Shea Properties, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, is a diversified real estate company responsible for the acquisition, design, development, construction, leasing, and management of business parks, shopping centers, apartment communities and mixed-use environments. Shea Properties currently owns and operates more than 8,600 apartment units and 4.9 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space in California, Colorado and Washington, with a strong pipeline of future projects. A STORIED PAST The history of the Shea family of companies began in 1881 when founder John F. Shea established a small plumbing business in Portland, Oregon. From those beginnings, the firm has grown into one of the largest, privately held real estate development and construction companies in the nation. The company's legacy of milestone achievements includes the building of the diversion channels for the Hoover Dam, the foundations for the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay bridges, and the tunnels for San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. Recently, JF Shea Construction helped build one of the largest desalination plants in the nation in Carlsbad, California, tunneled under the streets of Manhattan for the New York City subway system, and is currently working on the Los Angeles Metro LAX/Crenshaw line and the Purple Line extension. From its roots in heavy construction, the firm diversified into a family of companies that currently includes JF Shea Construction, Shea Homes, Trilogy Resort Communities, Shea Ventures, Shea Mortgage, Redding, Reed Manufacturing, Bluestar and Shea Properties.