About Creative Roots
An owner-operator philosophy, led by two complementary founders.
Creative Roots Holdings connects the business, financial, operational and execution sides of a real estate project. We believe an opportunity has to work on paper and in the field — so we built a platform, and a partnership, around both.
Investment Philosophy
Strategy and execution, evaluated together.
Creative Roots approaches real estate with an owner-operator mindset, combining financial strategy with the operational and field-level execution required to turn an investment thesis into a successful project. We focus on identifying opportunities, structuring transactions, developing capitalization strategies and assembling the right development, construction, operating and capital partners.
That philosophy starts with our own leadership. Marli and Shane bring highly complementary skill sets — institutional-level operations, M&A and capital strategy on one side, and hands-on construction, trades and entrepreneurial relationships on the other. Together, they evaluate not only whether an opportunity works on paper, but what it will take to execute it successfully.
Our Values
- People First
- Compassion
- Vulnerability
- Adaptability
- Consistent & Intentional Action
- Creativity
Marli Tarbaux
Co-Founder | Operations, Acquisitions & Capital Strategy
Marli brings an extensive background in M&A, operations, business scaling and executive leadership to Creative Roots Holdings. Prior to CRH, she served as COO and CPO for several private technology companies, most recently with a national prop-tech and fintech platform focused on making the residential home buying and selling process easier for consumers.
As part of that executive leadership team, Marli helped scale the company’s footprint internationally and build the operational infrastructure required to support rapid growth. During that period, the company secured more than $150 million in Series C equity financing, established a $200 million debt facility, and achieved a valuation of more than $1 billion.
Marli brings that same operating discipline to real estate. One of her defining strengths is the ability to move between high-level strategy and detailed execution — translating an opportunity into an executable business plan, and building the systems and relationships required to move a project forward.
Within Creative Roots
- Deal sourcing and acquisitions
- Underwriting and due diligence
- Complex transaction structuring
- Debt and equity capitalization
- Lender and investor coordination
- Budgeting and cash-flow management
- Asset-level financial oversight
- Development feasibility and budgeting
- Construction and development coordination
- Evaluation of GC capacity and execution risk
Shane Evans
Co-Founder | Strategy, Partnerships & Project Execution
Shane brings a combination of entrepreneurial leadership, real estate strategy, business development and hands-on trades experience to Creative Roots Holdings. His background in the trades gives him a practical understanding of how projects are built, maintained and executed in the field.
That experience allows Shane to evaluate opportunities from both an ownership and construction perspective — communicating effectively with contractors and tradespeople, and recognizing practical execution challenges that may not be apparent from plans or financial models alone. His trades background is a strategic advantage within a broader investment and development role, not a substitute for it.
Shane works closely with Marli in evaluating investments, developing project strategies, structuring partnerships and expanding the Creative Roots platform. He is able to work alongside general contractors, subcontractors, operators and development partners with a practical understanding of construction sequencing, cost considerations, field conditions and execution risk — providing an important bridge between the financial and operational strategy of a project and what is actually happening on the ground.
Within Creative Roots
- Hands-on trades and construction-related experience
- Practical understanding of building systems and field execution
- Contractor and trade coordination
- Evaluating scopes of work and construction requirements
- Identifying field-level project risks
- Strategic business development and partnerships
- Capital and investor relationships
- Financing and investment structures
- Project strategy and long-term portfolio planning
Complementary Leadership
Two perspectives. One evaluation.
Together, Marli and Shane approach every opportunity from both sides of the table.
- Strategy
- + Execution
- Capital
- + Operations
- Ownership
- + Construction
- Financial Modeling
- + Field Reality