GIS Companies

Founded in 1992, GIS Companies began with a vision to create a group of construction, design, and development companies headquartered in the Seattle Area, delivering paramount quality in all fields. For more than 25 years, GIS has delivered excellence, while forging loyal relationships with partners, clients and employees alike.

Today, GIS focuses on real estate development, design and construction, providing turnkey solutions for partners and clients via a diverse range of services. GIS’s comprehensive approach saves clients expenses, time, and resources. As an active member of our local community GIS is a member of the Association of Washington Business, the Bellevue Downtown Association, the Master Builders Association, and additionally are honored supporters of many local charities.

GIS has self-performed custom construction projects for decades. Our projects are being built better, faster and to higher-quality standards. We do not shy away from challenging sites and conditions, as a result GIS is referred by several local architects, engineers, contractors and consultants. We have great relationships with city officials, subcontractors, design professionals as well as many local inspectors. Our team of managers are proficient with all the latest technologies, making our operations run smoothly with an emphasis on attention to our systems and procedures. Safety is our highest priority.

Priding ourselves on efficiency and quality, operating across industries and geographic boundaries, GIS embraces innovative technologies, with rigorous adherence to all appropriate standards.

Chief Executive Officer, GIS Development Corp

3D Digital, LLC

3D Digital LLC is concentrating its efforts on bringing the revolutionary “My 3D Dream” image processing technology to market. "My 3D Dream” is a solution that enables many non-3D TVs to receive 3D content and with the use of our revolutionary active anaglyph glasses our viewers can enjoy a high quality 3D experience. This patent pending technology is planned to enter the market in 2013 and will represent a timely, less expensive alternative to 3D TV for home 3D viewers.

Managing Partner

HK Silver Light Studios

Producer

Pure Devices, LLC

Pure Devices is solution that connects families, friends or colleagues via a simple to use device, customer service and a powerful and reliable cloud-based backend infrastructure. We enable people to use internet, video phone services, stream online television and listen to the online radio without the hassle of learning how to use a computer.

As CEO of GIS Companies, I lead a vertically integrated real estate development firm focused on delivering high-quality design, construction, and development solutions. Our specialty lies in joint ventures with property owners — helping partners unlock value, save time and resources, and bring exceptional projects to life.

With roots dating back to 1992, GIS has become a recognized and trusted brand throughout the Seattle market and beyond. Under my leadership, we've expanded our services, integrated innovative software systems, and streamlined operations to support ground-up development, adaptive reuse, and complex urban infill projects.

What sets us apart is our ability to blend:

Strategic project vision

Operational discipline

Deep community knowledge

And long-standing relationships with high-net-worth investors and partners

As we scale, our mission is simple: Build enduring real estate projects that create long-term value for our partners and the communities we serve.

Have you ever asked an AI to analyze a real estate project—and actually gotten a solid answer back?

Last week, I ran a quick test. I pasted this prompt into three AI tools—Gemini, Grok (Deep Search mode), and ChatGPT (Research mode):

“Do a detailed code analysis of this property: [insert address]. What zoning does it have, what is the highest and best use, what can be developed there...?”

Basically, all the painful stuff that normally sends you down a zoning rabbit hole for half a day.

Here’s what happened.

All three tools did remarkably well. Gemini struggled with zoning and needed me to look it up manually, but once I fed that in, it caught up.

The other two nailed it on their own. I still had to fine-tune the prompts and cross-check a few details, but the whole process took about an hour. Normally, that’s a 4–5 hour slog.

It hit me somewhere between the third AI query and my second coffee—tool choice is starting to matter less than how you think about the question. They’re all getting frighteningly competent.

The takeaway?

We’re entering a phase where “prompt engineering” isn’t just about syntax. It’s becoming a professional skill—how to ask structured, context-rich questions that drive analysis faster than any single platform can.

I’m curious: who else is using AI for property or zoning analysis? What’s been your experience so far?

Comment AI and send me a connection request. I'll be happy to share the full prompt I used.

Eugene Gershman

Real Estate Developer | JV & Co-GP Partner | Helping High-Net-Worth Investors Build Wealth Through Passive Development Deals

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Ever notice how the person who owns the land is usually the last one to benefit from what’s built on it?

Developers show up, negotiate a price, build something big—and walk away with most of the upside.

Meanwhile, the landowner gets a check, a tax bill, and a front-row seat to someone else’s wealth creation.

We’ve accepted this as normal.

But should we?

Because here’s the thing: without the land, there’s no deal.

Entitlements don’t exist in a vacuum. Neither do community approvals, capital stacks, or construction timelines. The land is the foundation—not just physically, but strategically.

So why does the owner of that foundation usually get cut out of the real value?

We think that needs to change.

If you own land, you shouldn’t have to choose between cashing out or being sidelined.

You should have the opportunity to participate.

To keep equity.

To shape what gets built and share in what it becomes.

It’s not about charity. It’s about alignment.

When landowners and developers partner instead of transact, something better gets built—for both of them and for the community.

The model is shifting.

Quietly, steadily, more landowners are choosing to partner rather than sell.

And when that happens, value isn’t just extracted from the land.

It’s created with it.

If you’re sitting on something that might be worth more tomorrow than it is today, this conversation matters to you.

Let’s make sure the people who start the story also get to write the ending.

As the Chief Executive Officer at GIS Companies, my mission is to deliver top-tier real estate development, design, and construction services. Our approach to joint venture with property owners to save our partners and clients time and resources, while maintaining a commitment to quality. With a rich history dating back to 1992, the organization has become a recognized brand in the Seattle area and beyond. 

The competencies harnessed through my leadership encompass new business development and management, software integration, streamlined operations across our diverse service offerings and diversity of projects we worked on. Growing GIS Companies, my aim is to push the boundaries of innovation in the industry, while strategically expanding our footprint in the realm of real estate development. 

With commitment to community engagement, we continue to contribute to the local economy and set new benchmarks for sustainable and client-focused project delivery.

Most landowners think they only have two options: sell now, or sit and wait.

But there’s a third path.

And it might be the most powerful one — if you understand how the development game actually works.

Let’s say you own land in a growth market.

It’s been in your family. Or maybe you picked it up before the boom.

Now developers are circling.
You’re fielding offers.
Some even all-cash, no contingencies.

And everyone tells you: take the money and run.

But here’s what they won’t tell you:

The moment you sell, you’re out.

Out of the upside.
Out of the future income.
Out of the decision-making.

The buyer? They’re not buying land.
They’re buying potential.
And if the zoning, design, financing, and execution go well — they’ll make 3 to 5 times what they paid you.

The value doesn’t come from the land alone.
It comes from what gets built.

So here’s the question I always come back to:

If the land is yours, why shouldn’t the future be too?

There are structures where landowners can stay in the deal — not just as spectators, but as equity partners.

You keep your land.
You contribute it to a new entity.
The development team does what they do best: entitlements, capital stack, execution.
You share in the returns because you brought the foundation the whole project stands on.

It’s not for everyone. It requires alignment, trust, and the right development partner.

But it’s a very different mindset from just “taking the offer.”

It’s ownership, redefined.

And for a lot of folks I talk to — it’s the first time anyone’s ever shown them this path.

It’s painful to watch smart people sell their land too early—just because they didn’t know a better option existed.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard this:
“We inherited it.”
“It’s zoned, but we’re not developers.”

“A broker said we could get $2.3M—seems like a clean exit.”

And look, I get it.

Someone offers you millions for a piece of dirt—it feels like a no-brainer.

But here’s the part no one tells you:

The buyer offering $2.3M?

They’re not guessing.

They’ve already done the math on what they’ll make once it’s built.

They’re pricing your land to capture their upside.

Not yours.

That’s where GIS comes in.

We don’t buy your land.

We don’t take control.

And we’re not the ones writing the equity check.

What we do is help landowners stay in the driver’s seat—and build real wealth from what they already own.

Here’s how it works:

You contribute the land into a development entity.

You stay in control. You approve the team. You greenlight every step.

We bring the structure, assemble the right partners, guide entitlements, coordinate the capital stack, and help move the project forward.

You invest a bit upfront to kick off the process.

But you don’t have to entitle it, design it, or fund it alone.

And instead of walking away with a one-time check…

You stay in the deal.

You participate in future cash flow.

You share in the upside at exit.

We’ve helped landowners turn “maybe we should just sell it” into full-scale, ground-up development partnerships—with better financial outcomes and full transparency along the way.

If you’re sitting on land and wondering what to do with it—especially if someone’s waving an offer in front of you—let’s talk.

Even if we don’t work together, I’ll walk you through how we structure these co-GP partnerships so you can make an informed call.

Sometimes a clean exit is the right move.

But sometimes the smarter move is staying in the game.

There’s a graveyard of beautiful projects that never got built.

You’ve probably seen them.

The renderings are stunning.
The vision? Inspiring.
The problem? No one can fund it.

This is one of the most common (and costly) breakdowns in real estate development: design and capital move on separate tracks.

An architect dreams up a sleek, ambitious vision—without clear feedback from capital markets.

A developer falls in love with the concept—without a clear sense of cost or yield.
By the time a lender or equity partner sees it, the numbers don’t work. Or the use doesn’t pencil. Or it’s just too risky for the capital stack it needs.

So the project stalls.

This is where most deals go to die: between design and financing.

I’ve seen this pattern too many times. And the fix isn’t magic. It’s alignment.

Design, cost, and capital have to move together, not sequentially.

That means knowing how to price the project while it’s still on trace paper.

It means involving capital partners in early discussions—not just at the eleventh hour.

It means designing toward a capital market outcome—not just a design award.

When those pieces lock together, good projects don’t just stay on paper. They get built.

If you’re stuck somewhere between a brilliant idea and a bankable plan—this is probably why.

And if you’ve already spent six figures on consultants without getting anywhere—this might hit a little too close to home.

There’s a better way to get from vision to vertical.

Let’s talk about it.

“My dad hated flaky employees—so he hired his kids instead.​“

That’s how Liz Chism  got her start in construction.​

Her dad was a contractor who didn’t trust employees to show up, so he put his kids to work. 

The deal was simple: if the schoolwork was done by Sunday night, they could clock in with dad during the week—and actually get paid.​

By the time Liz was nine, she’d laid tile, dug ditches, plumbed bathrooms, poured foundations, and even put on roofs. Hands-on experience became her foundation.​

Her dad eventually moved from flooring to custom homes—and now he’s in Guatemala building schools for the deaf. 

That full-circle journey shaped how Liz sees work, family, and the grit it takes to succeed.​

It also explains why, even after a detour into brewing beer, she ended up back where she started: building systems for contractors.​

Because once construction is in your blood, it never really leaves.​
​
Follow me here for more stories that go beyond the numbers.​
​
#ConstructionBusiness #ContractorsLife #FamilyBusiness #RealEstateDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #Leadership

Most land sale offers aren’t what they seem.

A developer approaches you with an offer to buy your land. The number looks strong. The letter is polished. Maybe there’s even an earnest money deposit attached.

It feels like a deal is happening.

But here’s what that offer really means — and why most sellers miss it.

That earnest money? It’s tiny. Usually refundable. Sometimes it's just a note, not real cash.
The feasibility study? Could take 90 days.
The closing? Deferred until the developer gets full entitlements — which might take 12 to 18 months, or longer.

And here’s the part most landowners don’t realize:

The developer can walk away. Anytime.
They lose their earnest money and whatever they spent on design or consultants — but if the market shifts or the numbers don’t pencil, they’re out.

No building. No payout. Just a quiet email from the buyer’s attorney, terminating the contract.

Meanwhile, the seller?
They’ve been stuck in limbo for over a year.
No deal. No income. No progress.
And now they’re starting over — usually with less leverage and fewer options.

This is the unspoken reality behind most land transactions.

And it raises a better question:

Why not lead the process instead of waiting for someone else to decide your land’s future?

If you already own the land, you’re holding the most valuable piece of the capital stack.

Instead of hoping a developer closes — why not be the developer?

Not alone. Not pretending to be an expert.

But with the right guidance, you can invest in your own feasibility study.
You can understand entitlements, design, financing — without giving up control.
You can contribute your land as equity and participate as a General Partner in the project.

This isn’t hypothetical.

We’ve done this — with landowners who are now co-GPs on institutional-grade developments.
They’re not just collecting a check. They’re building generational wealth on land they already owned.

Land is more than a sale. It’s a foundation.

And the moment you realize you don’t have to wait for a buyer to unlock it — you start thinking like a developer.

Stop planning more than five days ahead.​
​
That was the best advice I ever got when things felt overwhelming.​

Instead of stressing about the next six months—or the worst-case scenario that may never happen—I started asking one question: What can I do in the next five days?​

Break it down.​
 Take the step that’s right in front of you.​
 Then do it again five days later.​

That mindset shift helped me push through some of the hardest challenges in business.​

Do I still have long-term visions? Of course.​

My goal is simple: I want to be known in all 50 states as the developer landowners call when they want to unlock the value of their property. Not their architect friend. Not their contractor friend. Me.​

But I don’t think about how to get there every day. I think about what I can do this week to move closer.​

Big visions are built one small step at a time.​

​Follow me here for more real talk on business and development.​
 And if you’ve got land and want to know what’s possible in the next five days, DM me “Feasibility.”​

#RealEstateDevelopment #BusinessAdvice #FeasibilityStudy #Entrepreneurship #LandInvestment #ContractorsLife​

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Most landowners think a feasibility study is some complicated, expensive thing only consultants can do.

It’s not.

Sure, there are technical pieces—survey, zoning, utilities, all that. And yeah, you’ll need professionals eventually.

But the truth is, you can start your own feasibility process.

No license required. Just curiosity, time, and the right questions.

Can I build what I want here—or what the market wants?

What does zoning actually allow?

What’s under the ground?
What’s above the site?
What’s happening next door?

How will capital view this project?

What’s the path of least resistance—and is it worth taking?

You don’t need to have every answer right away. But if you’re not asking these questions early, you’re guessing. And guessing gets expensive.

We’ve seen people spend six figures on drawings, studies, and plans—only to find out the fundamentals didn’t line up.

So we built a Feasibility Checklist. It’s the same one we use at GIS before touching a deal.

No fluff. No jargon. Just the 30 questions that matter.

Comment “feasibility” below and I’ll send you the link.

​The worst-case scenario almost never happens—but it can still paralyze you.​
​
When things get tough, our minds go straight there.​
What’s the absolute worst that could happen?​

And the problem is, once you start playing that movie in your head, it’s hard to stop.​
 The fear gets bigger than the actual situation.​

Here’s the truth: you can’t calculate the odds of the worst case. It might be possible, but it’s rarely probable.​

The best advice I ever got was this:​
 Stop planning more than five days ahead.​

Break the problem down.​
 What can you do today?​
 What’s the next step in front of you?​
 Do that, and then figure out the next one.​

That shift pulled me out of some of the hardest times. Not by solving everything at once—but by making it manageable.​

Big problems don’t get solved by obsessing over the worst case. They get solved one step at a time.​
​
Follow me here for more no-fluff lessons on resilience and business.​
 And if you’ve got land and want to see what’s possible without overthinking the worst case, DM me “Feasibility.”​

#Entrepreneurship #BusinessAdvice #RealEstateDevelopment #Resilience #FeasibilityStudy #Leadership​

​

Would you ever start building without a blueprint?​
​
Then don’t run your business without one either.​

In construction, if you skip the planning—design, engineering, specifying every detail—you end up solving problems in real time. That’s where the delays, the change orders, and the stress come from.​

It’s the same with business.​

Most owners don’t communicate clearly enough for others to take work off their plate. They don’t build the “blueprint” that lets the business run without them. And so they end up stuck in the trenches, putting out fires every day.​

But when you plan upfront—when you create systems, delegate, and map out how things actually work—you buy yourself freedom. The project moves smoother. The business scales. And you actually get your life back.​

Planning feels slow in the moment. But it’s what makes everything faster later.​

Follow me here for more real talk about building smarter, more sustainable businesses.​

#ConstructionBusiness #ContractorsLife #BusinessPlanning #RealEstateDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #Leadership​



​

​You can invest in real estate without bringing a single dollar to the table.​
That’s what my guest Cameron shared on the podcast, and it’s something too many people overlook.​

Most think they need a mountain of cash to get started. But with the right strategy, you don’t.​

Here’s how Cameron does it:​
He lines up private money lenders—regular people you already know—who have $200K, $300K, maybe $400K sitting around earning 6%.​

Then he offers them 10–12% to fund the entire purchase and renovation. No banks. No personal cash. Just a win-win: they earn more, he builds wealth.​

Sometimes he even puts in cash at the beginning, exits later, and gets it all back—ending up with zero of his own money tied up in the deal.​

It’s not about having money. It’s about knowing how to structure the deal.​

Follow me here for more unfiltered conversations with investors who are doing it differently.​
And if you’ve got land and want to see how to unlock value without risking it all, DM me “Partner.”​

#RealEstateDevelopment #RealEstateInvesting #Entrepreneurship #PrivateLending #LandInvestment #Partnerships​

​

​Your first tenants might be roommates. Or… your kids who don’t pay rent.​

​That’s how Cameron explained house hacking on the podcast.​

Every house he looks at, he’s asking the same question: “Where’s the opportunity to hack this?”​

Is there a basement that can be blocked off?​
An extra garage you can turn into a studio?​
Room for an ADU in the backyard?​

That mindset turns a regular house into an investment tool.​

House hacking doesn’t have to be fancy—it’s just about finding ways to create extra income (or reduce expenses) from the property you’re already living in.​

It’s one of the smartest, most accessible entry points into real estate investing. And for Cameron, it’s the lens he brings to every single home search.​

Follow me here for more no-fluff conversations with investors who think differently.​
And if you’ve got land and want to explore its hidden potential, DM me “Feasibility.”​

#RealEstateInvesting #HouseHacking #RealEstateDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #LandInvestment #FeasibilityStudy​

​

“What if waiting for the ‘right time’ to start your next project is the thing that makes you miss it?”

Recent economic data shows something interesting—despite all the noise, the core indicators that actually track real activity are steady.

Shipping volumes, employment (based on ADP data), and energy use are holding firm. Business investment isn’t collapsing.

Consumers are still spending, despite headlines about layoffs.

In other words, the economy isn’t overheating, but it’s not unraveling either. It’s leveling out.

That’s exactly the kind of environment where development opportunities quietly reappear. While everyone else is waiting for headlines to turn optimistic, the smart money is already moving—locking in construction pricing, securing permits, and lining up financing before competition returns.

The signal isn’t “boom.” It’s “stabilizing.”

And that’s usually when the next cycle begins.

So if you’re waiting for the perfect moment to start, you might already be standing in it.

​With AI cloning voices and faking scripts, who can you really trust anymore?​
​
That’s the question Liz Chism raised in our conversation.​

In an industry where trust is everything, contractors and developers are already fighting uphill battles—missed deadlines, shady operators, bad experiences. Add AI-generated voices and polished-but-fake content into the mix, and it gets even harder to know who’s real.​

That’s why Liz doubles down on video.​

Video shows the imperfections, the quirks, the things AI can’t fake.​
It proves you’re a real person, not a clone.​
And when clients trust you’re real, they’re willing to pay more, sign better jobs, and stick with you long-term.​

In other words: trust is currency. And in today’s world, it’s worth more than ever.​

​Follow me here for more conversations that go beyond the numbers.​
​
#ConstructionBusiness #RealEstateDevelopment #TrustInBusiness #AIandBusiness #VideoMarketing #Entrepreneurship​

​

Excellent show! I highly recommend Joel’s podcast not because I was on it but because it’s really a great show loaded with lots of value.

Last Week on the Mornings with Joel Commercial Real Estate Podcast
We featured Eugene Gershman Real Estate Developer & JV/Co-GP Partner at GIS Companies in an inspiring episode titled “From Land to Legacy.”
Eugene shared powerful insights on how to turn raw land into lasting value, build investor confidence, and navigate the challenges of commercial real estate development.

If you missed it, now’s the perfect time to catch up! Watch “From Land to Legacy” on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ejCmwJNV
🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/e7e8D77X

#MorningsWithJoel #EugeneGershman #CREPodcast 
#CommercialRealEstate #RealEstateDevelopment #Investing #Leadership #Legacy

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