Meet The Team
Shizen Nakamura
Owner
Born in Berkeley and raised by his street artist parents, you could say Shizen was destined to work with his hands. In his early twenties, he worked in the family business as a jeweler and sold his jewelry on Telegraph avenue. Shizen always felt that jewelry fabrication was a gateway to carpentry, creating a strong structure that gets adorned and finished. So at around 30 years of age, he started in the trades and has been proudly working on residential beauties in the East Bay for the past 20+ years.
Married in 2007, Shizen and his wife Bianca live in El Cerrito with their son Lawrence, daughter Lucia, and their dogs Abby and Juno. In his spare time, Shizen likes to travel with his family, watch sports, do a little gardening, and go fishing.
Paul Cerami
Founder & Consultant
Paul Cerami comes from a long line of tradespeople and has been a licensed California general contractor since 1986. Before starting Cerami Builders, he worked as a carpenter learning all aspects of home building and soon recognized that he had found his passion in construction.
Paul deeply enjoys the challenge of a project as well as working with homeowners, architects and subcontractors. He is a collaborator by nature and thrives on his connections with others.
In both his working life and at home, Paul is in it for the long haul. He has been married for 38 years, has two children in their 20's and prides himself on being a family man. In his leisure time you can find him raising funds for YES and community programs and playing drums with his cover band.
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Paul Mayeda
Carpenter
Born and raised in Berkeley, CA Paul is third generation Japanese American (Sansei). He has lived in Japan for a third of his adult life studying Japanese architecture and construction, building traditional post and beam homes and new contemporary homes. Paul has been in the industry for over 35 years and has been inspired to build great homes for people. He was married in Japan and spends his free time with his wife, three grown children and grandchildren.
Alejandro Alfaro
Carpenter
Alejandro has been in the construction industry for over 30 years and has worked for Cerami Builders for 28 of those. In his down time he spends time with his wife and three kids in Richmond and likes to watch soccer.
Devon Unruh
Carpenter
Originally from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Devon moved to the Bay Area in 2016, and to North Berkeley in 2017. Shortly after, as he explored more and more of his neighborhood and beyond, he developed an appreciation for the beautiful and diverse architecture of the greater Berkeley area. So when the Covid-19 pandemic provided him an opportunity for a career change, he seized it by jumping feet-first into the world of homebuilding, and feels grateful that he landed with a builder as respected and knowledgeable as Paul. In addition to learning the fine skills and craft of carpentry, he is also pursuing a degree in Construction Management, which he began in Spring 2022.
When he has free time, he enjoys spending it outside with friends and family and there is nothing he enjoys more than traveling. He has spent his twenties backpacking all around the world (over 30 countries visited, so far!) and is always eager for the next trip.
Braulio Alfaro
Carpenter
Braulio grew up in Michoacan, Mexico and has been an employee of Cerami Builders for 22 years. He learned the construction craft during this time and likes working for Paul. When not building houses Braulio spends his time in Stockton with his wife, three kids and coaches his son's soccer team.
Richard Gabriel Pineda
Carpenter
Richard was born and raised in Mid City, Los Angeles with a family background in painting and general construction. Richard has been working as a carpenter for the past 8 years. He is highly motivated and always happy to take on new challenges. Richard and his wife live in Richmond and are the proud parents of 2 children.
Lucia Bella Nakamura
Social Media Manager
A senior in high school, Lucia is currently applying to colleges with aspirations to study architecture. She is fluent in French, having attended elementary and middle school at Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley.
From a young age, Lucia began learning about the art of carpentry from her father. He often brought woodworking projects into their home to work on together.