It all began in 1959 when Bill Conner, along with his brother John, started the Conner Development Company, building both for-sale and rental homes. The company pioneered the now common “Zero Lot Line” in the Seattle area and received numerous environment, design, and marketing awards. In 1977, Charlie Conner, Bill’s son, founded Chateau Development Company, a land holding and development company that was ultimately incorporated in 1988. There was never any doubt that Charlie would become a homebuilder. He worked as a framer during college and, upon graduating , became a construction superintendent. In 1985, Charlie became a construction manager and supervised multiple projects. By 1988, Charlie not only managed Chateau Development, but he was also the General Manager of Conner Development. During this period, both companies were pioneers in applying recycling and conservation innovations to home construction. They named these initiatives Earth Sense, years before Energy Star was invented and incorporated nationally.