NET WORTH: $1.25 billion, up 12 percent

LAST YEAR: $1.12 billion

AGE: 88

RESIDENCE: Pasadena

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Construction, homebuilding, real estate

THE MONEY: Slow growth among homebuilders offset by strong commercial construction sector and appreciation of existing residential portfolio.

BUZZ: Notoriously quiet J.F. Shea Co. lifted veil slightly, offering that of seven divisions, Shea Properties holds 6,500 units in its portfolio with 2,300 in pipeline; owns 5 million square feet of commercial property. Generated $250 million in revenue in 2014, with $1 billion in development. It also owns infrastructure builder J.F. Shea Construction, construction equipment and material manufacturers Redding and Reed Manufacturing, and golf community manager-developer Bluestar. Trilogy unit partnered with SolarCity to offer 1,500 solar-equipped homes in Florida last year. Construction business part of team building $1.6 billion Metro Purple Line expansion. Shea turned over day-to-day duties to Peter O. Shea Jr. in 2005. Holding company founded in 1881 in Portland, Ore., now headquartered in Walnut. Construction unit built Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam.