The Team
As a team that can take you from dirt to granite countertops, we are uniquely able to offer you a design-to-construction process so integrated, you will wonder why every construction firm doesn’t operate the way we do. You won’t need to hire a new person for every phase, because we guide you through every step. We handle the details, while you sit on the beach and watch your vision become reality. You didn’t choose the South Bay to take on more responsibility. You chose it because you want to wear flip flops to five star restaurants. You deserve it. We make it happen.
BRETT MALKIN
Founder, Director of Operations
Brett Malkin is the founding partner at White Sands Design/Build and the General Contractor. Brett brings a broad range of finance, business administration, and project management experience to White Sands. Currently, Brett oversees the business and operations side of White Sands. He previously served as a project manager at Brooks-Street, a highly successful Newport Beach Development Company that manages over $1.5 billion in assets. It was here that Brett worked extensively on over ten master planned communities in three states, totaling over 10,000 homes and close to $500 million in real estate assets. Brett’s expertise includes budget preparation, model programming, client/investor presentations, contract administration, and client/investor management. Brett received his BA in both Psychology and Business Management from the University of Arizona and prior to his career in real estate Brett was a college basketball coach in New Mexico. He has been a resident of the South Bay since 2007 and currently lives in Hermosa Beach with his wife Brittanie, their daughter Sivan, and their son Kai.
HAWLIE OHE
Partner, Director of Design
Hawlie Ohe is the Principal Interior Designer and head of White Sands Interiors. Specializing in residential design, Hawlie has created interiors ranging in style from contemporary to traditional, but most importantly rooms that are comfortable, sophisticated, and timeless. Her design mantra, “buy it once, buy it right,” speaks to her ability to create classic spaces that withstand the test of time. As the principal designer, Hawlie is obsessive over the details and takes a hands-on approach in every project that she is a part of. The proof is truly in her product. Over the years, she has cultivated a collaborative design process that helps her move quickly from inspiration to installation. Not only is the system efficient, but it helps to ensure that the result is a home her clients love. Hawlie completed her undergraduate degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. Prior to starting her interior design career, Hawlie worked as a television news reporter, entertainment host, and lifestyle blogger, the latter of which fueled her passion for design and interiors. Hawlie earned her post graduate degree from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and trained under some of the most influential designers of the day. She now lives in the South Bay along with her husband and two young boys, embracing the coastal lifestyle.
WESTON BEGG
Construction Project Manager
Weston Begg is a Project Manager for White Sands Construction and is responsible for supervising all details of his projects, including: negotiating subcontracts, interfacing with utility companies, maintaining positive contact with city inspectors, while providing day to day communication with White Sands’ team to ensure that each project is on schedule and within budget. Weston’s defining characteristic is his outgoing personality which helps him to maintain an excellent rapport with clients, architects, engineers, city officials, and subcontractors. Weston has brought to White Sands extensive experience in both real estate development and real estate project construction. Early in his career he worked for Griswold Controls, a nationwide leader in commercial hi-tech HVAC and irrigation applications. Travelling across the United States, he was Griswold’s Project Manager and solo-problem solver. He then moved on to help Living Homes, a LEED certified architectural custom prefab design firm, implementing and designing their environmentally low impact, “green” homes. Before joining White Sands, Weston supervised the development of ten custom-built, high-end homes, all located close to the beach in Venice and Santa Monica.
NICOLE HIETT
Interior Designer
Nicole Hiett is an Interior Designer at White Sands Interiors. Her passion and where she excels the most is in the design of luxury homes. However her experience ranges from the commercial design of eclectic restaurant spaces to the intricate detail of designing for a high end furniture company. Nicole’s love for design comes through while creating a special experience for each client and how they want to live in their space. She brings a wonderful and positive attitude along with her strong organizational skills and deep attention to detail. Before moving to California, Nicole received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from The Art Institute of Dallas. She now lives with her husband, new baby daughter and dog in Highland Park. Nicole’s favorite thing to do is to immerse herself in experiences in order to help her grow her design palette.
RACHAEL CHACON
Project Manager
Rachael Chacon is our newest member of the White Sands team; she has collaborated with our company for over a decade and the time was right for her to join us as one of our Project Managers. Rachael has been in the industry for over 35 years specializing in finish carpentry materials. She started off working for her sister who once owned One Stop Doors and Windows. In 1988 she went on to work as an estimator and office manager for Alpine Development, a finish carpentry material and labor firm. In 1996 she started All Trim Doors and Windows, her own finish carpentry material supply business where she specialized in single family custom homes. She brings many years of jobsite and business experience into this new chapter. Rachael loves what she does as it has always been her dream to become a Contractor in order to help people build the home of their dreams.
GRANT GARNER
Assistant Project Manager
Bio coming soon.
Design is big picture.
Design is about how you want to feel when you walk into a particular room, and that feeling may be different for every room in your house. Maybe you want to feel inspired in your study, energized in your living room, serene in your bedroom? Design is about compiling the perfect pieces, in the perfect way, to give you the feeling you want, in the place you want it, every single day.
Big pictures come from eloquent details.
Great design is timeless but seems current.
We know the difference between trends and fads. Trends resurge every few years. Fads are one-and-done. If you love a fad, that’s fabulous. We’ll incorporate it into pieces that can be easily changed later—think pillows and curtains, rather than inlaid flooring.
We get the details just right before we begin construction. We know there won’t be last minute design compromises due to a mechanical issue, such as a duct placement, because we keep the process in-house. That means our entire team agrees on the preeminence of design, and we make decisions as a fully integrated unit, deliberately rather than reactively.
Build your dream.
We generate a comprehensive set of construction documents, handle the bidding process, and oversee the exact implementation of those documents. Meanwhile, you are free to relax on the beach and watch the sun set over the Pacific.
Your home is unique. So are we.
Our build expert has a construction background, with a foundation in real estate. But he also has a deep creativity and an intuitive understanding of design.
Our designer studied design, but she also has a journalism background. This means she knows how to ask the right questions to glean the most useful information. She knows how to gather the details and structure them into a cohesive and fascinating story.
Our project manager has a finance background, but he also has a psychology and coaching background. He’s able to assess individual strengths quickly, to accurately position all the players where they will be most efficient.
Just like an expertly designed home, we’re what you see—and we’re more than what you see. As a foundation-to-furniture firm, we’re a single minded, highly effective design-build unit. We’re fully capable of handling all the things—because you don’t want to! But our firm is made up of talented individuals, who bring a diverse range of experiences and valuable, unique-in-this-space collection of skills to the process.
For us, it’s about synergy and superpowers. For you, it’s about sunsets.
