Meet our Team

Greg Hawes

Greg Hawes is a Graduate Master Builder with over 40 years of experience in the home building profession. He worked for 18 years as President of Partners in Building. With his position at Partners in Building, he was able to expand the company from a start-up to a full-fledged reputable business, ranked by Houston Business Journal as one of the top 10 largest Houston home builders.

Building luxurious custom homes has always been his passion, and with Jamestown, Greg is fulfilling his dream of working with his daughters. As President of Jamestown Estate Homes, Greg was named Custom Builder of the Year for 2013 by the Greater Houston Builders Association. This prestigious award recognizes both Greg’s commitment to building outstanding custom homes and his contribution to the home building community.

Having grown up in Bunker Hill Village and being a current resident of Piney Point Village, Greg understands and loves building custom homes in the Memorial Villages. Greg graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelors Degree in Math. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and tending to his lake house in Conroe.

Katy Hawes

Katy earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas with High Honors and worked in medical research before pursuing her MBA with a concentration in Accounting from Rice University. This unusual combination has proven quite useful for the financial side of the homebuilding business. Katy knows the “molecules” of the homes; which makes her budgets highly precise. She uses this attention to fine details in all of her professional endeavors.

Katy is a resident of the Oak Forest neighborhood in Houston and enjoys riding her bike around the neighborhood to try new beers and food at the local breweries and restaurants. When Katy travels with her husband, she can be found taking tours to learn more about how each place’s local history influenced its architecture.

Victoria Hawes Devenney

Victoria graduated first in her class from the University of Houston before getting her Master’s Degree in Communication from Purdue University. She started at Jamestown as a construction superintendent and was named “2014 Project Manager of the Year” by the Texas Association of Builders’ and “2013 Custom Superintendent of the Year” by the Greater Houston Builders Association.

Victoria is a Certified Green Professional and a Certified Graduate Builder. Both of these designations are earned through the National Association of Home Builders. She has served on the Board of Directors for the State and National Home Builders Associations. Victoria enjoys helping create new designs for Jamestown clients.

Matt Norris

Matt grew up in the homebuilding business.  As a teenager, he spent his weekends and summers working with his dad, doing everything from digging foundations to nailing in shingles.  Matt graduated from Sam Houston State University with a degree in business management. 

Before joining Jamestown Estate Homes, he worked for 19 years as an area manager with another Houston homebuilder, overseeing the construction of hundreds of homes in Houston’s finest communities.  In his spare time, Matt enjoys spending time on his boat at Lake Summerville and Lake Conroe.  He also enjoys going to baseball games and watching his son participate in rodeo events.

Tony Farahani

For the last 35 years, Tony has built a career in new home sales, including 15 years at Emerald Homes and 13 years with a volume custom builder before joining Jamestown Estate Homes. Tony has a passion for designing homes.  He enjoys working on custom home designs, turning his clients’ wish list and ideas into their dream homes.

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pars College in Iran, Tony moved to New Haven, Connecticut in 1976. There, he earned a master’s degree in Industrial Relations and Management from the University of New Haven. A Houstonian since 1981, Tony started his career in new home sales at First Colony in Sugar Land. In his spare time, Tony enjoys reading, oil painting and spending time with his grandchildren.

Greg Miller

Greg Miller has served homebuyers in the Houston area for 18 years.  His focus is always ensuring every client feels delighted throughout the entire process.  Greg graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree and then continued his higher education while serving for 6 years in the United States Air Force, mostly in Frankfurt, Germany. When away from work, Greg’s passions include his faith, family, and travel.

Greg’s industry awards include:  Houston’s Prism Award for Best New Home Salesperson Houston (2 times), Star Award for State of Texas Salesperson of the Year (2 times) and The Woodlands Texas Salesperson of The Year (5 times).

Laura Cyr

Originally from Boston, Laura graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in construction management. Laura started in construction at age 15 and was featured in two seasons of the home builders’ show “This Old House.” She has also worked on state and federal heavy construction projects while in Massachusetts, making her uniquely qualified for expediting the permit process. As the point-person of our warranty department, she provides excellent customer service through prompt communication and organization.

In her free time, she avidly renovates her home and rehabs her garage sale finds.

Spencer Sledge

A graduate of Texas Tech University, Spencer worked for a large production builder prior to joining the Jamestown team. With a proven track record of delighting homeowners and adhering to timelines, he is thrilled to use his creativity in building custom homes with the unique details that we offer.

As a resident of Oak Forest, he is dedicated to our clients and bettering the community in which he resides. He volunteers for projects benefiting the Sunshine Kids and HomeAid Houston. Spencer and his wife Kelsey are parents to a toddler boy and a baby girl.

Giorgio Rodriguez

Giorgio graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in construction management.  After managing a restaurant for several years, he pursued his passion in new home construction.  Giorgio worked for a production home builder for six years before joining the Jamestown team.

In his spare time, Giorgio enjoys traveling, playing flag football, skiing, and watching Houston sports teams play.  Giorgio has two young children and another one on the way.

Brad DeSpain

Working for a small homebuilder for 13 years, Brad experienced every aspect of the building business.  Not only was Brad in charge of new home construction, but he was also involved in sales, product design and even helping with selections. Brad got into homebuilding by accident.  In his youth, he got an internship with a production homebuilder, but the job consisted mainly of sweeping houses.  After six weeks, his hard work helped him get promoted to a superintendent, and later he was promoted to project manager.

When Brad isn’t working, you’ll find him and his wife taxiing their four children to baseball, football and tumbling practice.  In addition to watching his kids play, Brad also coaches one of his son’s baseball teams.

Darryn Sheppard

Darryn graduated from Baylor University with a business degree in Management Information Systems. In college, he was a part of the university’s baseball program, where he played for 3 years and earned athletic and academic honors. He began his career in construction working for a production builder, followed by 3 years of experience inspecting homes for a highly-respected third-party inspecting company.

In Darryn’s free time, he enjoys taking his boat out on the lake with family and friends, playing sand volleyball, and supporting his favorite sporting teams. Darryn and his wife live in Towne Lake with their golden retriever.

John Fenner

John has always been interested in the building industry, so when the opportunity to work or a homebuilder came along, he jumped at the chance.  With over 20 years’ experience as a superintendent, John has worked with volume, semi-custom and full custom builders.

One of John’s greatest achievements is earning the rank of Eagle Scout.  A Texas native, John moved to the Houston area in 1986.  John loves living by the water, as well as spending time with his wife and 10 grandkids.  He also enjoys camping and fishing.

Elizabeth Phillips

After living in The Netherlands for five years, Elizabeth returned to Houston in 2019 and rejoined her family at Jamestown Estate Homes.  Elizabeth brings both new home sales experience and experience working as the marketing director for a volume semi-custom home builder.  In 2011, Elizabeth was named Houston’s Best Marketing Director of the Year.

Elizabeth graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Marketing.  She loves living in the Heights, and can often be seen walking on the trails with her children or riding her bike.

Lisa Carls

Lisa is a native Houstonian, but she has lived and worked around the world.  After graduating from Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, she interned with designer Marcel Wanders in Amsterdam studio.  Lisa has worked on projects in London, Zurich, Provence and Doha, to name a few.

Since she returned to Houston in 2013, Lisa has been busy designing custom homes for clients and builders. Lisa loves to travel, and she is inspired by new discoveries new places.  Her hobbies include spin class, cycling, museum hopping, exploring new restaurants, yoga and hiking.

Sergio Arata

Originally from Lima, Peru, Sergio and his family moved to Houston in 2002 to pursue the American dream.  He has worked as a designer for both commercial and residential projects, before moving into construction management.  His expertise in estimating led to his career as a purchasing manager.

Sergio has a degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Universidad Ricardo Palma in Lima, and he also has an MBA in Business administration.  In his spare time, Sergio enjoys traveling, cycling, going to the beach, and spending time with daughters and wife.

Matthew Ellwood

For generations, Matthew’s family has been involved in either homebuilding or accounting, so it’s no wonder he joined the Jamestown team in our accounting department. Matthew is a 4th generation Aggie, with a bachelor’s degree from TAMU in accounting.

In his spare time, Matthew enjoys listening to live music, visiting breweries, and volunteering. He also tends to his family’s ranch near Rockne, Texas.

In Memoriam: Mike Prejeant

Mike was part of the Jamestown team from the start, and he played a big role in our direction and successes.  He was passionate about details (especially trim work) and he treated each home as if he were building it for his family. We will strive to continue that legacy in his absence.  Homeowners, contractors and suppliers all enjoyed working with and learning from Mike, and he will be greatly missed by all.

Mike earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University. He received the 2012 Superintendent of the Year award for PRISM, presented by the Greater Houston Builders Association. In 2013, he received the Superintendent of the Year designation from the Star Awards, presented by the Texas Association of Builders.