Employee Career Story:
Brian Everest
Following high school graduation, Brian Everest immediately started his career in the housing industry—rather, he fell into it. His sister found out that there was an opening as an Assistant Manager for a private property owner in Portland, Oregon, since she worked for a sister company. At 17 years old, Brian showed up wearing a jacket and tie and was hired before he even mentioned his name. He spent 9 months there before moving to a job in a newly constructed LIHTC property. At that point, in the wise words of Brian, “the rest is history.”
Brian’s insatiable desire for coffee fortuitously helped pave his next steps: “While attending a tax credit compliance training class I was offered a job because I took the initiative to make another pot of coffee for the class without being asked.” For the next ten years, Brian worked as an Assistant in that impressed company’s Asset Management department and then as a Closing Coordinator for Syndications. Brian steered the operations of “a subsidiary training company teaching on-site managers to learn LIHTC compliance” for two of those years, as an organizer and instructor. He also wrote a manual on and taught a class about “marketing and leasing for first-time property managers in LIHTC” for the Houston Apartment Association.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Enterprise gathered people to form Providence Community Housing—a nonprofit organization striving to rebuild the damaged apartment buildings. Once a quarter, Brian was privileged to travel to New Orleans to help establish their due diligence process and work through tax credit applications. Brian will always remember reopening a senior building: Seeing residents’ joyful and relieved faces upon returning home after being displaced for many months underscored the profound impact of their work on communities.
Brian also earned his Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and Oregon/Washington Community Association Management (OWCAM) certificates while he was the Portfolio Manager for an HOA and condominium management company. Then, he spent one year as an Operations Coordinator for a market-rate luxury apartment developer and owner, which allowed him “to work with on-site property managers and help them draft their business plans and budgeting.” Nevertheless, he swiftly returned to another tax credit syndicator in California for one year before family called him back to Oregon.
Once he returned, Brian worked as a Portfolio Manager for a private landowner with numerous units in Ohio and Oregon. Brian soon discovered that the 3rd party management company overseeing the Ohio properties had not been on-site for over a month—needless to say, the properties were in distress. After firing this management company, Brian spearheaded starting a new management company from the ground up: He created company policies, designed marketing materials, hired skilled staff and handled accounting activities.
Sooner or later, Brian saw an advertisement for an open Closing Coordinator position at an unfamiliar tax credit syndicator, CREA LLC. He did not know anyone there, but his headhunter had known Brad Bullock for years and reached out. Brian’s breadth and long tenure within the housing industry spoke for itself in the hiring process. Again, the rest is history.
Brian joined CREA’s acquisitions team in 2017, where he has transitioned from acting as a Closing Coordinator to working on pre-LOI Originations. Brian appreciates CREA’s supportive leadership and is eager to see the CREA Foundation continue to take shape. His favorite affordable community is Orchards Plaza by Guardian Real Estate Services LLC—originally in his portfolio during his time with Guardian—which he is pleased has been re-syndicated. When asked about what makes CREA different, Brian’s answer is clear: the people. Particularly, “the transparency, support, communication, humor and commitment to work-life balance makes it easy to work hard for this company and the people you work with.” We are truly grateful that Brian Everest found his work home at CREA.
Passionate about lending his skills to create helpful services for his community, Brian has also served as the Chair of the Housing Advisory Committee for Clackamas County; assisted the Tourism Promotion Committee of Wilsonville, Oregon; participated in the Adopt-A-Road Program; and worked on campaigns for City Councilor, Mayoral, School Board, and State Senate races as a graduate from the City of Wilsonville’s Citizen Academy. Outside of work, Brian manages a wine tasting room close to his home in McMinnville, Oregon, located in the heart of Willamette Valley wine country. For anyone who needs advice on public speaking: Brian spent eight years in competitive speech and debate in high school and college, coupled with nine years coaching a community college team!
From Brian’s 27 years in the LIHTC industry, he emphasizes the value of communication and connection with coworkers, developers, investors and communities. The CREA family thanks you for your dedicated and enthusiastic work in the office and broader community.
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Meet Brian’s three dogs: Cooper (7), Rowdy (5), and Birch (9)!
