Gilbert, better known as Mike, is the founder, President and CEO of Greenbriar Homes Communities, Inc., a private, high-quality single family home developer and builder in Northern California. Mike, a graduate of UC Berkeley’s MBA program and a CPA, started his career as a vice president of Boise Cascade Credit Corporation, repossessing homes and other improved real estate, refurbishing the units and reselling them. In 1976, Mike began building homes and apartments on his own. He started Greenbriar Homes recognized in the industry as one of the premier builders of quality homes in Northern California. He also founded Greenbriar Development Company, a developer, builder, manager and owner of apartment communities in the same area. In 1994, Mike took the apartment company public as Bay Apartment Communities, a real estate investment trust. In 1998, Mike merged Bay Apartment Communities with a similarly sized east coast apartment REIT called Avalon Communities. The new company, AvalonBay Communities, has become one of the nation’s leading REITs.