The Hess Callahan Grey Group (“HCG Group”) is a partnership between local developers Mike Hess, Mark Grey, and Joanna Callahan.
The team has a depth of experience in commercial development spanning 65 years and dozens of diverse projects including office, retail, medical, and marina uses. Together, they have developed innovative and award-winning projects in Seattle, focusing in particular on the North Lake Union submarket.
With deep ties to the Pacific Northwest, the HCG Group has earned a reputation for delivering high quality, distinctive projects that prioritize sustainability, innovation, and one-of-a-kind design.
As a team, Mike, Mark, and Joanna have proven themselves as leading local developers capable of managing complex projects to deliver cutting edge buildings, thoughtfully designed with tenant and community needs in mind.
Mike Hess. Mike brings over 40 years of experience in the development industry to each project. Before attending the University of Washington where he studied Economics, Mike grew up in Ohio and British Columbia. At U.W., Mike was a two-time Captain of the U.W. rowing team and member of the 1976 United States Olympic rowing team. Mike started his career at Walter E Heller and Co., where he worked on financing commercial real estate projects before joining First Western Development. At First Western, Mike became a partner and developed an impressive portfolio of diverse projects across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana over 30+ years. At the Hess Callahan Grey group, Mike is a trusted lead on finance and constructability, ensuring execution on big project goals while keeping a focused eye on details.
Mike’s community involvement revolves around his passions for the University of Washington, Rowing and Art. He serves on the University of Washington Board of Rowing Stewards and remains very involved with his alma mater where he has also served on the Alumni Board and the Advisory Committee for Real Estate. He is also a member of the Betty Bowen Award Committee for the Seattle Art Museum. And has been involved with the US National Rowing Team for decades including long stints on the National Rowing Foundation board and the Olympic High Performance Committee.
Mark Grey. Mark is a Seattle local and tireless advocate for projects that contribute to their communities in a meaningful way. Through his 25+ years of experience across the brokerage, property management, and development industries, Mark brings a depth and breadth of experience to HCG’s projects. Mark grew up in Seattle and attended Roosevelt High School before earning a B.A. in Business from Santa Clara. He returned to Seattle where he learned property management at Stephen C. Grey and Associates before eventually becoming Principal and owner of the company. As part of the Hess Callahan Grey Group, Mark is consistently working to deliver projects that center sustainability and innovation, while leaning on his property management experience to ensure function and reliability for tenants.
Mark is the Founder of Clean Lake Union (non-profit). Please read more about his efforts here: Clean Lake Union. He is also a Green Globe Award Winner, (CLU, 2019) King County’s highest honor for local, environmental efforts!
Joanna Callahan. When Jo began her career in real estate development 10+ years ago at First Western Development, she quickly learned how much she loved the process of seeing a project come to life. Joanna holds a B.A. from Yale, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, and a law degree from the University of Washington. Since returning to her hometown of Seattle, Jo has been deeply involved in development, and has helped guide award winning projects to success as part of the HCG group. With her legal background, Jo often focuses on coordinating legal efforts on projects, while also tackling whatever challenge presents itself between building visioning and successful completion.
Joanna is active within the Seattle community serving on the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Facilities Committee and Henry Art Gallery Board. She also coaches her daughter’s Rookies Basketball team at the YMCA. Jo was honored in 2019 with Puget Sound Business Journal Commercial Real Estate Leadership Award , “Up and Coming Developer”.
Molly Barry. Molly joined the HCG group in 2020 after 25 years with Turner Construction, one of the nation’s largest general contractors, and brings her deep knowledge of all phases of construction to each project. Growing up in Yakima, Molly worked for her father’s general contracting company where he instilled in her a love of building. Molly earned a degree in Building Construction from the University of Washington, before joining Turner where she managed a wide variety of projects from major healthcare institutions, high-rise residential, innumerable special projects / tenant improvements, and sports facilities. At HCG, Molly is involved with each project from its inception through occupancy to ensure intelligent design, efficient construction, and smooth delivery.
Molly annually bakes over 100 loaves of bread for Community Loaves and volunteers as a Huskies@Work Mentor. She serves as the classroom parent in her son’s school and is the procurement coordinator for the annual school fundraiser.