Virgil Fox
CEO, The Birchfield Community
A resident of the Chehalis area since 1988, Virgil Fox is a veteran developer, homebuilder, art gallery owner and philanthropist with a track record of success spanning more than half a century.
Starting in the plumbing and heating trade, Mr. Fox’s business ventures include a large construction company focused on municipal projects such as parks and utility plants; dozens of land development and homebuilding projects; a chain of tool-rental stores sold to U-Haul; apartment building ownership; and ownership of a Seattle art gallery. His philanthropic efforts through the Fox Foundation are widely noted, and he is active in Lewis County capital improvement projects for the public good.
Birchfield represents a personal effort by Mr. Fox to express all he has learned about conscientious, intelligent, foresighted development over a lifetime of successful effort. Birchfield is being realized as a gracious master planned community for those who seek both the latest amenities and uncommon serenity.
In 2007 Mr. Fox celebrated his golden wedding anniversary to his wife Carol. They have three children and nine grandchildren who look forward to playing in the parks and youth facilities at Birchfield.
Gary Fox
Director of Marketing, The Birchfield Community
A fourteen-year Lewis County real estate professional who has earned national recognition for sales performance, Gary Fox has also helped craft the Birchfield vision since its inception.
Residing in Lewis County since 1993, Mr. Fox has worked since 1995 at Century 21 Lund Realtors, Chehalis, serving Lewis and southern Thurston counties. Mr. Fox’s Century 21 sales activity on behalf of satisfied sellers places him in the top 3 percent of Century 21 agents nationally and has resulted in his induction into the Century 21 Hall of Fame. Mr. Fox has played a central role in planning Birchfield since the Fox family acquired the acreage in the 1980s, taking a keen interest in maintaining the integrity and quality of the development. He is also co-owner of the Birchfield Winery and a season sponsor for the Napavine Amphitheater, a seasonal music venue in Napavine, WA.
Prior to his real estate career Mr. Fox pursued a successful career in restaurant management.
He lends energy to numerous community and charitable causes including the Lewis County Community Concerts, the county’s annual Communty Auction for Theater Arts fundraiser, Providence Hospital System’s Festival of Trees, and St. Joseph’s School.
Mr. Fox and his wife of 16 years, Melissa, have three children.
Craig Steepy
Birchfield Master Planner
Craig Steepy is an eighteen-year veteran in the fields of urban planning, private land development and environmental coordination. Deeply familiar with the region where Birchfield is located and committed to quality development, he’s lent his expertise to such master planned communities as Thurston Highlands in Yelm, Hawks Prairie in Lacey and Briarton Neighborhood Village in Olympia.
Mr. Steepy’s experience goes beyond residential development to include shopping centers, commercial and retail development and professional offices. He coordinates input from consulting teams and writes environment documents including formal Environmental Impact Statements. More than two dozen major projects in western Washington bear his mark.
Mr. Steepy holds a degree in urban-regional planning from Western Washington University and belongs to the American Planning Association. Mr. Steepy is a co-owner and winemaker at the Birchfield Winery.
