OUR STORY
For over three decades, EXP Development partners have imagined, designed and crafted destinations in the four corners of the world, with well over USD 10 billion of projects completed.
Our multi-disciplinary team provides turn-key real estate development solutions with proven expertise in every step of the development process from site evaluation, feasibility analysis, design, entitlements, financing and construction management, marketing and property management.
From the shores of Kauai to Lagos Lagoon in Nigeria, from the Black Hills of South Dakota to the French Riviera,
EXP Development is currently developing some of the most compelling and captivating live/work/play destinations in the world.
Our Playbook
Golden Rule
Treat people the way we want to be treated.
Soil Specific
Each site, community, and culture deserves a unique solution.
Story Driven
Distill the unique Character, Setting & Plot before crafting narrative environments where stories are lived.
Quadruple Bottom Line
Find the economic, social, environmental, and spiritual win-win for everyone involved.
Transformative Experience
Experience elevated has the potential to form and transform who we are and who we are becoming.
The Journey is the Destination
Our process is our product. Our journey of discovery, distillation, design, and development creates our destinations.
Our Sherpas
Charles Yi began his career in real estate development in 1989 and, over the last 35 years, has expanded his business portfolio to include international joint ventures with major companies and prominent individual investors. His interests include partnerships in clean energy solutions, large-scale housing and commercial developments, and private equity. As a developer, he has amassed over $2.5 billion in real estate development and investments in commercial, hospitality, industrial, residential, and mixed-use sectors. He continues to expand his portfolio as a developer and as an influential capital partner.
In 2004, he was invited to the Pentagon by the US Department of Defense Afghanistan Reconstruction Group (ARG) to assist with their reconstruction efforts which included an on the ground tour of Afghani infrastructure. He has coordinated the funding and operation of orphanages, women’s centers, and clinics in Mazer-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Afghanistan, and many other nations. His passion is to create humanitarian efforts that bring the private and public sectors together globally to improve conditions for those who suffer.
Mel McGowan (AICP, DBIA, LEED AP) is a Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Storyland Studios and EXP Development. Mel combined his background in film and design during a decade-long stint at the Walt Disney Company. Post-Disney, his client roster has included some of the top storytellers in the world, from George Lucas to to Max Lucado. Mel has led teams that have won multiple Thea Awards and Solomon Awards for “Best Church Architect” and “Best Builder” and is the author of Design Intervention. He is a contributing editor to Outreach Magazine, was named one of the top 25 influencers by OC Metro Magazine, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at CBU’s College of Architecture, Visual Arts & Design.