As Chief Executive Officer, Don utilizes his unique problem-solving abilities, vast experience, and many loyal contacts in the industry to create opportunities for Sunwood Ventures. Prior to co-founding the company in January 2008, Don’s career spanned more than three decades at The Corky McMillin Companies. He was an integral member of the senior management team that formulated McMillin’s strategic planning and corporate development to create a $3 billion real estate company. Don served on the Executive Committee that managed all of McMillin Companies including McMillin Land Development, Commercial, Homebuilding, and Realty as well as McMillin Capital.
Don has paid his dues in virtually every area of real estate. His career started with fixer-uppers long before people were talking about “flippers.“ He has bought land and entitled it, including the parcel on which his residence sits. He has analyzed feasibility and valued every imaginable type of property, from cemeteries to truck stops. Don has personally done property management, one of the most emotionally difficult jobs in real estate. At McMillin, he managed a number of departments, playing specific roles in corporate acquisitions, operations, finance (corporate bonds, project-level debt, and equity), land development, homebuilding, asset management, marketing, and risk management.
Don served on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Barnabas Group. He is a former member of the Appraisal Institute and held both MAI and SRA designations – the highest distinction for real estate appraisers. He graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.