Chapter 01 / 06
Who We Are
One Platform, One Builder, One Standard
Evia Partners is the capital platform that opens a proven builder's work to outside investors — on disciplined, investor-first terms, with your capital returned on a defined clock.
Two Building Families, One Name
The builder behind Evia is Noah Thomas Builders, a name that carries two legacies. Noah is Chris Baird's son, whose artistry and precision set the standard the company builds to. Thomas was Tom Mikolas's father — one of the builders behind the Sears Tower and a generation of Chicago's skyscrapers. Chris, a fourth-generation builder, and Tom, who spent decades raising large-scale towers, came together deliberately: two builders whose talents fit like joinery — the craftsman's eye and the engineer's discipline.
Evia is the platform they built on top of that craft — so investors can build alongside the family on the same terms the principals have used on their own balance sheet for years, with capital going in ahead of the builder and returned on a defined clock. Having come through enough market cycles to know the lessons that matter, Evia underwrites every deal the way those cycles taught: conservative leverage, protected margins, and an exit set before the first shovel — all along a Florida coast chosen deliberately for its people, its lifestyle, and its economics.
"A craftsman's artistry, a skyscraper's engineering, and a defined date to return every investor's capital."
The Vision
Evia is raising and deploying $100 million over the next 18 months, across multiple real estate development strategies with Noah Thomas Builders at its core. Single-family coastal luxury is the proven engine today; larger single assets, multifamily, and adjacent development verticals follow — each underwritten with the same discipline and each returning capital on a defined clock.
The People Behind Every Build
One vertically integrated team raises the capital, builds the homes, and returns the money — principals and operators under a single roof.
Chris Baird
Founder & Managing Partner
A fourth-generation builder with more than 22 years in luxury residential development, Chris has led over 1,500 acquisitions and developments — from multimillion-dollar custom homes to large-scale projects. He sets the design and quality standard for every Evia build and, having built through multiple market cycles, underwrites each deal with the discipline they taught: conservative leverage, protected margins, and a defined exit.
Tom Mikolas
General Partner
Three decades in large-scale construction and operations, Tom carries the engineering heritage of a father who helped raise the Sears Tower. His portfolio spans Chicago landmarks including Alta at K Station, the Mesirow Financial Tower, the Sheraton on the River, and the Sears Roebuck corporate headquarters — and he brings that high-rise structural rigor and depth in complex project delivery to every coastal home the firm builds.
Cody Buck
Chief Operating Officer
West Point graduate and former U.S. Army Cavalry officer. He joined Chris in Florida to build Evia's fund — a deliberate pairing of operational discipline with the platform's ambition — after leading ground-up construction in Colorado. Today he runs the fund end to end: capital raises, fund management, allocation, and investor experience. A systems thinker focused on efficiency at every stage.
Britney George
Director of Debt Capital Markets
Originally from Texas and now two years in Florida, Britney brings 13 years in new-construction development. She joined Chris in 2025 and leads financing and lender relationships — originating over $50M in loans this year — managing the construction debt senior to investor capital and keeping draws on schedule from groundbreaking to exit.
Kristal Baird
Human Resources
Builds and supports the team as the firm scales, leading hiring, onboarding, and people operations — keeping the culture strong and the bench deep.
Yomara Oliveras
Accountant
Owns the books across the platform, from deal-level cost accounting to investor capital accounts and statements, keeping reporting clean, timely, and audit-ready.
