About Us

Verdan Roots began as a response to the growing pressures of life housing instability, food insecurity, workforce gaps, and rising costs. We are founder-led (sole proprietor) at pre launch; upon committed funds or letters of intent, Verdan Roots will form a nonprofit with a seated board and transparent governance.

Mission

Integrate housing, food systems, workforce training, and wellness into one ecosystem anchored by accountability and designed to be scalable.

What Informs Our Approach
Our Approach (why this matters & who benefits)

Housing, food, work, and wellness are interconnected. Verdan Roots brings these pieces onto one small campus as a pilot, so we can:

  • Improve daily stability — housing, food access, practical supports

  • Create opportunity — short, stackable training into jobs or self-employment

  • Rebuild connection — belonging, peer support, intergenerational community

Trust & Transparency:
To build trust, each pillar has clear outcomes and independent measurement. Results will be shared publicly so partners can:

  • See what works (and refine what doesn’t)

  • Fund with confidence

  • Adapt/replicate the model elsewhere

Early Partner Impact:
Early anchors may help shape the emphasis:

  • A university partner may expand the educational focus

  • A health/wellness anchor could emphasize aging, Alzheimer’s, or community health programs

  • A workforce/business partner may use Verdan Roots as a pathway for California market integration or workforce pipelines

Verdan Roots is built to welcome creative, committed partners and give them room to innovate in place:

  • Residents — build your future here: housing stability, food access, short, stackable training, and pathways to jobs or self-employment.

  • Universities & Nonprofits — co-design workforce programs, applied research, and wellness initiatives; examples include curriculum pilots or health programs tied to measurable outcomes.

  • Employers & Contractors — shape training prerequisites, create apprenticeships/internships, and pilot new technologies (documentation systems, modular/prefab construction, ag-tech, safety/QA).

  • Innovators — use the site as a living testbed for tools that improve housing delivery, food systems, or workforce readiness.

What we’re seeking: individuals and organizations who want to try, measure, and improve together—so successful ideas can be replicated beyond this campus.

Verdan Roots highlights and learns from intentional communities and university–community partnerships that demonstrate the value of integrated living and learning. Examples include:

  • Earthaven Ecovillage (NC)

  • Southside Park Cohousing (CA)

  • Southside Park Cohousing (Sacramento, CA)
  • Fair oaks EcoHousing (Fair Oaks, CA)

Universities are also beginning to recognize the need for collaborative, community-based approaches—linking academic programs to housing, food security, and workforce development.

Verdan Roots adapts these lessons to a small, measurable pilot where housing, food, workforce, and wellness operate together — and where outcomes are tracked for credibility and replication.

Leadership & Team Plan (upon funding/LOIs)

Verdan Roots is founder-led by Anthony Brown (35+ years in the California Construction Industry; B.S. Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California (USC); MBA Economic Crime & Fraud Management, Utica College.

Once anchor commitments are secured,Verdan Roots will transition into a nonprofit with a Board of Directors, ensuring shared governance and accountability. At that point, we will also add:

  • Board of Directors / Advisors (universities, employers, community, finance/legal, health/sustainability)

  • Program Director (training & workforce pathways)

  • Food Systems Coordinator (orchards, gardens, aquaponics, CSA)

  • Wellness & Engagement Lead (resident supports & community activities)

  • Operations & Development Support (funding compliance, reporting)

Every day, communities face rising housing costs, unstable work, and food insecurity. Without new models, these pressures will continue to displace families and erode opportunity.

Verdan Roots matters because it delivers:

  • Stable housing: Creating safe, affordable transitional and long-term housing for individuals and families at risk.
  • Workforce pathways: Training programs in construction, food systems, and green trades that lead directly to sustainable jobs.
  • Food security: On-site farming and community-supported agriculture that reduce dependence on distant supply chains.
  • Resilient communities: Spaces designed to adapt to climate pressures, workforce shortages, and future uncertainties.

The impact: When people are housed, trained, and nourished, entire communities gain stability. Budgets stretch further, local economies grow, and resilience becomes part of daily life — not just a policy goal.”

Founder’s Note

I founded Verdan Roots after more than 35 years in California’s construction industry, where I earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from USC and an MBA in Economics & Fraud Management from Utica University. Over the years, I’ve seen how housing shortages, labor gaps, and systemic inefficiencies hold communities back.

As a single dad, I know the challenges of trying to build stability without enough support systems. Many foster youth face the same struggle — more than 60% report they don’t have a dependable adult to lean on. Verdan Roots is designed to be that missing support structure, combining housing, food, workforce training, and wellness into one integrated community.

I’ve also seen how talented people — residents, contractors, even community partners — can be limited by rigid policies or outdated systems. Verdan Roots is built to welcome creative, passionate partners and give them room to innovate, whether they are residents building their future, universities shaping workforce programs, or contractors testing new technologies.

To demonstrate my commitment, the pilot will be developed on approximately three acres of property I own in Sacramento County, California. This ensures Verdan Roots has a concrete foundation for housing, food systems, and workforce training facilities from day one.

I’ve studied intentional communities like Earthaven Ecovillage (North Carolina – off-grid, sustainability-focused), Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (Missouri – cooperative ecological living), and Suderbyn Ecovillage (Sweden – permaculture and climate resilience). Many of these are rural or remote, which gives them space but often limits workforce connectivity. Locally, cohousing models such as Southside Park Cohousing (Sacramento, CA – multi-generational, urban), Washington Commons (West Sacramento, CA – cohousing, community-driven), and Fair Oaks EcoHousing (Sacramento County, CA – eco-friendly cohousing with shared gardens) show how intentional design can thrive in more urban settings. Verdan Roots combines the deep purpose of rural models with the accessibility and opportunity of Sacramento County’s urban/near-urban context, strengthened by modern oversight, workforce alignment, and scalability.

Universities are also beginning to recognize the need for collaborative, community-based approaches. UC Davis and Sacramento State, for example, have explored partnerships with the State of California to expand student housing and workforce training initiatives. These efforts highlight a growing awareness that housing, education, and workforce development cannot be solved in silos — they require integrated solutions like Verdan Roots.

We are pre-launch and pre-revenue, but once anchor funding is confirmed, Verdan Roots will transition into a non-profit entity to ensure transparent governance and long-term impact. Equally important, we intend to share our knowledge — documenting outcomes and lessons so other communities can replicate this model.