Meet the team

Steve Vliss is a Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Highpointe Communities where he co-founded the company in 1997. Over the years, Steve has guided the company through various transitions through ever-changing economic climates. His strong leadership, knowledge and wisdom is the culmination of more than thirty years of experience in the real estate development industry. Steve’s vision for the company embraces the concept of community building throughout the supply chain. To ensure the successful completion of each project, he believes it’s important to be sensitive to the needs and desires of landowners, neighboring communities, local government, permitting agencies, builders and ultimately homeowners.

A Southern California native, Steve began his career in real estate development after attending the University of California, Irvine. Shortly thereafter, he joined Inco Homes, a publicly-traded California homebuilder, where he quickly advanced to the level of Senior Vice President and then, Chief Operating Officer. Following his tenure at Inco, Steve joined Kaufman & Broad in 1995 as president of its Homebuilding and Development Division for Orange County and the Inland Empire Region of Southern California. He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Building Industry Association and is also a member of the Urban Land Institute.

Timothy D. England is another Principal, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Highpointe Communities. He has over 20 years’ experience in real estate development, finance and accounting. Timothy began his career with Kenneth Leventhal & Company (CPA’s) as a real estate industry specialist and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1989. Over the next 10 years, he served in various positions with Brookfield Development Corporation, including VP and Chief Financial Officer of their U.S. Western Region. Just before joining Highpointe Communities, Timothy served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Polygon Group of Companies. There, he was responsible for the company’s financing and investor relation’s activities as well as overseeing several operating entities and joint venture investments. Timothy has managed over $1 billion dollars in financing transactions, including corporate lines of credit, acquisition and development as well as construction loans for commercial and residential projects, community facilities and other assessment districts and bonding lines.

Timothy received his B.S. degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fullerton in 1984.

Bobby Shakoory is a Principal and Chief Investment Officer of Highpointe Communities. As a licensed real estate attorney and private wealth and investment management executive, he brings over 20 years’ experience to the company. Bobby started his career at Granville Homes where he served as in-house counsel for acquisitions. From there, he joined the Assemi Group as Director of Real Estate Investments and then, Vice President.

Over the years, Bobby has established a strong track record for managing all aspects of real estate investment and development operations, utilizing a value-add investment strategy. He has considerable expertise in deal negotiation, land acquisition, entitlement, horizontal development, construction and property management across the sales of single-family, multi-family and commercial real estate projects.

Bobby earned his Master of Laws degree from Loyola Law School and his Doctor of Juridical Science from Emory University. He also received his Certificate of Leadership & Business Excellence from the University of California, Berkeley. Bobby has served at San Joaquin College of Law as adjunct faculty for business organizations.

Sona Shakoory is the Director of Finance at Highpointe Communities. Sona has joined HPC group in September 2022 with an extensive knowledge in Business Risk Management, Finance and Securitizations.

Sona plays a critical role in partnering with the senior leadership team at HPC in strategic decision making and operations, financial planning, treasury and investor relations to support continued business growth. Sona has received her Master’s in Statistics in 2014 from Georgia State University and has been working in Financial Industry in key executive functions for the past 10 years.

Prior to Highpointe, Sona acted as Vice President of Business Risk Management at CIG Financial where she was responsible for detecting and scrutinizing all possible risks that may end up impacting on organization’s financial success and developed business strategies that helped CIG to minimize risk as well as maximize growth.

Her areas of expertise include but not limited to Market and Operational Risk Management, Securitizations, Forecasting Models, FP&A, and Compliance.

Ross Yamaguchi is the Director of Community Development with Highpointe Communities. Throughout his career, he has promoted positive development and economic growth across a wide range of real estate applications, including residential, commercial and industrial developments. Ross brings considerable experience in real estate development from working in the Vancouver metro area as well as the larger Los Angeles basin in Southern California.

As a visionary professional, Ross is driven to create communities that benefit both the public and private sectors. At Highpointe, he continues his commitment to incorporating innovation into every development project he manages.

Ross earned his economics degree from the University of California, Riverside, and his Masters in Intercultural Studies at Biola University. He has also completed certificate programs of Light Construction/Land Development and Project Management at University of California Irvine.

Alissa J. Tibbs has over 20 years of experience in the multi-family construction and development industry. During that time, she has been responsible for the construction oversight of more than 2,200 apartment homes, ranging from low-income and affordable garden-style units to complicated mixed-use multifamily projects throughout California and Arizona.

Alissa had held past positions with Hanover Company, USA Property Fund, UDR and Adolfson & Peterson Construction. She is currently the Director of Multifamily Development at Highpointe Communities where she oversees the design, predevelopment, planning, and construction of multi-family projects in both the Texas and California markets.

Alissa earned her B.S.B.A from Concordia University, Irvine and her Masters in Real Estate Development (MRED) from the University of Arizona, where she graduated with honors. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute (“ULI”).

Patrick Sinderhoff is Director of Acquisitions at Highpointe Communities. Since joining HPC in 2023, he has been focused on sourcing land opportunities, financial modeling, and contract negotiations for new residential investments throughout Southern California and Central Texas.

Prior to joining Highpointe Communities, Patrick worked in the public homebuilding sphere and played an integral role in the acquisition of more than 4,500 lots in Southern California with a transaction value in excess of $370 million. During this time, he established numerous relationships with brokerage firms, land owners, and municipalities which proved vital in facilitating successful transactions. Patrick began his real estate career as a third-party consultant gaining experience in for sale, rental, and commercial property valuation.

Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in both Geography and Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Sherri Severino is an Assistant Project Manager with Highpointe Communities. She currently assists Project Management in both Single and Multi-Family Development. She brings with her several years’ experience working alongside the Management Teams at Lennar and Meritage Homes. From Building Permits, HOA Development, Budgets to Final Community Buildout & Turnover, Sherri takes pride in a job well done and on schedule. She has been involved on projects that span from San Diego, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.

In the workplace, Sherri has been instrumental in implementing division processes and efficiencies and uses her positive attitude to encourage others along the way. With her Can-Do attitude, she is an asset to have on our Team.

Cory Babinski is a Project Manager with Highpointe Communities who has nearly 10 years of experience in the Construction Management and Multi-family field. Prior to joining Highpointe Cory was with Hanover Company, one of the well known multifamily developers in the nation, where he was managing and delivering projects in their SoCal market. Cory also has experience with top ENR G.C, managing diverse project types that include healthcare, airport modernization, schooling, and tenant improvement.

His detail oriented approach makes him a valuable asset to the team. Cory holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.