Love at First Site

Greg and Grace Shain Have Developed a Long-Lasting Marriage—and General Contracting Company

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

When thinking about Valentine’s Day, a general contracting firm might not come to mind. But maybe it should—at least when it comes to Shain Development, which was founded—with love and care—by Palisadian couple Greg and Grace Shain.

Greg, who was raised in Pacific Palisades and has lived in the area for more than 50 years, introduced Grace to the community more than three decades ago—making it the space where they raised their son and daughter, as well as where they built a full-service “luxury general contracting firm.”

Grace was born in Poland and moved to Beverly Hills when she was 12. She met Greg through friends at a sushi restaurant on what Greg described as a “sort of blind date” where she was set up with Greg’s friend who asked him to tag along. They ended up hitting it off—and the rest is history.

They have been married for 26 years, together for more than 30. When they met, Greg said he was working with his parents, and, over time, Greg and Grace began building their own business, developing homes together.

“I would say ’97 was the first home Grace and I developed together,” Greg recalled. “It was on Tigertail in Brentwood, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”

The Shains lived above Palisades Charter High School before moving to Rustic Canyon and finally to The Riviera, which is where Greg’s parents still live as well. He attended Marquez Charter Elementary, Paul Revere Charter Middle and Palisades Charter High schools.

“So yeah,” he said, “I’ve seen a lot of change in the neighborhood. It’s been exciting to see.”

Shain Development specializes in new construction, remodels and restorations, according to its website, adding that they are “second-generation builders with over 40 years of experience” that mostly build for owner users, referred by an architect or designer.

“We’re usually building people’s dream homes,” Greg explained to the Palisadian-Post. “That’s usually what it is, it’s their final destination. Most of the homes we do are, they’re large, they’re high end or custom, very luxurious … and we love doing it.”

Prior to its current iteration, in 2008, with the Great Recession, Greg explained that they saw the business “crumble to pieces.” It was then that they pivoted from just developing homes to a general contracting company—with some of their first projects with the new model being things like building a patio or fountain, which Greg described as “extremely humbling.”

Since they first started this approach, Greg said they have spent time growing the company, which has been “a lot of hard work,” but now they are “very grateful” to be building homes that are sometimes 15,000 to 20,000 square feet.

Shain Development is a “boutique company,” with a “great small group of people that work … really hard,” Greg said.

“Our main goal is to provide you with high quality, efficient, cost-effective services and a seamless construction management experience,” according to the website. “The inspiration to create Shain Development, Inc. started with a vision and a desire to build one-of-a-kind, timeless, extraordinary, dramatic and functional homes. We have spent years studying floor plans, researching new styles and trends; this is our passion and we bring these ideas to life.”

Greg said one of his favorite aspects of the work is talking to people—so he encouraged anyone who has questions about construction to reach out.

“I really like helping people, and I like holding people’s hand through the process and giving people advice, even if I don’t build their house, don’t get the job,” Greg said. “I’m always here [with] advice or guidance.”

The company is heavily tied to the community: Shain Development’s communications manager and executive assistant is Heaven Macpherson, who recently moved to the Palisades.

“We’re good members of the community,” Greg concluded. “We’ve been here for a very long time. And we appreciate everything that’s been thrown our way, we’re grateful to be here.”

For more information, visit shaindevelopment.com.