About Us

Our Purpose

What is the attainable workforce housing crisis?
The federal definition of workforce housing is housing for individuals or families typically earning around the Area Median Income (AMI) commonly known as the middle-class. Attainable refers to housing that is made more affordable and accessible to this critical consumer group. The average cost of a home has increased 20% from $345,000 in 2022 to $415,000 in 2023. Therefore, an individual must earn roughly $90,000 per year pretax. Yet, the average annual salary for Floridians is $55,980 according to Forbes. As you can see, the gap is wide creating a vacuum in homeownership resulting in transient living practices that are unstable and stressful.
Homeownership creates a sense of belonging, promotes pride of ownership, allows for housing security, and offers financial benefits realized through tax deductions and general improved financial stability.

How it started?

Our founder, Eric Hale, realized early on in his career that housing for working class Americans was more challenging than one might think. While employed with Disney, he heard countless stories from his colleagues about their housing difficulties and distinct struggles with lack of affordable housing inventory. What he did not realize at the time was he was witnessing the beginning of the silent epidemic that would later be coined attainable workforce housing. Time pressed on.
Eric spent years refining his skills to create a solution to significantly reduce utility costs, a continuous housing cost. After many tests and trials, he built his own home to prove the Energy-Stingy™ viability. Soon after, as he was meditating in the fall of 2020 regarding the working-class housing challenge, he envisioned 1000’s of well-built tiny house neighborhoods across America.
This triggered a stream of emotions, and he realized that the time was right to act on the social issue that had been pulling on his heart for over 20 years. He knew what needed to be done. Seek a team of passionate like-minded industry experts. He started with Scott Banta. Collectively, they applied their knowledge and expertise in real estate, land acquisition, land entitlement, construction, engineering, resource, and community development to lay the foundation for what is now DreamQuest Tiny Neighborhoods Inc.

Vision

To become the preeminent leader of creating desirable tiny home neighborhoods to support the realization of attainable workforce home ownership across America.

Mission

Where we advocate and advance Attainable Workforce Housing by empowering the dream of homeownership through high-volume innovation development of Energy-Stingy™ homes in desirable Tiny Home Neighborhoods.

Core Beliefs

Integrity, Excellence, Community, Innovation and Action

Our Board

DreamQuest Tiny Neighborhoods has engaged an eclectic group of community leaders, business professionals, real estate experts and local residents to lead our efforts and serve as a voice for change.

Eric Hale, Chief Executive Officer Eric Hale is the creator and visionary of Energy-Stingy™ a construction method that reduces the cooling and heating costs by 80%. He is reshaping how houses are being built and advocating for energy efficiency as a construction staple. In addition to holding a BA in business and an AA in engineering, Eric brings over 3 decades of experience as a Florida contractor and corporate facilities manager to his current role where he leads the effort to improve attainable workforce housing for all at DQTN. He boosts of his greatest achievements as husband of 1 terrific lady for over 40 years, father of 3 wonderful sons, grandfather of 14 amazing grandkids.

Scott Banta, Senior Vice President Scott Banta is a real estate maverick with over 40 years of direct experience as a land developer and mixed-use projects organizer. Scott is a licensed Florida real estate broker with a passion for doing splits and creating strong communities. He serves as the Managing Member of the Realty Center Southeast and holds a BS in business administration from Rhode Island University. As the Executive Vice President of DQTN, Scott leads efforts related to land acquisition, permitting and land development. Scott has been married for over 40 years, father to 3 sons and grandpa to 3 grandchildren.

Vivan Carlson, Board Member Vivian Carlson is a nonprofit and general office administrator with over 25 years of experience. She is versed in permitting, logistics and accounts receivable and payable. In addition, she is a Florida notary public and trilingual (English, Portuguese, and Spanish). Vivian is married to a wonderful man and has four children and five grandchildren.

Advisory Board

Jeff Struck is a serial entrepreneur and currently owns three construction-related businesses. He is also a licensed commercial real estate broker in Florida, a licensed specialty contractor in Florida, and a licensed home builder in Alabama. Jeff has a real estate portfolio in various housing markets. He is a private pilot and travels nationwide in his own 2-seater airplane.

Lorraine Beato is a nationally recognized force of nature in the world of real estate. More than 25 years of experience as a REALTOR, investor, appraiser and consultant have imparted a rare depth of expertise in her field. Prior to becoming a licensed REALTOR, she worked on the Mortgaged Backed Securities trading floor for Merrill Lynch on Wall St. The same business acumen that brought her success to the trading floor serves her well today. Author of Flip the Switch from Real Estate Agent to Real Estate Investor, she has built her career in real estate as an Associate Broker currently with eXp, CEO of Property Envy Consulting and Lorraine Beato International. She has a heart for community as a dedicated volunteer for many great causes.

Chaz and Chi-Chi Tyler are seasoned residential realtors leading ACTS Home Team powered by Keller Williams in Orlando, Florida. They are committed to educating and empowering their clients throughout their property journey. With a client-centric philosophy, they work to ensure buyers achieve affordable, sustainable living. They are not just merely in the business of selling homes; they’re in the business of changing lives.