Bryce Phillips

FOUNDER

Having called Alpental his home mountain for many years, Bryce founded The Pass Life project in 2007. After founding evo, a Seattle based outdoor and action sports lifestyle retailer, in 2001, Bryce purchased a house in Hyak just east of this new development for evo employees to gather and enjoy the mountains.

Shortly after, it became clear that there was something missing at The Pass. It wasn’t great people or amazing recreation, but there truly was a void needing to be filled; a center for the community. After buying, fixing up and selling a number of homes at The Pass, Bryce set out to find a piece of land for a small, mixed-use project where this “center” could be built.

Admittedly having “no idea” what he was doing early on, Bryce assembled an A-list team of development professionals, architects, engineers and investors. “My dream” says Bryce “is for our project and all that will inevitably follow to showcase how special this region is. It’s a place that so many love, in a state that has a very bright future. I want to make sure that The Pass is a reflection of this.”

Ten years later, The Pass Life community is thriving yet still “just the beginning” when it comes to all that can be accomplished in the years to come.

Bryce and his wife Elise along with their sons, Antonio and Zeke love The Pass and have recently moved from the city to The Pass and are proud to call it home.

Powder Magazine Profile

The People’s Skier

Ira Gerlich

Partner

Raised in Seattle, Ira learned to ski at The Pass. After college he was a member of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol for a number of years before moving back to Seattle in 2009.

Ira is a Partner at evolution Projects and involved with a number of community focused projects in the city as well as his involvement in The Pass Life.

Today, Ira and his wife, Courtney have two boys, Maxwell and Niko. They live in the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle and have found themselves once again spending every weekend at The Pass. Just like their parents in the 1980’s, Max and Niko are learning to ski at the The Pass today as well as exploring all that the area has to offer no matter the season. Ira says that the opportunity to be a part of the amazing community at The Pass and help build on what is already there to ensure generations of families can enjoy this amazing place is something very very special.

Trevor Kostanich

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

As a member of The Pass Life team, Trevor has used his planning and ski industry expertise  to round out the team on this project. The Pass Life vision resonates with Trevor’s development philosophies and he is excited to help create thoughtful, mountain communities for those who share a love of the Cascades. Having lived, worked, and played on Snoqualmie Pass for many years, Trevor understands the combination of natural beauty and inspiring people that constitute this special place.

Starting with an engineering degree and a passion for snowy mountains, Trevor built his career on Snoqualmie Pass. From 2001-2014, he oversaw Planning and Development for The Summit at Snoqualmie, championing diverse capital improvements from the design and permitting stages through construction completion. In 2014 Trevor started Relevant Planning and Development LLC to help shape projects beneficial to people and place, specifically those created in recreational settings where the natural environment plays a significant role.

Crediting Alpental for helping drive his life choices, Trevor is also a ski guide with Pro Guiding Service.

Aaron Bruce

HEAD OF CONSTRUCTION

Aaron spent seven years with Turner Construction, one of the largest commercial general contractors in the nation as well as as three years with R&H Construction, a large Portland based general contractor.  He gained a variety of experiences and roles including project engineer, estimator, superintendent and project manager.  Aaron has spent a considerable amount of time on adaptive reuse/renovation of historic buildings in the historically industrial heavy Portland area and has been a key leader in bringing to life the evo flagship stores in Portland and Denver. He also led construction on our 3rd phase of Pass Life lofts and is a key team member, connecting the all-important dots of design, construction and our focus on community.

Aaron lives in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Ballard with his wife Nita and their dog Wrigley.

Tyler Newman

Superintendent

Tyler Newman, born and raised here in Washington state. His passion for the outdoors started at a very young age exploring all that Washington has to offer with his family and two younger brothers. That passion for outdoor recreation runs deep in the core of his being. He learned how to snowboard at Alpental at the age of 7 and is proud to call Alpental and The Summit At Snoqualmie his home mountain. Tyler started working for the ski area at 14 years old and continued his career there for 15 years. In the off season Tyler has been self employed since the age of 16 owning and operating a landscaping company, a painting company and most recently a general contracting company. More importantly he enjoy's fly fishing all the creeks and rivers in the Cascades, salmon fishing on the peninsula, off roading his Toyota around the Manastash Ridge outside Ellensburg, floating the Yakima river and chilling on the lake.

Upon graduating from Central Washington University with a Bachelors in Business Administration Tyler decided to get serious about construction and started Cascade Renovations. As the owner of Cascade Renovations he and his team remodeled homes in the south sound, namely around the greater Lake Tapps area focusing high dollar kitchen and bathroom remodels where his attention to detail and craftsmanship were appreciated. After 5 years as the business owner he found himself working too much and not having a solid work/life balance which lead him to close his business and begin working with Loge Co in Westport, WA.

In Westport Tyler and Owner of Loge Co Johhanes Ariens hired 25 employees and remodeled a salty old motel into the flagship destination surf motel and campground that it is today. Upon completion of that project Tyler found himself with an opportunity to go full circle and begin working with Evolution Projects on Snoqualmie Pass as the Superintendent of the Pass Life Project, living and
working on the pass Tyler has found the balance of a career and outdoor recreation that he has been seeking.

As the Superintendent of the Pass Life Tyler is the boots on the ground, and the eyes and the ears of all things Pass Life construction. Tyler has recently finished the last phase of the lofts in The Pass Life loop. As we look at future projects on Snoqualmie Pass Tyler, Aaron and Trevor are diligently working to plan fun and creative projects for this coming summer and years to come.

Brian Leahy

Field Engineer

Bio coming soon…

Ji Shon

Director of Design and Development

Ji was the first member of the evolution projects team.  Born in Seoul, Ji and her family moved to Virginia when she was ten where she lived until attending Smith College in Massachusetts. She came to Seattle for graduate studies at the University of Washington where she earned dual masters in Architecture and Real Estate.

Prior to relocating to the Northwest, Ji worked in Boston in construction management and architecture. She prides herself on her hands on building experience and continues to be involved in the UW Design Build community. Though her professional life revolved primarily around the building industry, it was the earlier experience helping to run her family’s cafe where she learned her strong work ethic (and the value of a good cup of coffee).

The pioneer spirit she inherited from her parents has enabled her to travel and live around the world including stays in Kyoto and Stockholm. A few of her fond memories include building a cob wall in Vermont, living as a monk in Korea, and trekking up volcanoes in Iceland. Outside of traveling, Ji is a pug enthusiast and is in the process of mastering the art of KFC (Korean Fusion Chili).

She currently lives in Ballard with her husband Kris.

Tommy Trause

Head of Hospitality and evo Ecosystem Development

Tommy has been raised in the world of hospitality, specifically in the realm of private clubs. His education is rooted in an education from Cornell University’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management and was cultivated by The Bohemian Club and Bohemian Grove. For the last 15 years, Tommy has crafted a career at ClubCorp, the world leader in private clubs. From General Manager to Regional Vice President, to Director of Reinvention- Tommy last served as the Vice President of Innovation for the company. He most recently founded The Collective is Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. The Collective is a modern-day social club, complete with climbing wall, campfire circle, hammock garden and full day + night bar. Tommy was raised in the PNW with a few significant stints in San Diego. He relishes his time in the great outdoors and tries to seize the moment as often as possible- be it climbing, skiing or merely running through the city.

Ian Loveless

Finance Manager

Ian was born in Miami, FL but moved up to the Seattle area when he was ten.  He attended Snohomish High School and graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Finance.  After college, Ian shipped off for a two-year stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in Suriname, South America.  During his service, he worked on a variety of projects focused on agricultural development and coordinated a nationwide youth photography contest.

Ian returned to Seattle in 2011 and joined Heartland LLC, a multi-disciplinary real estate consulting, investment and brokerage firm.  While at Heartland, Ian worked extensively on real estate underwriting, financial modeling, investment analysis, and real estate brokerage. 

After leaving Heartland, Ian started IML Real Estate LLC, an independent real estate consulting firm that helps clients work through complex issues in real estate development.  Ian has worked with evolution Projects since May 2018.

Ian holds his Washington State Brokers License and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, serving on its YLG Leadership Team.   Ian lives with his wife, Bri, way out in Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. They love traveling, house remodeling and being out on the water as much as possible.

Jeanne Lee

Project Engineer

Growing up in Mukilteo, WA and discovering a knack for the STEM field, Jeanne pushed an initial interest of biomedical engineering when she went to college. After graduating Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Go Big Red!), Jeanne pivoted her career interests and started her time at Turner Construction. Her roles included performing as a project engineer in the Special Projects Division working on TI’s and seismic renovations in addition to being an exterior envelope engineer for a high-rise multi-family residential tower in SLU. One of the notable buildings that she was part of was the iconic Cedar Speedster shell and core, located in the heart of Fremont. 

 Jeanne has joined evolution Projects to merge forces with a team that has passion for not only building but also creating a welcoming and motivated culture. She is excited to be part of the future with the eP team! 

In her spare time, she enjoys the arts and is a frequent patron of museums around the country. She can be spotted petting dogs at local parks, sipping a cup of coffee in cafes downtown while doing the NY Times crossword, and enjoying happy hour at the waterfront.