Our Team
We bring knowledge and experience working with a broad array of land partners ranging from churches to social services non-profits to employers. We strive to fully understand the goals & objectives of each, and use our expertise to source the capital with a very low-risk structure, while influencing state and local policy to foster incentives for the construction of such housing.
Leadership
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Eric McGrew
Managing Director, Co-Founder, Principal
Eric’s 30+ years of having been deeply entrenched in real estate investment and development, and corporate development all contribute to the leadership he has brought to Envision Housing. His passion for developing housing choices for all is what drives him. His creativity has served to source new development opportunities, syndications and execution. Currently, Eric serves as a Principal and Consultant to the Company.
Eric has brokered, partnered and syndicated land and resort real estate development projects ranging from $5 million to greater than $50 million per transaction with various private and institutional partners, including Starwood Capital Group, a $115 billion global real estate development and asset management company. In addition to his career in real estate, Eric built casualty insurance brokerages while representing Lloyds of London and many Best’s A+ rated US insurance companies. He has built and sold financial planning firms and has represented and partnered with numerous types of investors in real estate, financial and insurance transactions.
With a top-secret clearance, Eric served in the US Navy Submarine Service on missions in North Korea and Vietnam. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member.
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Sibley V. Simon
Managing Director, Co-Founder
Sibley is a social entrepreneur working to solve the biggest social equity challenges we face in the Monterey Bay Region. He is currently the President of New Way Homes, a non-profit that operates an impact investment fund to spur new workforce and affordable housing development. He co-founded the 180/2020 Initiative in 2012 that has housed over 500 chronic and veteran homeless individuals, is the current Treasurer of the Homeless Services Center, and leads the renovation of the historic Evergreen Cemetery.
Previously, Sibley was a founder of two technology companies, StreamSage and The Electric Sheep Company, which were repeatedly recognized as highly innovative, including by two Technical Emmy Awards, the MIT Technology Review, and R&D grants and contracts from six different federal agencies. Sibley Simon’s white papers published by MBEP are examples of the work that our firm supports to improve housing
What Realistic Policy Changes Could Improve Housing Affordability in the Monterey Bay Region?
Enhanced Bonus Density—Monterey Bay Economic Partnership—White Paper
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Alyssa Willett
Chief Financial Analyst
At Envision Housing, Alyssa is focused on project financial analysis, initial project management, and compliance and financial management. Alyssa is a finance, administrative and operations professional who has dedicated her professional energy supporting local nonprofit efforts for the last several years. She focused on creating opportunities for clients and employees, managing budgets to maintain sustainable services, and working towards ending homelessness.
As a member of the executive team at Homeless Services Center, Alyssa served as the Director of Operations, during a time of extreme growth and change. Alyssa has a passion for impacting real change in our community.
Strategic Design/Build Partners
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Workbench
Workbench was founded to design and build missing middle and infill housing, along with community-based commercial spaces that bring neighborhoods together. Combining Envision Housing and Workbench creates a new more efficient system for developing more affordable housing.
“The Envision team and Workbench working together bring more expertise in development services, from environmental review, to using new state laws, to financing strategies.”
Tim Gordin, Co-founding Principal at Workbench.“As architects, builders and developers, we have the skills, resources, and abilities to better house our communities. Government programs for affordable housing can only do so much. California needs to build more density and needs to do it beautifully and affordably. We are passionate about leading a part of that future.”
Jamileh Cannon, Co-founding Principal at Workbench.