Our Story

While getting our master’s degrees, we – Jesus Mendoza, Justin Ling and Lucas Perretti – collaborated on several great projects. With different strengths and personalities, we found that our group just worked. More importantly, we created a deep friendship. This friendship started with class projects, but soon resulted in student organizations and event planning. Together we re-imagined the business school’s graduate-level student organization; and created and launched an annual charity fundraiser.

At graduation, Lucas delivered the commencement speech. In it, he challenged the graduates to “Do Stuff” reminding all that to take our education and passions and to become the leaders of Community; to fix things that didn’t work; and to empower others – because “altruism begets success.”

After graduation, we regularly met to evaluate what we could do. How could we use our new-found knowledge and skills to better the world? We discussed our talents and passions. It became clear, whatever it was, we must be committed to make a difference through inspiration and stronger connection within society.

Graduation only further spurred our desire to evolve as entrepreneurs. We concluded: great change was not only possible, it would happen. Our efforts focused on one purpose, social entrepreneurship with the goal of creating the socially conscious business we all craved to see in the world – a firm with more than a profit-driven bottom line. A firm that celebrated employees and their passions. Ultimately, a firm that existed to improve Community – in which we lived, worked, and played – that promised a true Triple Bottom Line.

As the lenses became focused, two stories emerged. One was about real estate and one about giving back.

Jesus, a broker for more than 10 years, started Vista Realty in 2005, a small real estate company focused on client needs and benefits with a total commitment to personal one-on-one service. He was passionate about finding good people the right home. He found this sometimes meant advising clients when buying or selling their home might not be in their best interest. Obviously, this commitment to good people results in fewer transactions – but, he explains “I always felt this long term view served the greater good.”

Lucas, a licensed real estate broker since 2004, worked for nearly nine years as a land use economic consultant developing an intimate knowledge of development throughout Northern California, its value, and what goes into making real estate get off the ground. This includes scary things like “Mello-Roos” and taxes! But over the years, he has shared his passion of giving back through volunteerism, and a commitment to community leadership.

Justin, a marketing and technology guru, has worked in marketing and communications since 2006. He also had a strong interest in website design, application development and graphic design. As a father of three young children, Justin has a strong passion for helping local schools and community programs supporting child development. He often wondered if good schools equal better real estate, what synergies result between real estate and education to improve both, maybe even putting more money back into schools.

Suddenly it became clear. Real estate agents are the “boots on the ground” intimately connected to Community. And, with a strong background in, and passion for, real estate – it just made sense – we could innovate within the real estate industry to make maximum positive growth in Community!

With that in mind, we set about creating a real estate company with community and charity baked into its DNA. A company whose charity foundation, allowing its owners and employees to never waver or diverge from a passion to give back.

And by building charity into its core and creating performance metrics focused on community benefit, we promise a company firmly committed to its social entrepreneurial goals.