Joey Rogers

I was born on the coast in Southwest Washington and grew up sailing and fishing. I graduated at 16 and left home shortly thereafter. I went to college in Bellingham, WA And worked at Mt. Baker for 2 years. After college I moved to Portland to form a surf rock band, where we played locally.

When I turned 21, I moved to Maui and lived there for 11 years. I ran a crew building multimillion-dollar custom homes along the golf courses of Wailea. For fun I surfed, spearfished, and competed in long-distance triathlons. I moved back to the mainland to look after my mom and take care of her property on the coast. I worked for myself doing residential remodels from Portland down to Palos Verdes. I’d take the winter off and live in Seaside so I could focus on surfing.

I met my wife on the coast. She was into running half marathons and we hit it off. We got married and bought her grandparents' house in Salem, where I ran my friend’s residential framing company. The company dissolved in 2015 and that is when I applied to Essex. I caught the tail end of The Boat House, followed by the Russell project. The rest is history.

I am now an assistant superintendent and have found a home with Essex. The work I do is tremendously rewarding, not only for myself but also for the communities that we help. I love what I do and I am excited to watch how the industry is being transformed through science and technology.

When I’m not at work I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I have a daughter, a stepdaughter who’s married, and a couple of grandkids. In the summer we like to travel, ride the four-wheelers, paddleboard and kayak. In the winter the kids love playing in the snow. I still play the drums. I’m learning the mandolin, and once in a while I get out and surf the Oregon coast.