About

When I was 13, my family purchased some land up north and we were going to build a log cabin. The plan was to spend 2 weeks there stacking logs, sleeping in a garage that we built the previous fall to use as temporary living and storage. These were two of the best weeks of my life up to this point. Looking at the blue prints, sorting through the many piles of logs, to find the next one that was going to be stacked. Prepping the log to be installed and finally stacking it in place. One of the many hats I wore when helping my Dad on a project was being a go-for. He was a great mentor and there were only a few trades he wasn’t confident in, one thing he was terrible at was setting down his tape measure, hammer, pencil, etc. and forgetting where he put them. I spent many hours in my youth helping him on projects and running around looking for the tools that he needed, at times enlisting the help of my brother and mom. A few days into the log cabin construction, it was the evening after a long day and the whole family was sound asleep. Enjoying my time up there as much as I did, I was dreaming of the days to come and the ones that just were, when I woke the whole garage up yelling for a PENCIL!! Seeing that process from start to finish, I still remember sitting down with my Dad when he got the blue prints and looking them over the winter before we started, laying out the location of the cabin in spring for the concrete workers to build the foundation, stacking the logs in the summer, and helping with the electrical, plumbing, roofing, flooring, staining, etc in the year and half following; I had never been so proud to be a part of something. There have been countless other projects, houses, cabins that I have worked on in the 20+ years since then, but it was then that I knew this is what I was meant to do.

5 years later I found myself at NDSU starting school to be a civil engineer, this career choice lasted for only a few weeks. At my university 101 class they brought in a panel of civil engineers to talk to us about their current jobs, explain what they did and gave us the opportunity to ask questions. All 5 of them came in to the classroom in slacks and button-ups/suits. They talked about cubicles, spending all their days in an office at a computer, one of them had even spent the last 5 years designing concrete columns for parking garages, said that he had been pigeonholed and that was all he did. I made an appointment with my advisor that same day and changed my major to construction management, the rest was history. I graduated from NDSU in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in construction management and minor in business.

In the past 20+ years since the log cabin, I have been exposed to and a part of the entire construction process. From initial concept ideas and design on small residential projects to multi million dollar commercial projects. Working with local municipalities to ensure codes are met, and permitting is completed. I have written and reviewed contracts with owners, general contractors, and subcontractors. Shoveled dirt and gravel, hammered nails, ran equipment, power tools, and crews. I have ran around the site looking for a tape measure, and been the one installing the final trim pieces while my own go-for looks for my tape measure (some apples don’t fall far from the tree).

From initial concept to finished product, you can rely on Nearby Handy Guy. It doesn’t matter if you need a single shelf hung or a full kitchen remodel. You will receive the same attention to detail, passion and care that I put forth on every project.