The history of the Shea family of companies began modestly enough in 1881 when founder John F. Shea established a small plumbing business in Portland, Oregon. From those humble beginnings his sons, and their sons after them, built the firm into one of the largest, privately held real estate development and construction companies in the nation. The company\'s legacy of milestone achievements includes the building of the diversion channels for the Hoover Dam, the foundations for the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay bridges, and the tunnels for San Francisco\'s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. From its roots in heavy construction, the firm diversified into a family of companies that currently includes JF Shea Construction, Shea Homes, Trilogy Resort Communities, Redding, Reed Manufacturing, Bluestar and Shea Properties.