Team
At Brandywine Homes, we’re more than a team… we’re partners in a cause. Working together, we come up with innovative ways to help Southern California cities rebuild for the future. We’ve earned a reputation of doing what is right and fair. Our philosophy is to be open, honest and dependable with our homebuyers, our partners and each other. Get to know us.
"At Brandywine Homes, we have stayed true to our vision from Day One. We enjoy the relationships we establish with cities in making the most of limited land opportunities by transforming underutilized and run down areas into beautiful new neighborhoods."
James L. Barisic
Chairman
Jim Barisic knows what it is like to plot the intricate details of a large development – and to wrap his hands around the handle of a shovel and dig a trench for one of his projects.
Our chairman has seen the booms and busts of the building and development industry over a nearly 50-year career. He founded Brandywine Homes in 1994 specifically to focus on in-town residential development.
Jim spends most of his time working with municipal agencies, or securing and maintaining our long-term relationships with lenders. And, most importantly in a company like ours, he makes sure that Brandywine Homes grows in a way that reflects our core principles and values.
He began his career working with the City of Cerritos, specializing in planning and city management. He has developed both infill and planned residential neighborhoods ranging from entry-level housing to half-acre custom homes.
"There is a lot of opportunity out there now in the infill development market. You just have to know what you’re looking for and be open to finding answers in unexpected places."
Brett Whitehead
Principal / CEO
Brett had just earned his MBA at Pepperdine University with his sights set on Wall Street when he decided to lend his financial expertise to Brandywine Homes in 1998. Now, he is our CEO.
His background in finance has played a large role in Brandywine Homes’ development of an impressive network of construction lenders and equity partners in the face of a very challenging building and development market. Brett has his hands in land acquisition, entitlements, forward planning and finance. He has been an integral part of the acquisition and planning of over 60 developments and over 2000 residential units.
His hands-on approach in developing community land plans allows Brandywine Homes to create unique and innovative communities that complement surrounding neighborhoods and help complete the vision of the cities that welcome them.
"Being in redevelopment, the unexpected and surprising is part of what we do. Our team works together to understand a challenge and figure out a solution with the resources available."
Mark Whitehead
Principal / COO
The attention to quality construction and detail that Mark brings to his role with our company is one of the reasons many of our customers have purchased second and third Brandywine Homes.
Overseeing Operations, Mark’s duties include managing construction and purchasing. Since joining Brandywine Homes in 1995, he has established long-term relationships with material suppliers and subcontractors which have allowed Brandywine Homes to benefit from master contracts. This helps to minimize construction costs while maintaining a quality that shows in every completed home, which is a testament to the quality control and attention to customer service Mark demands.
Mark learned the business from the ground up by working as a field superintendent overseeing daily operations and construction of various communities in Southern California. His ability to work closely with municipal officials during the entitlement process sets the stage for Brandywine Homes and the city to work together to create cohesive communities.
"Brandywine Homes stays focused on what homebuyers actually want. We don’t take anything for granted. We’re always turning the stone over, watching for new trends and asking ourselves what people are looking for that they can’t find anywhere else."
Dave Barisic
Principal / Sales and Marketing
When it comes to reading the market and knowing what our customers want in a new home, there’s no one better than Dave, who has overseen sales and marketing since 2001.
His duties require a wide and deep understanding of the marketplace that Dave has developed by interviewing residents, poring over local publications and researching the histories of previous developments. He strategically blends this local data into the real estate market by conducting monthly analyses of existing and new home sales data, inventory and pricing trends. This enables Brandywine Homes to develop communities that not only appeal to our customers, but also are a seamless fit into surrounding neighborhoods.
Dave’s impressive track record with us includes overseeing the sale of homes in more than 50 communities across Southern California and driving almost $1 billion in revenue. He has been a licensed real estate broker in California since 2003.
"He has personally been associated with the acquisition, entitlement and development of 70 communities, which represents 2,700 units."
Alex Hernandez
President / Homebuilding Division
With over 30 years of experience with Infill real estate development and land planning in Southern California, Alex has personally been associated with the acquisition, entitlement and development of 80 communities, which represents 3,000 units. Prior to joining Brandywine Homes in November 2013, Alex held numerous positions with The Olson Company including Managing Director of their Orange County Division and Senior Vice President of Acquisition and Forward Planning. Alex also formed and managed TELACU Development’s for sale housing division for six years. Mr. Hernandez started his career as a city planner for major cities including Long Beach, Hermosa Beach and Los Alamitos.