Builder Stories

Meet Kevin Choquette, owner of Ravin Builders a specialty deck builder located in Richmond, Rhode Island. Two years ago, Kevin made the pivotal decision to shift the focus of his company towards a single niche: boutique deck building. Little did he know that this strategic move would prove to be a game-changer, propelling his average project value from less than $40,000 to more than $160,000.    ...

Meet Jordan Webb, owner of Deck Masters a thriving deck building company based in Alaska. After starting the business at 16 years old, Jordan struggled to meet the demands of running a business while actively constructing decks. Driven by personal circumstances requiring his family to relocate to Hawaii, he developed systems to remotely manage building 170 decks a year.     Here are a few key take...

Meet Felipe Freig, owner of Versa Homes a boutique custom home builder located in British Columbia, Canada.  With a captivating journey that began as a skilled tile setter and a detour into the realm of music, Felipe found his true calling when he established his renovation company in 2009. Set to do $35 million in revenue over the next three years, Felipe credits Versa Home's success to working o...

Meet Michael Miller the owner of M3 Decks, a deck building company based in Woodinville, Washington. In business for six years, he built his company out of necessity and quickly realized he needed to better track cash flow and understand the business financials. With a goal of achieving $3 million in projects for 2024, he credits his success to a perpetual thirst for knowledge and the pursuit of f...

Meet Ben Schneider the owner of Peak Sodding, a niche landscape company based in North Carolina. Started in 2019 at the age of 21, Ben saw there was an opportunity to specialize in providing sod for landscaping jobs. Drawn to entrepreneurship at an early age, Ben had to learn on the go as he was building the company. From tracking KPIs to planning out your cash flow with a cyclical business, Ben h...

Meet Matt Blood the solo owner operator of Paragon Tile Installation based in Cumberland, Rhode Island. With over 20 years of experience in the tile industry, Matt initially started his business as a side hustle while working as a full-time firefighter. However, upon retiring from his firefighting career, he dedicated himself fully to his passion. Now he's learning how to refine his sales process...

Meet David Bryan owner of Blackdog Builders a design, build, and remodel firm based in Salem, New Hampshire. With 33 years of business experience and 65 team members, Blackdog Builders is projecting $16 million in revenue this year. David reflects on closing his first business, why he places a huge emphasis on culture and staff appreciation, and the importance of building out your processes and pr...

Meet Liliana Escudero, president of J Designs Pool & Spa, a boutique pool building company in Los Angeles, California. Their typical build is between $350k - $500k and they do not take on more than 10 projects a year in order to focus on excellent customer service. Liliana believes that it is important to learn your trade, find mentors, and stay on top of new technologies in order to keep growing...

Meet Luan Nguyen, founder of Deck Bros, a deck building company in Omaha, Nebraska. After having his work hours reduced during the pandemic, he started fixing up his own home and realized he could do it for others. He began advertising on Facebook to see if there was any interest and a business was born. After finding a business partner, they did over $1 million in the first year of business, cred...

Meet Tom Morris, the co-founder of The Selah Group - a premier general contractor specializing in exquisite outdoor living spaces. With operations spanning North Texas and Palm Beach, Florida, the Selah Group is renowned for their family-centric approach and unwavering commitment to crafting high-end, luxury outdoor spaces. Leveraging his expertise in engineering and technology, Tom's strategic fo...

Laurel Winkel is the owner of SheBuilds, a kitchen design and remodeling firm based in Canby, Oregon, south of Portland. SheBuilds started in 2017 after Laurel decided to go back to school to learn about kitchen design and remodeling. While most males in her family were in the construction industry, Laurel didn't join them until she changed careers at age 40. Laurel talks about dealing with impost...

Aaron Harshaw owner of Harshaw Home Renovators in Ottawa, Kansas specializes in high-end home renovations. He went from being a pastor to a business owner and is celebrating 5 years in business. Aaron talks about why you need to be a perpetual student, having the humility to say "I don't know", and the principals that guide his business.     Here are a few key takeaways from the discussion with Aa...

Jason Varney owner of both Dock and Deck and Tennessee Pool and Spa in Knoxville, Tennessee, does complete backyard projects that range from $750,000 to $1 million. What started as one company has grown into two as he brought his sons into the business. Jason talks about pivoting during an economic downturn, knowing your overhead costs, participating in TV shows, and modernizing his business proce...

Bob Turner owner of Turner Builders in Windham, Maine, has nineteen years in the construction industry. Starting his most recent business in 2020, he was able to end that year with over $1.6 million in sales. Recently, he has ventured into one-on-one and group coaching to share his knowledge with others in the industry. Bob talks about why regular, consistent client communication is key and the im...

Jared Thayer President of Thayer Design Build, had family members in the trades and started his career in construction after high school. Based in Corvallis, Oregon, they specialize in home remodels with an average project cost of $189,000. This year, he was honored to be named to the Forty Under 40 list by Pro Remodeler. Hear why his business is focused on delivering a great customer experience a...

Travis Gunter, owner of High Sierra Remodeling and Construction, started as a handyman and has quickly grown his business over the last 3 years by finding an ideal position in their market of Reno, Nevada. With over 50 projects completed, Travis takes us through some of his processes and strategies for scaling his business.   Here are a few key takeaways from the discussion with Travis: Advice for...

Josh Awend in a co-owner of American Drapery Systems, Inc., a third generation drapery business headquarter in Minnesota. Doing between $5-$10 million annually in both commercial and residential business, Josh discusses the ins and outs of working in the family business and why it's important to make sure your employees and vendors are aligned with your company's values.   Here are a few key takea...

Steve Tonkin is the owner of Tommico Renovations, a boutique building company located west of Sydney, Australia. With under $5 million in annual sales, Tommico specializes in renovations, extensions, and home builds. Steve discusses why it's important to network and talk to other builders and why it it's important to build your company slowly.   Here are a few key takeaways from the discussion wit...

Wally Munoz is the owner of Munoz Concrete Services, a concrete contractor specializing in residential, commercial, and decorative concrete near Davis, California. Managing a team of 6 employees, he discusses why it's important to pay more to get the right employees for the job and how poorly performing employees can impact others.   Here are a few key takeaways from the discussion with Wally: Fin...

Chad Huber CEO of CasaKeepers, a design build firm in the hill country of Austin, Texas. Running about 4-6 projects simultaneously, CasaKeepers handles high-end remodeling projects, home additions, and new home builds. His technology-first approach, helps to differentiate his firm in a competitive market space. Here are a few key takeaways from the discussion with Chad: Customer service is the tou...

Zach Snider is a Partner at Alloy Architecture & Construction, a design build firm doing about $3.5 million in annual revenue. Located in the small town of Charlottesville, VA, he does large scale remodeling projects, home additions, and the occasional new home build. His business does high end work and targets the upper end of the market with an average project size of $250k. Given he's in a smal...

Eric speaks with Peter Ranney of Ranney Blair, a remodeling and design firm in Roswell, Georgia. Peter shares his background in construction, why he started Ranney Blair with his business partner, Scott Blair, what it's like merging with another remodeler in the area, and how he has changed his processes to weed out the time wasters and find the ideal clients. Peter also shares some of his marketi...