Team Leads
Kara Johnston
President
Construction has always been one of Kara’s passions. While achieving her B.S. in Construction Management at Cal Poly SLO, she concurrently gained hands on experience working as a carpenter framing houses. She interned with a tenant improvement contractor during summers and went into the commercial construction field immediately after college.
Her career has had a focus in the commercial tenant improvement industry in San Francisco, Oakland, and the surrounding Bay Area for 20+ years. She is the liaison between teams during build outs, assisting the owner’s team with useful information and knowledge to make educated decisions. Her experience includes numerous projects with challenging logistics successfully managing cost control and schedules. Her vast project involvement includes countless tenant improvement projects, numerous building lobbies, a 300,000 sq ft full building renovation, fitness centers and amenity spaces. Her expertise and confidence to each project she undertakes is recognized by working with repeat clients in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.
Ruben Ruiz
General Superintendent
Ruben Ruiz is a seasoned construction professional with over 20 years of experience in commercial construction. He excels at coordinating and managing diverse crews. Throughout his career, he managed projects ranging from lobby renovations to large-scale tenant relocations, demonstrating expertise in vendor management, subcontractor negotiations, and construction challenges. Ruben’s vast experience include skills in environmental remediation and compliance.
Educated at San Francisco Community College and trained with the Carpenter Union Local 22, he is a motivated problem-solver with a strong mechanical aptitude and a deep understanding of construction methods and materials.
Christina Wagenseller
Project Manager
With nearly 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Christina brings deep expertise and hands-on knowledge across a wide range of project types and sectors. Her background spans commercial tenant improvements for office and retail spaces, including adaptive reuse of existing structures. She adds specialized experience in tailoring environments for corporate, automotive, and industrial tenants. She has a strong foundation in IT integration and R&D environments, ensuring that each project is built with future-ready solutions and cutting-edge precision. Her commitment to quality, efficiency, and innovation has earned a reputation for delivering projects on time, on budget, and beyond expectations.
Outside of work, she stays active and grounded by coaching youth softball, exploring the outdoors on her side-by-side, and boating across different lakes. She is also passionate about DIY projects and always finding new ways to improve her home. This same dedication to building, fixing, and improving carries over into every professional project she takes on.
Whether you’re transforming a newly leased space or modernizing an existing interior, Christina brings expertise and industry insight to deliver tailored tenant improvement solutions that align with your business vision.
Samantha Johnston
Project Coordinator
Samantha Johnston is a recent Southern Utah University graduate, Summa Cum Laude, with a B.S. in Political Science and a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She is currently working towards her J.D. at Lincoln Memorial University’s Duncan School of Law.
She assists with project coordination, process management, and technology to streamline communication and improve efficiency. Samantha’s role includes maintaining accurate documentation and supporting teams so that they can do what they do best: bring high-quality projects to life. She looks forward to bridging the gap between the field and office to make collaboration easier and more effective.
