In college I studied sociology and urbanization, and became interested in the patterns of urban growth, decay and revitalization. At the same time I was volunteering with a faith-based outreach ministry to the urban poor, those who are chronically ill-housed and under-employed. I was also working part-time construction jobs, building new suburban homes. My experiences put a human face on my studies, the studies gave the experiences context.
In the late 1970’s I was asked to work with some local church folks to renovate vacant homes in their run-down neighborhood. Their goal was to stabilize their neighborhood, provide decent, affordable housing opportunities, and jobs for that community. That group became the Inner City Christian Federation, (www.iccf.org) which is today one of the largest, most successful non-profit community development corporations in the nation. I spent 10 years with various community development corporations, as builder, manager and board member, renovating both single-family and multi-family housing for various special needs populations.
After working a decade in “gut-rehab” renovation I became interested in the construction of new homes that were affordable, durable and efficient, what today we call “sustainable.” I started a general contracting company and employed a crew; we did some commercial renovations, but mostly residential: new homes, additions, substantial renovations. I incorporated various new technologies in our projects, including structural insulated panels, pressure treated wood foundations, and insulated concrete forms.
By the mid-1990’s there were new developments and opportunities in urban revitalization, and I had a growing interest in commercial adaptive re-use, historic preservation, public-private cooperation and an enthusiasm for re-inventing and rebuilding the American city. I spent the next decade as a project manager for commercial design/build development companies that shared this vision. As LEED standards were developed we incorporated these in our projects.
When the financial crisis of 2008 up-ended the construction industry I returned to self-employed general contracting, taking both residential and commercial projects. It was slow-going at first, as the economy struggled, and 2009-10 were difficult years. But in the end, the last 15 years of my career proved to be the most exciting.
