Firm: Genesis Builders & Montage Development

Website: Genesis Builders 

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Stephen C. Ross serves as Principal of Genesis Builders, a joint venture with Cityview created in response to the devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena. Following the fire, Mr. Ross created Genesis Builders—a turn-key rebuilding solution for fire-impacted Altadena homeowners. Rather than acquiring lots from displaced families, Genesis Builders focuses on rebuilding homes with the community, offering pre-approved designs, fixed pricing, guaranteed timelines, and comprehensive construction management to help neighbors rebuild faster and with fewer hurdles.

Mr. Ross is also the President, Chief Executive Officer, sole shareholder, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Montage Development, Inc., which he founded in 1996. He directs Montage's vision and strategy, overseeing land acquisition, investment, and project design. Recognized for his expertise in land valuation and development feasibility, Mr. Ross has built Montage into a respected leader in residential real estate development.

He pioneered Montage's philosophy of Socially Responsive Development—a commitment to proactive community outreach and long-term neighborhood betterment. Under his leadership, Montage has delivered thousands of housing opportunities for working families, first-time and move-up buyers, as well as custom luxury homes in Los Angeles and the Central Coast. Montage is dedicated to building safe, environmentally friendly homes and has also developed multi-family apartment communities designed to give tenants a pathway to future homeownership.

Montage believes it has a responsibility to the communities where it builds. This commitment is rooted in a belief in community empowerment, providing working families the opportunity to achieve the American dream of homeownership, and creating safer, stronger neighborhoods. Whenever the opportunity arises to leverage its skills and resources for long-term community betterment, Montage can be counted on to do so.

Favorite Project: Avivo is my favorite project I’ve worked on to date. It was especially challenging because the previous builder’s design hadn’t resonated with buyers, which required a thoughtful and strategic repositioning. By reimagining the design to better align with what buyers were truly looking for, we were able to transform the project’s trajectory. The result was an overwhelmingly positive reception—Avivo sold quickly and ultimately became the fastest-selling development project in San Luis Obispo.