Meet the Founders

Jim Heid, FASLA Founding Partner

Idea Guy + Placebuilder

Jim has spent a lot of his career exploring new ideas.  Some would say he makes things more complex, but he just wants to make them better.  For over 30 years he has advised cities, NGO’s, legacy families and private developers on more positive ways to build community. Trained initially as a landscape architect, he went on to receive a Masters of Real Estate Development from MIT as a way to combine his passion for great design with a desire to get things done.

In 2003, along with his wife Marty and daughter Maddie, they planted their first flag in Healdsburg. Like many naïve do-it-yourselfers, their first project - The Little House at 536 Johnson Street – took far longer and cost more than envisioned.  Undaunted, they went on to do things faster (but still more than budgeted) with The Library Cottages at 507/509/511 Johnson Street. 

When not advising or renovating, Jim has been leading professionals from all over the country to see how small-scale, incremental development is being leveraged to create more vibrant, enduring communities.  The concept for CraftWork emerged from what he saw in Pittsburgh and Phoenix, Denver and Detroit, and ten other cities. Regardless of the politics, climate, or age of the city - coworking was always at the center of new ideas, economic vitality and a renewed sense of place and purpose.

After the 10th tour, the concept for CraftWork was launched with Founding Partner Dan Carroll. Shortly after Gabe and Jeff joined the fray for all the same reasons – Healdsburg is just too great a town to not have its own special workplace for the rest of us. 

Gabe Petersen, Partner

Technology Svengali + Marketing Master Mind

Gabe is passionate about supporting projects in his local community. Born and raised in Sonoma County he has watched as workers have empowered themselves by starting their own businesses and expanded their prospects for employment with remote work. With a background in Finance and Marketing, Gabe attended Santa Rosa Junior College and earned a degree in business from Sonoma State University. He has spent his career working in the telecommunications industry, helping companies deliver the high-speed fiber service that allows workers the flexibility to do their jobs remotely. 

Often people working out of their home feel isolated, and miss being part of a community of like-minded individuals that they can engage on a regular basis. Gabe hopes CraftWork will address these concerns by providing a professional and creative environment for people to collaborate and connect on a daily basis. 

Gabe has been fortunate to call Healdsburg home since 2008 when he moved to join his wife here in her hometown. They have a young son and are excited about bringing a project like CraftWork to Healdsburg to provide the opportunity for people to live and work in the community they love.

Jeff Nagy, Partner

Digital Creative Guru + Sound Guy

Jeff has spent the better part of his professional life helping individuals and companies create unique digital experiences. After graduating with a degree in television production he was quickly swept up by the first “dotcom” wave where he honed his skills managing creative and technical resources in the development of ecommerce and community-based websites. After a stint with a dot-com start-up on the East Coast, Jeff returned to California to polish his craft as a creative and technical project manager working for a variety of innovative technology companies, including BioRad Laboratories, Citrix Systems, SONOS and 2K Games.

Jeff currently works remotely as Senior Project Manager for a San Diego based advertising agency.

Jeff joined the Craftwork team with the desire to help create a thriving entrepreneurial community in the county that he’s known and loved since his family moved here in the early seventies. Jeff currently lives in Healdsburg with his wife Lila and their terrier Dakota.