Meet the Kiper Team

Today, building on the strong foundation forged over four decades ago, Kiper Homes has grown to become one of the largest and most successful private homebuilders in Northern California. Founded by Rick Kiper, an experienced local builder with roots in custom homebuilding, Kiper Homes is proud to bring a custom eye for detail, design and delivery to the production market. One of the cornerstones to the success of our company is the team we have assembled- many of which have been with Kiper Homes for twenty plus years.

Ed has 30 years of experience in the construction industry and has been involved in nearly every aspect of the operations at Kiper Development since joining the company in 1995. As VP/CFO, his responsibilities include assisting with the day-to-day operations as well as overseeing all accounting and financial aspects of the business.  Ed also holds a CA Broker’s license and acts as the company’s broker responsible for overseeing all Sales activities. Ed was previously a co-owner of a Framing Subcontractor providing rough framing, lumber and trusses to new home builders in the Bay Area. Upon graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Ed started his career as a staff accountant with a “Big 8” accounting firm (Deloitte Haskin & Sells) in San Francisco. During his tenure, he passed the CPA exam and received his CPA license while allocating time between the audit and tax departments of the firm working with clients of all sizes, eventually taking an interest in real estate development and the construction industry.

As Director of Interior Design, Jeananne brings over 35 years of residential interior design experience to the Kiper team, and she has personally overseen the decoration of dozens of model Kiper Homes. Jeananne’s well-trained eye for color, quality, functionality, space, and lighting makes her an invaluable resource in the design of each interior living space, and she continues to be recognized for her clean, timeless style that remains fresh year after year. Her work showcases the originality and craftsmanship of every Kiper Home, enabling homebuyers to visualize the various ways that a floor plan can be tailored to fit their specific needs. 

Though Jeananne loves the challenge of decorating each new model Kiper home, she is most passionate when she is able to use her creativity to help others in her community. Most recently, Jeananne spearheaded an effort to redesign, remodel and refurbish the Fireside Lounge, a gathering space at the San Damiano Retreat in Danville that hosts more than 10,000 people each year. Her goal there was the same as her goal with every Kiper home—to create a beautiful, functional space that facilitates family, friendship, and positive human connection.

As Vice President of Operations, John provides leadership for all operations and strategic initiatives for Kiper Homes, and he actively directs both long-term investment and development decisions as well as day-to-day project oversight. John has crafted an expertise in the planning, design, construction, and marketing of a diverse range of product offerings, from entry-level production homes to high-end custom residences. Additionally, John’s strong industry relationships—with architects, engineers, planners, subcontractors, and investors, among others—are instrumental in ensuring that cohesive decisions are made, communicated and executed, all of which is necessary to achieve the company’s goal of delivering only the highest quality communities. Prior to joining Kiper Homes in 2010, John received his Master‘s Degree in Real Estate from the University of San Diego. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Policy, Management, and Planning from the University of Southern California, as well as his broker’s license in the State of California. What John loves most about being a builder is the ability to leave a lasting legacy in the communities he develops. As a second generation home builder, John takes great pride in touring the thousands of homes built by his father over the past several decades and hopes one day to do the same with his own children. With this in mind, it is vitally important to John that every Kiper home is built not only to physically stand the test of time, but also to embody the aspects of thoughtful design that make every Kiper Homes community truly timeless. This is what it means, to us, to be “Home to Higher Standards.”

David oversees Kiper Homes’ wide range of financial operations, inclusive of its development, asset management, and internal accounting activities. David is responsible for underwriting all property acquisitions and dispositions, ensuring that thorough financial due diligence is at the foundation of all the company’s investment decisions. In addition to guiding the company’s long-term financial planning, David actively maintains relationships with the company’s bankers and other capital sources, manages the company’s multi-family rental portfolio, and supervises all company accounting and cash flow management. Prior to joining Kiper Homes, David worked as a Certified Public Account at Deloitte & Touche, where he audited a variety of real estate companies. He graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2011, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance & Accounting. David is also a licensed California Real Estate Broker. Despite David’s love of “the numbers,” his favorite parts of the homebuilding business are those that are impossible to quantify: the positive review of a satisfied customer, the sight of an excited family moving into a new Kiper Homes community, and the thrill of seeking new opportunities.

Michael is General Counsel for Kiper Homes, overseeing all legal work for Kiper, including drafting purchase contracts and related transaction documents, and is involved in every step of the acquisition and development process, including site identification, due diligence, and the procurement of necessary land use entitlements. Prior to joining Kiper Homes, Michael was a real estate attorney at Cox, Castle & Nicholson in San Francisco, CA, where he represented developers, equity providers, and owners in the acquisition, disposition, and development of various types of real estate assets.  Michael received his J.D. from UCLA Law in May of 2016, where he served as President of the UCLA Real Estate Law Association and was awarded the Dean's Merit Scholarship.  Michael has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California (2013), where he also received a Minor in Real Estate Development. Michael loves building homes because, as opposed to many other careers he could have pursued in law, the homebuilding business doesn’t have “winners and losers.”  Rather, a successful Kiper Homes project is one where all parties involved—the homebuyer, the builder, and the community as a whole—come away feeling like winners.

The construction team would not be the same without the steady hand and guidance of Jack Guzman. Jack began in the construction industry at the young age of 15 working with his father in concrete. He became a carpenter at age 19 and completed his trade education and apprenticeship at 23 when he became a journeymen carpenter. In 1994, Jack started with Kiper Homes as a customer service representative moving up the ladder quickly to Project Superintendent. In 2012, he was promoted to General Superintendent and in early 2019 was named VP of Construction- a title well deserved. May 30th, 2019, Jack celebrated his 25th year with Kiper Homes.

Why does he love building homes? “Because there’s no more satisfying feeling than to build someone their dream home.”

Linda joined forces with Kiper Homes in 2004 and manages all of their sales and marketing activities. Having obtained her Real Estate license in 1978, Linda has experience working in the resale environment, has served as Vice President of an LA-based real estate oriented advertising agency, as well as a Publisher of Real Estate magazines, Linda brings a wealth of knowledge in both the sales and marketing arena to the Kiper Homes team. In 1999, Linda established a sales and marketing company, Diversified Marketing and Communications, which serves builders and their local sales and marketing needs. Linda attended the University of California Santa Barbara with an emphasis in Biology and Graphic Design and is a national speaker on Green Building, Networking, The Female Homebuyer, Multi-cultural selling and more. She currently serves on the Building Industry Association of The Bay Area Board of Directors, National Association of Home Builder (NAHB) Delegate and most recently was named NAHB Professional Women in Building National Chair (2015) and NAHB Sales and Marketing Council National Chair (2017)

From concept to completion, the building process offers a variety of things to accomplish on a daily basis. It is challenging, exciting and rewarding. The best part is seeing the joy in a new homeowners' eyes as you hand over the keys- knowing there will be years of memories made in their new Kiper Home.

Doug Ledeboer has over 30 years of experience in the Building Industry and currently assists Kiper Homes with acquisition and project entitlements. Mr. Ledeboer is the owner and founder of a successful real estate development firm and his areas of expertise range from site analysis and acquisitions through project design and entitlements. Prior to his affiliation with Kiper Homes, Doug oversaw the project management department for a large publicly traded company and managed project implementation for all northern California projects. Doug is also a former member of the Building Industry Association’s Legislative Review Committee and Department of Real Estate Task Force.

Maria comes to Kiper Homes with a depth of knowledge about the real estate industry as well as accounting. She earned her B.S. in Business Admin/Accounting at San Francisco State University and has worked in both commercial as well as residential real estate since 1990. Currently, she serves as the Kiper Development Inc. Controller (2004-present). The Bay Area has been her home for the past 40 years. Maria has been happily married for 25 years and has 2 young adult daughters. Her strong family foundation has a big impact on her work ethics and contributes to her success at Kiper Homes. In the last 15 years, she has seen the volatility of the real estate market and is proud that Kiper Homes has withstood the test of time. She is honored to be working with a well-rounded team of professionals and enjoys the versatility and the variety of communities that Kiper Homes builds.

Jill graduated San Francisco State University with a Degree in Business with an emphasis in marketing which has served her well as the Purchasing Manager for Kiper Homes. As with many of the Kiper team members, Mrs. Laird has worn several hats since joining Kiper Homes in 2005. She has done everything from office management, accounting, marketing coordination, options, customer service and purchasing. Jill brings a keen eye and sharp pencil to the purchasing department for which Kiper Homes is grateful.

What does Jill love about homebuilding? “I love to see the process in the field. Being able to visualize form to frame is exciting to me. Knowing that I was part of a team that is providing a HOME is very fulfilling.”