We are two brothers, two years apart. Our story starts in Iran. We came to California as kids in 1978 during the revolution as our parents were getting divorced. Our grandparents came with us and anchored our new lives. Baba, our grandfather, shuttled us to school in Marin every morning, driving under the speed limit and still arriving before the bell. Nayer, our grandmother, made us breakfast with hand squeezed orange juice and packed lunches with savory stews that surprised our curious new friends. Looking back, we see their enormous impact on our lives. Our deep love for elders starts with them.

Fast forward, in our late ‘20s we fell into the world of senior housing by accident, though nothing really happens by accident. We were called to help our half brother Nader and his friend Earle with a small senior care home in San Francisco. We left our new carriers in law and finance, rolled up our sleeves and began our journey of caring for elders. We had no idea what we were doing other than intuition and experience from our grandparents. It felt natural and right.

A curious thing was happening back then. The more care you needed as a senior, the more likely you would end up in hospital settings like a nursing home. Holistic care in a beautiful environment was hard to find or hardly available. We set to change that paradigm.

We decided to build our projects in urban infill locations so seniors could remain an active part of the community and still enjoy walking to local cafes and restaurants. This way, we could also be closer to them. We believe young and old living in the same neighborhood creates more vibrant communities. Supporting this diversity is our goal, even if seeing someone older makes us uncomfortable about our own aging.

Our developments are centered in the Bay Area intentionally. We grew up here and went to UC Berkeley and the Graduate Theological Union. We know there is a great need and we want to give back. There is also a challenging approval process where our local involvement can create compelling housing options for our communities. We want to have a short drive to our projects, keep a healthy work-life balance and provide the attention to detail people value.