Brian Ross
Managing Partner
Brian leads YarrowBay's team of accomplished professionals and drives the
company's focus on creating lasting value for its partners, customers, and
the communities where it operates. He and his team consistently take challenging
projects from vision to reality, delivering innovative, resourceful product
with uncompromising excellence.
Brian co-founded the organization in 2001 and brings decades of business
experience with a strong emphasis on real estate to its leadership.
His background encompasses all aspects of the land and project development
process, including experience as a custom homebuilder. Prior to founding
YarrowBay, he directed land acquisition
and subsequent development for a prominent Eastside firm.
As managing partner, Brian takes a hands-on approach to working with
YarrowBay's clients and community stakeholders. He recognizes the importance
and value of a highly competent team and has brought top professionals from
all over the region together to plan and execute the company's projects.
Relationships are a key component in YarrowBay's success, and Brian is
committed to building long-term associations that are based on respect,
honesty, and performance that exceeds expectations. It's a core value
and simply "the right way to do business" for this organization.
A lifelong Eastside resident, Brian continues to be active in local community
affairs and is a long time member of the Master Builders Association. He makes
his home in Kirkland with his wife Kim and their two daughters.
James Deshazer
Assistant Project Manager
James is responsible for the day-to-day onsite management and coordination of
YarrowBay construction projects and related bidding and budgeting processes.
His on the job experience and well-rounded knowledge of many different facets
of construction are strengths that will help YarrowBay Group with its development
and vertical construction projects.
He is a focused, knowledgeable professional with more than 7 years of experience
in custom home building and underground utility work, as well as sales. He has
worked with Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, HD Fowler, and Notable Custom Homes in
the Bellevue/Kirkland area.
James is currently working on a Business Degree in Management & Finance from the
University of Washington. He and his wife Michelle make their home in Kenmore
with their dog "Rudy".
Mark Holland
Land Acquisition
Mark leads YarrowBay Group's efforts to acquire suitable land for single-family,
mixed-use, and master planned developments. He organizes the company's
professional resources, does the research, and develops the relationships that
help YarrowBay develop exceptional opportunities.
Mark has an extensive real estate background in the Pacific Northwest, as well as
across the country, that includes property acquisition, development, planning,
construction, and community relations. He plays a key role in YarrowBay's business
strategy of creating lasting value by optimizing development on sometimes
challenging properties.
He and his family make their home in Edmonds, Washington.
Michael Huey, P.E.
Project Manager
As a Professional Engineer (PE), Michael brings extensive development and
engineering experience in both the public and private sectors to YarrowBay Group,
where he manages large residential development projects.
He served as an engineer for Snohomish County, providing civil engineering design
on capital improvement projects, reviewing land use applications and construction
plans for compliance, and coordinating technical support among county departments,
other governmental agencies, and outside consultants.
Michael joined a prominent regional civil engineering firm Triad as a Project
Engineer in 2002, managing civil design, plan preparation, consultant coordination,
and client communication for large residential and commercial developments until
he moved to YarrowBay Group in 2005.
His background, technical expertise, and his focus on preventing development issues
make Michael a valued team member in moving YarrowBay's projects efficiently
through the approval and construction processes.
He holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington and
is active in the Master Builders Association and Professional Consultants of
Snohomish County (PCSC).
Ryan J. Kohlmann, AICP
Project Manager
Ryan has worked in the field of planning and land development for over 8 years.
Before joining YarrowBay, Ryan worked as a Senior Planner with the City of
Issaquah's Major Development Review Team (MDRT) reviewing the communities of
Issaquah Highlands and Talus. He brings extensive experience from the public
sector focusing on affordable housing, project management, permitting, and design
review.
Ryan's strengths include the ability to understand local comprehensive planning
and development regulations, and manage complex permit and review processes. He
also brings a trained eye for good urban design as well as a skilled background
in developing creative and innovative solutions to today'
s development world, including working on Built Green and LEED certified projects.
His broad experience in master planned communities will help drive YarrowBay's
efforts in Black Diamond's new ventures.
Ryan is a graduate of the University of Washington with a B.A. in Planning.
He is also an active member in the American Planning Association, the American
Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), and a Young Leader in the Urban Land
Institute (ULI). He and his family make their home in Sammamish.
Colin Lund
Development Manager
Colin specializes in Land Development Strategy, Project Negotiation, and Project &
Consultant Management on behalf of YarrowBay Communities, following a successful
career as Director of Planning for Triad Associates. His responsibilities at
YarrowBay include overseeing all pre-development activity and management of a
rapidly growing professional staff.
He has a broad background and wide range of experience in all facets of land and
project development, including work in the public sector as a planner for the
City of Pasadena and the Orange County Transportation Commission.
Among Colin's notable accomplishments are authoring and negotiating a development
agreement for the Talus Master Planned Community in Issaquah, and his expertise in
comprehensive feasibility analyses, entitlement strategies, and project
representation during public processes is key to achieving YarrowBay's goals.
Colin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Urban & Regional Planning at
California Polytechnic University a, holds a Transportation Analysis Certificate
from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and completed Executive Leadership
Training at Harvard University. He and his family reside in Woodinville.
David MacDuff
General Manager, Black Diamond
David has 18 years experience specializing in land acquisition, finance development and sales. He brings a remarkable record of achievement in managing master planned communities to Yarrow Bay Development. Most recently, he led the development of Talus, a 2,000-unit master planned community in Issaquah for Intracorp, directing all facets of the project from concept development, through design/engineering/permitting, construction and sale to builders.
David and his team of consultants and contractors skillfully moved Talus through complicated and evolving political and regulatory processes to create win/win solutions for all. The result is an outstanding, successful community that has garnered widespread recognition and a number of awards, including the Master Builder Association Gold Nugget Citation of Merit (2003), Puget Sound Regional Council's "Vision 2020" Award (2003), Cascade Land Conservancy's inaugural New Directions Award (2003), and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Certificate of Merit (2002).
David is a graduate of Lawrence University in Wisconsin and holds an MBA from Seattle University.
David serves on the board of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and is an avid outdoorsman. He and his family make their home in Preston.
Daina Mereness
Project Assistant
Daina brings over 14 years of administrative experience in land strategies
consulting and development to the YarrowBay Team. Prior to joining YarrowBay,
Daina worked for Harbor Development, a land development company, and Heartland,
a land strategies consulting and investment company. She has worked and volunteered
for the University of Washington Certificate Program in Commercial Real Estate, coordinating and compiling instructor materials and acting as a liaison between students, instructors, and the University.
Daina holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an
emphasis in marketing from Montana State University-East. Daina and her son make
their home in Lynnwood.
Kathy Orni
Project Manager
Prior to joining YarrowBay Group as a Project Manager, Kathy worked as a real
estate and land development consultant in Washington and California. She has
worked on several large master planned communities in both states.
Kathy's experience ranges from large master planned communities to small urban
infill projects. Her responsibilities include providing feasibility/due diligence
review, entitlement strategy, project representation during the public process,
and consultant team management. In this role, she focuses on moving permit
applications through the review and approval process by thoroughly understanding
the jurisdictional requirements and working closely with key decision makers and
staff to create successful land development projects.
Kathy's effectiveness is rooted in a thorough understanding of entitlement
processes and requirements, and a personal style that strives to develop
non-adversarial relationships with review staff to produce cooperative,
win-win outcomes for local jurisdictions, as well as YarrowBay Group. Her
approach to entitlement facilitation and acquisition leads to more open,
effective dialog between the project proponent and the reviewing agency,
which helps reduce potential pitfalls in the permitting process.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington.
She and her family reside in Woodinville.
Becky Pakinas
Executive Administrator
Becky is the face of YarrowBay Group for arriving visitors, and the voice
for telephone contacts. She is known for her people skills and deep
knowledge of YarrowBay operations. She has been a key member of the team
since the beginning, and today oversees YarrowBay's day-to-day office
operations and bookkeeping functions. Prior to YarrowBay Group's founding,
Becky managed a variety of operational, and financial support functions for
MidMountain Contracting, a company with close ties to YarrowBay Group.
She and her family live in Kirkland, Washington.
Kenneth W. Shreve
Operations Manager
Ken brings a well-rounded background and thorough familiarity with construction
operations to YarrowBay Communities. His experience spans some 24 years in
commercial, industrial, and residential construction for small, medium, and
large contractors throughout Puget Sound, including prominent firms such as
Howard S. Wright, Foushee & Associates, and DPR Construction.
The White River Amphitheater, Oki Development's Golf Course at Newcastle,
and the University of Washington Husky Stadium West Grandstands Addition are
some of the notable projects that Ken successfully helped bid and manage for
these organizations.
His areas of responsibility and management expertise cover all facets of the
contracting process, from owner contract negotiation, to employee management,
and overall leadership of the pre-construction and construction groups.
Ken is a 1981 graduate of the University of Washington with a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Building Construction and makes his home in Sammamish.
Missy Spencer
Contracts and Accounting Administrator
Missy has an extensive background in financial and cost accounting as well as
significant public sector experience. She contributes valuable insights and helps
identify solutions to the challenges private companies and municipalities face in their shared community building efforts.
Her experience includes nearly eight years with the City of Issaquah's Public
Works Engineering Department, where she managed complex, multi-year water,
stormwater, sewer, and transportation budgets. She was also the grant management
Specialist and facilitated three successful federal audits with the State
Auditor's Office related to transportation projects.
Working closely with the Major Development Review Team in the Engineering
Department, she was also responsible for the cost tracking of Issaquah's two
new Urban Villages, managing developer billings with extensive cost breakdowns.
In the private sector, Missy worked for a commercial sheet metal contractor and
an asbestos abatement firm as a full charge bookkeeper.
She will work under the YarrowBay Communities umbrella, where her focus will be
cost control management and reporting, and operations for the company's Black
Diamond projects.
Missy and her two daughters make their home in Black Diamond.
Kevin Thomas
Senior Site Designer/Landscape Architect
Kevin brings over 15 years of land use planning and site design experience to
YarrowBay Communities. His work has contributed to the success of numerous
residential projects throughout the Puget Sound region, including The Farm at
Woods Creek, Outlook Ridge, and most recently, Bridges.
Kevin's strengths include his ability to work through the three-dimensional
challenges of highly constrained sites, which are common in the Puget Sound area.
He consistently provides thoughtful, innovative solutions in determining the
highest and best use for a site to maximize its potential.
At the same time, Kevin understands that creating quality communities is not
just about the numbers. It's about neighborhoods where people live and play,
and it's about creating value that sustains and enhances the quality of life
for residents as well as the community at large. Kevin brings his personal
talents and commitment to this mission, which drives all of YarrowBay's operations.
Kevin is a graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture and Master's degree in Landscape Architecture.
He and his family make their home in Mill Creek.
Jami Balint
Legal Affairs Director
Jami is a cum laude graduate (Juris Doctor) of the Seattle University School of
Law, transferring in from Gonzaga University School of Law. She has an impressive
educational background that includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science
from the University of Washington, and a Master's in Public Administration from
Texas A&M University.
In addition to her education, Jami brings her experience in a wide range of legal,
public outreach, land use, and legislative assignments to her work at YarrowBay
Group. She will support the organization's needs in legal and regulatory
matters' from structuring complex land transactions and working with local
jurisdictions in project entitlement processes to working with outside counsel on
litigation strategy and preparation as needed.
Jami takes a collaborative approach in her work, keeping her energy high and
focusing on optimal performance—qualities that are reflected in her background
and accomplishments.
Outside her professional life, she is active in a variety of community services
and enjoys equestrian activities. Born and raised in Black Diamond, Jami recently
bought her first home "a horse farm" in Enumclaw.
Ryan Kemp
Assistant Project Manager
Ryan comes to YarrowBay Group with a solid background in land acquisition and
project entitlement that includes successful management of several development
projects through the approval process.
His strengths include the ability to efficiently manage complex projects, a
thorough familiarity with development regulations, and effective communication
skills in dealing with local agencies and jurisdictions.
As a YarrowBay team member, Ryan brings a driven attitude and strong sense
of professional accomplishment to his work, focusing his efforts on moving the
company's projects through the entitlement and approval process, managing
consultants, and building strong relationships with local jurisdictions and
stakeholders.
Ryan holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Washington
State University. He currently lives in Kirkland.
Tim Bolla
Financial Analyst
Tim graduated cum laude from the University of Washington with a bachelor of arts in Business Administration with an emphasis in Information Systems.
Tim's experience includes several years as a software developer working with database queries and several years as a financial analyst working for a large computer consulting firm creating financial and project reports. His talents working with people, creating reports, analyzing information and streamlining processes will help fulfill his responsibilities at Yarrow Bay which include monthly financial reports, analyzing future projects and reporting for outside investors and banks.
In his free time, Tim volunteers, plays sports and enjoys the outdoors. He lives with his wife in North Seattle.
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