Our Mission
At Trillium Enterprises we strive to offer our Clients general contracting services that are unrivaled by comparison. We ensure this by employing a dedicated staff devoted to providing superior service, and utilizing only the most reputable and experienced subcontractors in the Greater Santa Barbara Area. Our goal is to gain repeat and referral business, achieved by maintaining the highest levels of professionalism, integrity, and honesty in our relationships with our business associates and Customers.
Who We Are
Brothers Ken and Peter Cohen co-founded Trillium Enterprises in 1987. Ever since their days as students at UC Santa Barbara, it had been their dream to start a construction company. After graduating and gaining experience as Supervisors and Foremen for a local General Contractor, Ken and Peter knew it was time to branch out and start a family business of their own.
Ken Cohen
Ken holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara. He currently resides in Santa Barbara with his wife, two sons, and their two dogs. In his free time Ken enjoys coaching his sons’ soccer teams, taking their dogs to the beach, running, and restoring historical buildings.
Peter Cohen
Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Econometrics from UC Santa Barbara. An avid traveler, Peter lived in Japan for five years where he attended a Japanese language program and taught English. He is passionate about his non-profit zenbycat.org, whose mission is to raise awareness and money to find a cure for Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). In his free time Peter enjoys physical fitness, caring for his cats, going to the movies, reading, and maintaining his saltwater aquarium and Koi pond.
Tammy McCarthy-Goodman
Bookkeeper
Tammy is a California native and has been a resident of Santa Barbara for over 20 years. After finishing school at UC Santa Barbara, she was employed by various local companies focusing on both office and property management including all aspects of accounting practices. Since joining Trillium Enterprises in 2002, Tammy has served many roles for the company, though her primary responsibilities are accounting and bookkeeping. Tammy is a triathlete, and on most days, you will find Tammy running, biking, swimming and enjoying beautiful Santa Barbara with her husband Jon.
Elizabeth Saavedra-Bayat
Human Resources Director
Elizabeth has been the Human Resources Director at Trillium Enterprises since 2008. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Elizabeth graduated from Santa Barbara High School and attended UC Santa Barbara where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society. She graduated with honors from Santa Barbara City College where she received several associate degrees including Business Administration, with an emphasis in Management and Liberal Studies. She also holds her Real Estate License and is a licensed Cosmetologist. When not working, Elizabeth enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, calligraphy, yoga, dancing salsa and spending time with her husband, their four children and their dogs.
Zac Margolies
Project Manager
Zac's interest in residential construction was piqued in 2001 while spending a year working with Habitat for Humanity in Columbus, GA. Upon graduating from CSU Long Beach with a BA in Philosophy, he took a position as the Construction Manager of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to help with the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Katrina. Zac joined the Trillium team in 2008, where he has enjoyed the opportunity to further refine his managerial skills and construction knowledge. When Zac isn’t hard at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, playing pickup basketball games, or getting in a round of golf.
Rebecca Johnson
Executive Assistant & Property Manager
A San Francisco Bay Area native, Rebecca received a BA in Communication, with an emphasis in Advertising from the University of San Francisco. In 2008 Rebecca left the City and followed her heart to Santa Barbara where she joined the Trillium team as Executive Assistant and Property Manager. Prior to her time with Trillium, Rebecca worked in residential Real Estate, and Marketing & Advertising for non-profit organizations. In her free time Rebecca enjoys travel, floral design, live music, bowling, and attending rodeos.
Saira C. Kyle
Administrative Assistant & Property Manager
Saira joined Trillium Enterprises in 2017 as Office Administrative Assistant and Property Manager. She is a California native who moved to beautiful Santa Barbara to attend UC Santa Barbara. She received a BA in Communication, with emphases in interpersonal and intercultural communication, and a BA in Chicano/a Studies. She moved away briefly to help manage her family’s small business, but both she and her husband could not envision calling any other place home and returned to Santa Barbara in 2012. When not working, Saira enjoys traveling, cooking, playing volleyball, and spending time with her husband, James, and their dogs, Charlie and Penny.
Dylan Carr
Administrative Assistant
Dylan is a Santa Barbara native who began to work for Trillium in 2018. He graduated Westmont College, cum laude, with a B.A. in Art, and a minor in Spanish. Prior to working for Trillium, he gained management experience through being a church administrator, restaurant supervisor, & traveling certified trainer. In his free time Dylan enjoys adventures with his family, the outdoors, being active in his church, and conversations about the big questions of life.
Alexis Karpeles
Administrative Assistant
Alexis moved to Santa Barbara in 2010 to attend UCSB where she obtained her BA in English, she decided to stay in Santa Barbara as a permanent resident after realizing her love for the area. Alexis joined the Trillium team in 2020 to learn about office administration. In her free time, Alexis enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, exercising, and expanding her knowledge of crystals and minerals.
Services
Trillium takes great pride in the relationships we establish and maintain with our Clients. With over 30 years experience handling a wide range of projects, we can smooth out the sometimes tumultuous process of building or remodeling to afford our Clientele the opportunity to concentrate on issues most important to them. We excel in our ability to complete projects on time with outstanding quality, a closely monitored budget, and the drive to oversee every last detail.
Constant, clear communication between Trillium and our Clients is essential, given the vast amount of decision making during the planning and building stages. We encourage questions and open discussion to exchange as much information as possible so your new environment is truly customized for you. We operate as a team and want your experience throughout the project to be as pleasant and rewarding as it is for us here at Trillium.
The quality of any project is dependent on both the craftsmen and materials chosen. Trillium carefully selects a team of experienced subcontractors who consistently meet our high standards. In turn, we provide the support and direction necessary to integrate the components of building as efficiently as possible.
Trillium understands how important it is to finish a project on time and within budget. We plan and provide a realistic project schedule that pushes for completion at a rapid pace. The same consideration is taken with budget planning, and Clients receive an accurate, detailed list of all costs associated with the project. Whenever you request a change or addition to the plan, we provide updated cost to completion information as necessary. This leaves you in control of the budget with no surprises at the end.
Seeing a project through to the very last detail is the most difficult part of a contractor’s job, yet the most critical for successful completion. The large scale combination of people and materials always creates a list of items needing attention at the end. These items are commonly left unfinished, tarnishing the end result. We take pride in a completed project to the last detail; completed to your satisfaction.