill Creek Town Center and Snohomish Station – that demanded a creative blend of design vision and financial management. Wakefield’s exemplary collaboration with the city was recognized with a 20/20 Vision Award for the Mill Creek Town Center project.

Recently I launched my own company, Lavoro Development, Inc., to take advantage of the expertise gained at Wakefield. During my years at Wakefield, I found that I excelled at moving between the diverse worlds of laptop & blacktop, and I enjoyed the role as spokeman for an organization. I contributed to the development of over $300MM in assets; more importantly, I helped create over $80MM of owner equity.   

Through Lavoro I continue to provide the complete range of services needed to create owner equity in the steps of the development process: land acquisition, entitlement, construction oversight, asset management, and eventual sale. I feel particularly comfortable in the $10-40MM project range, as these projects are small enough for a lean development company to manage while being large enough to attract strong buyers.

Non-profit leadership (1990-2000)

As Associate Pastor at a Seattle-area non-denominational church I was responsible for small groups, youth programs, monthly teaching, and creating systems to lead the congregation. During my time at the church attendance grew from 125 to nearly 400. Later, at Pacific Association for Theological Studies, I wrote grants, developed donors, and worked with churches in the Puget Sound region to develop a pioneering church-based educational program.

Seattle Pacific University (1989-to present)

Working at SPU for a year after grad school helped me to decide that I did not want to pursue a career in academic administration. However, I do love the academic world and continue to serve as an adjunct faculty member SPU's School of Business & Economics.

Education (1980-89)

I earned a BA degree in Business from UW while really majoring in football. After a year of sales at General Mills, I returned to school and earned a masters degree in theology from Regent College at the University of British Columbia.

Family & Interests

When not working on Lavoro projects, I devote much of my time to encouraging my son, daughter, and wife's pursuits. This keeps me busy tutoring, cheering, coaching, teaching, and applauding. What time I have left I enjoy creating art and music and staying active.