TAKA NAKAGAWA, Owner & Lead Designer

Taka Nakagawa attended Nagoya Technical Design college in Nagoya, Japan, and has been building and renovating homes since his arrival in the United States. Before Sakura, Taka was the general contractor for Quality Homes America, best known for renovation projects in the historic Irvington and Alameda neighborhoods. He also previously owned and managed an export company that sent innovative building materials from Oregon to Japan, counting both Mitsubishi and Nisshoiwai among his clients. At Sakura, Taka focuses on creating unique residential and commercial properties throughout Portland. With every project he combines his extraordinary craftsmanship and eye for detail with his life-long commitment to community service, creating beautiful spaces while donating a portion of all profits to local schools and charities.

SARAH STEINBERG, Designer

Sarah Steinberg studied architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA and Barcelona, Spain. She is a LEED accredited professional with special interest in passive sustainable techniques – how homes can use less energy naturally, without extra buttons and switches.  Since graduation, she has worked for CAW Architects in Palo Alto, CA, designing restaurants and university dining halls along with custom homes, and for herself as an architectural designer, illustrator, and drafstman, in Portland. At the Sakura Group, Sarah is a designer and office-side project manager, working with our clients and construction managers to ensure that we design a space that we can build beautifully, within budget.  When she is not drawing plans and reading email, Sarah loves to hike with her dog, garden with her chickens, and explore Portland with friends.

ROSS DOYLE, Project Manager

Ross Doyle studied mechanical engineering at Portland State University in Portland, OR with additional studies in construction engineering management. He has extensive experience in remodeling, carpentry work, project management, and more after having owned and managed his own construction company for over 20 years. His passion for mid-century design brought him to Sakura, where he is currently a project manager. Ross maintains order and boosts morale in the office in addition to overseeing on-site work.

CRISTY MURRAY, Office Manager

Cristy Murray studied general accounting at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR and previously earned her Associates Degree from Pierce College in CA. She has over 10 years of experience in bookkeeping and office management in the construction industry and is currently the bookkeeper at Sakura. As an integral part of the Sakura family, Cristy keeps everything running smoothly at the office while ensuring budget is at the forefront of project decisions. When she isn’t at the office or working elsewhere,  she loves to spend time hiking and camping with her 4 dogs Mickey, Sunny, Bubbles and Buttons.

TODD LOOBY, Consulting Project Manager

Todd Looby obtained his M.S. in Environmental Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois. Following graduation, he worked for 8 years as an assistant project manager at Walsh Construction Company in Chicago, IL where he gained invaluable experience as a preconstruction manager, project manager, and estimator on numerous multi-million dollar projects. Most notably, he was the project manager on both the new Gerald Ratner Athletic Center at the University of Chicago, a $45 million dollar Cesar Pelli project in the heart of downtown, and a high profile interior build-out at the Art Institute of Chicago. When he isn’t working with Sakura, Todd channels his love of film into his own entertainment production company, Obrigado Productions, and has dedicated himself to volunteering with several non-profits, including Liberia Mission and Habitat for Humanity.