Start-Up Zone Advisory Team

Patrick Coveny

Patrick is the Founder and President of Remora Construction Ventures LLC, a strategic advisor, investor and mentor to startups in the construction and real estate industry, providing many connections to those in the housing industry. Patrick has spent the last 38 years as a high-end luxury home builder, is deeply involved in the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and is also a judge for numerous NAHB award programs. Previously, he was the co-founder of the Chicago Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and understands the many challenges that startups face. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from DePaul University.

Chris Langford

Chris is the Managing Partner of Home Technology Ventures, an early-stage investor in companies working to solve the biggest challenges in housing and the industries that support homes. Prior to Home Technology Ventures, Chris was an investment banker, corporate strategy and innovation executive, and founded and led Lowe’s Ventures. He holds a BS in Finance and MBA from the University of Florida and resides in Charlotte, NC.

Jenna Louie

Jenna is the Co-Managing Director at Ivory Innovations, a Utah-based nonprofit dedicated to catalyzing innovation in housing affordability. At Ivory, she leads strategy and partnership efforts that support the innovative organizations and entrepreneurs recognized by the annual Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. She attended Harvard College and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Damien McBrien

Damien is a Senior Manager on the Business Development side at DR Horton. Damien oversees strategic partnerships with emerging and innovative technologies and products in the homebuilding space.

Dennis Michaud

Dennis is Managing Director of Offsite Solutions at CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain, responsible for the development and commercialization of new solutions and services for greater productivity and sustainability in the building industry. Having spent his career in residential construction as a tradesperson, designer and entrepreneur bringing to market new building technologies, he is deeply committed to finding solutions to challenges faced by builders and contractors involved in the production of housing. He holds a Masters of Architecture from MIT.

Dennis Steigerwalt

Dennis has extensive innovation experience and a broad network of innovation leaders in the housing industry from the U.S. and around the world. He’s a boundary spanner, a connector and an investor in all things related to the built environment. Navigating complex networks of transactional relationships and promoting broader investment in research and development, Dennis seeks out opportunities to connect the dots on transformational initiatives to achieve objectives together that we shouldn’t, and likely couldn’t, tackle alone.

Bert Stephens

Bert has a proven track record of driving operational excellence, innovation, and scalable growth across the manufacturing and construction industries. With over two decades of leadership experience—including pivotal roles at Builders FirstSource, BMC, TK Elevator, and Ingersoll Rand—Bert has consistently delivered transformative results through automation, lean manufacturing, innovation, and strategic execution.

He is focused on improving the efficiency of operations through manufacturing and building science while researching innovative processes and materials that support the advancement of the industry and help customers perform at the highest level.

He holds a BS from Northeastern State University and an MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology, as well as certifications as a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. He has been a trusted leader in Fortune 500 environments and entrepreneurial ventures.