As the founder and president of La Placa Development, Gaetano truly built La Placa Development from the ground up. In 1973, Gaetano immigrated from Italy to the United States. In the early years, he swept floors, painted, and assisted on construction sites.
Over the years, Gaetano acquired expert skills and knowledge as a craftsman, designer, and project manager. In 1984, Gaetano founded La Placa Development and transformed his expertise into a full-service firm. La Placa
Development earned a reputation for integrity, knowledge, and high-quality custom builds. After being incorporated in 1999, the company continued to grow. In 2014, the company transitioned its focus from building to project management and moved the La Placa Development office to Orange County. Today, La Placa Development is a full-service, family-run general contractor.
Gaetano is still in the field, assisted by his sons Giovanni and Francis, his wife Sheri, and a full-scale professional staff. His expertise, attention to detail, pursuit of perfection, and advocacy for clients still serve as the foundation of the company.
Sheri La Placa is Gaetano’s loving wife and co-founder of La Placa Development. Sheri has many roles within the office, including overseeing the company’s daily accounting operations and handling the office’s administrative duties. She truly is the glue that holds everything together at La Placa Development.
Sheri and Gaetano have been married for 40 wonderful years and have, quite literally, built up the business from nothing. Their inseparable bond and commitment to one another have contributed to La Placa Development’s flourishing success.
Giovanni La Placa is the eldest son of the La Placa family and a founding partner of La Placa Group. In 2024, he became CEO, bringing more than two decades of hands-on experience, leadership, and entrepreneurial drive to the role.
Having worked in Southern California real estate and development since the age of 20, Gio has played a critical role in the company’s evolution—overseeing negotiations, budgeting, purchasing, and strategic growth. His leadership is grounded in discipline, deep industry knowledge, and a long-term vision for value creation.
Giovanni previously served his Southern California community as a full-time firefighter and paramedic, a role that shaped his work ethic and community-oriented mindset. He holds an Associate of Science degree from Mt. San Antonio College and graduated from the Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program at UCLA in 2002.
Whether leading staff, projects, or outreach to investors, Gio’s work is rooted in legacy, integrity, and the belief that strong values build a strong business.
Francis La Placa is Chief Operating Officer and a founding partner of La Placa Group, where he plays a pivotal role in driving operational excellence across the company’s real estate investment, construction development, and home sales divisions.
With a foundation in construction a sharp instinct for design, Francis ensures that every project—whether a ground-up development or a strategic acquisition—is executed efficiently, on budget, and to the highest standard. His leadership spans operations, construction oversight, and the optimization of processes that directly impact investor returns.
Francis began his career working alongside his father, Gaetano, gaining deep knowledge of the construction process from the ground up. Over the years, he has grown into a key strategic leader within the firm, helping align day-to-day execution with the company’s broader investment goals.
As COO, Francis is instrumental in translating The La Placa Group’s vision into results—creating real estate assets that perform, endure, and generate long-term value for investors.
Gabe Gonzales is a Partner at The La Placa Group and has played a key role in the company’s evolution from a custom homebuilding business into a vertically integrated real estate investment firm. Since joining over four years ago, he has worked closely with the La Placa family to establish the company’s investment and brokerage divisions, as well as a separate affiliate focused on sourcing off-market residential opportunities across Southern California.
With a background in corporate real estate, a B.S. in Finance from Azusa Pacific University, and an MBA from Concordia University Irvine, Gabe applied his institutional knowledge and structured approach to help guide the firm’s strategic growth. Gabe has led the development of La Placa’s acquisition and investment platform, with a focus on expanding the company’s long-term rental portfolio and repositioning underutilized assets. Gabe is also the Broker of Record for the company overseeing a team of agents and managing the real estate sales side of the business.
His efforts have been grounded in collaboration, discipline, and a long-term commitment to building a resilient and enduring real estate organization.
Jen holds a Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Advertising from Cal State Fullerton. Jen holds a tenure of over a decade in residential real estate in Newport Beach and is currently a licensed realtor. Previous to joining La Placa, Jen worked as an assistant designer for an Orange County interior design firm, crafting and honing an eye for detail, and cultivating an untraditional modern coastal style.
Furthermore, Jen exemplifies her background in advertising and marketing while working closely with our marketing director to ensure the most effective strategies for success. In addition to her work with La Placa Development, Jen enjoys giving back to the community and is actively involved with Special Olympics Southern California, and the Surfrider Foundation.
