In this first installment of a two-part conversation, host Darius Mirshahzadeh reconnects with longtime friend and industry veteran Jon Irvine, founder and CEO of Westcove Development. The two pick up where they left off after years apart, a reunion sparked when Jon accidentally discovered Darius’s podcast while stuck in LA traffic. What follows is a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation covering Jon’s biracial upbringing, his accidental entry into mortgage finance, a landmark $1.3 billion sale to Merrill Lynch 90 days before the 2008 financial crisis, the personal losses that forced him to rethink his legacy, and the unexpected signs that led him to launch a real estate development company. This episode is equal parts origin story, life philosophy, and housing industry insight with plenty of laughs along the way.
In this episode, Darius and Jon will discuss:
- (00:00) Introduction and First Impressions
- (02:36) The Power of Personality Over Looks
- (05:25) The Impact of Generosity in Relationships
- (08:07) Reconnecting and the Journey to Podcasting
- (10:55) Background and Early Life of Jon Irvine
- (13:31) Transitioning from Finance to Housing Development
- (21:57) The Journey into Mortgages
- (27:59) Building a Successful Mortgage Company
- (32:12) Navigating the 2008 Financial Crisis
- (37:42) Understanding Generational Wealth Disparities
- (41:43) Transitioning to Real Estate Development
Meet Jon:
Jon Irvine is the Founder and CEO of Westcove Development, a Southern California real estate development firm specializing in design-forward, small-lot single family homes in high-demand, supply-constrained markets. Drawing on California’s evolving housing legislation — including SB1123 — Westcove manages the full development lifecycle from acquisition and entitlement through construction and sale. Jon brings nearly three decades of senior executive experience in residential finance, having held leadership roles at Change Lending, Banc of California, OneWest Bank (under CEO Steven Mnuchin), and Mr. Cooper/Nationstar, where he led initiatives across capital markets, production, and strategic growth. Through Westcove, he channels deep institutional finance expertise into scalable residential development built to meet California’s urgent housing needs.
Meet Darius:
Darius is your host of The Greatness Machine. Darius is a mad scientist, high-growth CEO, serial entrepreneur, author, conscious capitalist, speaker, and entertainer. Darius is on a quest to create 1,000,000 Core Value Driven Organization by 2030. He is calling this “The Core Value Revolution.” Darius is an alumni of the Birthing of Giants Entrepreneurial Program at MIT and Stagen Integral Leadership Program. Darius’s accolades include being ranked #9 Top Rated CEO in America on Glassdoor, has won numerous Stevie Awards, and has founded and grown organizations that have been ranked #40 in the Inc. 500 and were ranked #3 Best Places to Work By the San Francisco Business Time. He is all about the P’s: Passion, Pizza, Puzzles, and, especially, Pink Unicorns. His book, The Core Value Equation, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller and is available at www.thecorevalueequation.com.
The Greatness Machine shares lessons on how to framework your drive for results, create limitless space, and win the war on talent.
My team and I are on a mission to help YOU create a cultural revolution. I want to teach you how to build a core value driven organization.
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Make Greatness Happen!
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Twitter: @kingdarius
LinkedIn: @dariusmirshahzadeh
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