The people
behind it
Leadership Team
SAFE ARBOR is led by a multidisciplinary team of architects, environmental designers, supply chain specialists, business development leaders, marketers, and regenerative economy experts — collectively bringing the depth and breadth of expertise required to successfully launch a truly game-changing building system to market.
Michael Neumayr
FOUNDER | CEO | INVENTOR
Michael is an Danish- Austrian award-winning product designer and interior architect, Art Center College of Design alumnus and longtime professor, whose work is defined by precision, craftsmanship, and sustainable innovation. As CEO, Founder, and Chief Product Officer of Safe Arbor — and inventor of the patented INSTATEC building system — he works alongside tradespeople and master craftsmen to balance environmental stewardship with the urgent realities of the housing crisis. Raised in the forests of Bavaria and shaped by years in Munich before settling in Los Angeles, Michael channels a lifelong connection to woodland ecosystems into SAFE ARBOR's core mission: converting forest waste and wildfire fuel into a premium building asset that keeps forests healthy and housing attainable. He is husband to a globally recognized light designer, proud uncle to artists, actors, and community leaders, and devoted companion to two very social fur babies.
Jefferson Coombs
Chief Marketing Officer
Ernst Keider
Head of Production
Nashley Ruiz De Nuñez
Lead Consultant Supply Chain Operations
Mark Gee
Head of Architecture
Chelsea Cheung
Head of Environmental Design
Matt Ravenelle
Head of Industrial Design
Nathe Suthinirunkul
Graphic Designer
The network behind the system
SAFE ARBOR's Advisory Network brings together business leaders, architects, developers, contractors, structural and mechanical engineers and legal experts, whose real-world insight has shaped every interaction of the INSTATEC System - keeping us ahead of the curve on efficiency, code compliance, and market adoption.
Vikram Yadama, Ph.D
Washington State University (WSU) Director, Composite Materials and Engineering Center (CMEC)
Avishek Chanda, Ph.D.
Project Lead Scientist WSU- CMEC
Pouria Bahmani, Ph.D./ CEE
Structural Engineer MKA, KPFF, WSU - CMEC
Dan Dolan, Ph.D./ CEE
Instrument & Shock Physics, WSU - CMEC
Bruce Danziger, SE
Senior Advisor, Danzigner Engineering Collaborative
Ian Kelso, SE, AIA
Senior Associate & Project Director, Tipping Structural
Nick Swenson
Construction Industry Advisor
E2 Electrical
Joe Bellio
Construction Industry Advisor
Paradigm Plumbing, Inc.
Warren Rustand
Business Development Advisor
Kristine Kawamura, Ph.D.
Business Strategy Advisor
Marcus Hinz
Executive Advisor
Jessica Wong
Customer Insight Advisor
John Tulac
Business Law, Project Development and Construction, Licensing and JV's
Dennis Donahue
Intellectual Property Team
