James Schneider

My father was a contractor and started bringing me to work with him when I was 9. On Saturday mornings we'd get up at 5:30 AM and get on the road to head to the jobsite, always stopping along the way for a donut or a buttered hard roll. He told me he needed my help but in reality, he was a hard working guy trying to make ends meet and this was the time he could afford to spend with me. As I got older, it became a part time job on weekends and school vacations... it was a great way for a young kid to make some money. Although I enjoyed the work, I spent my entire adolescence explaining to my father I was far too smart to be a contractor and shared my plan to become an engineer. But it quickly became clear to me that my true passion was actually creating structures, not proving mathematically they would work. So in 1985 I started my business and from that humble beginning, have developed into a general contractor that builds and remodels high performance homes. My thirst for knowledge has been satisfied by earning 5 designations from the National Association of Home Builders and this incredible thing called Building Science. It's taught me your home is a living, breathing system that should be constructed and managed as such. After all these years I'm proud to say this is the only job I've ever had. It’s a long way from those Saturday morning rides with my father, but I wouldn't have it any other way.