Meet the hard working people that make Acheson Builders the most trusted name in home renovation and remodeling in the Ann Arbor area.
Jim Acheson, the founder and owner of Acheson Builders, is highly regarded for his craftsmanship and his eye for design. While you may sometimes see him wearing a “cowboy” hat, he’s really the son of a jeweler (read: extremely meticulous), a well educated, highly disciplined, very gifted designer and builder with a passion for excellence in everything he does. He cares about the fine details, – such as how the placement of windows will light an area, versus how they will function for exterior design or viewing. On many occasions he has consulted with homeowners to help solve construction problems other builders have unknowingly created.
When he’s not on the job site, Jim is a skiing enthusiast, and general outdoorsy kind of guy. When he does find himself indoors he loves to read, especially philosophy and theology. Keeping up with the changing political landscape of our country has always been of importance to him; he believes it’s crucial to be active in communicating with our politicians regarding important issues. He also feels it is important to serve in the community for those who are underprivileged. You’ll frequently find him at Hope Clinic, serving meals to the needy.
With multiple roles, Marilyn has assisted in the company since marrying Jim in 1977. She has done everything from bookkeeping to phone handling, to IT management, HR management, Marketing, Insurance, Accounting, and general business management. She has training as an artist, and likes to do renderings for projects when needed. She has also been instrumental in setting up the company’s logo (recently re-branded) and designing marketing materials. Currently she serves as CFO, and assists Jim Acheson in project management as well.
Ben started with Acheson Builders as a 17 year old kid. He was strong and fit, but didn’t know much about construction. He started out working with Jim Acheson as a helper, when Jim was still doing carpentry in the field. Jim taught him, year by year, and Ben was a good student – quiet, but retaining things well. He has worked for Acheson Builders for over 18 years, and now is a skilled leader for job production, and an exceptional cabinet maker, as well. His favorite free time activity is fishing.
Kevin is multi-talented. He is as comfortable working in the office helping with estimates or assisting in managing jobs, as he is working as a carpenter in the field. He has training in drafting and computer aided drawing, and studied construction management at Eastern Michigan University. Kevin’s carpentry skills have expanded significantly since he started with Acheson Builders over 10 years ago. He now primarily serves as a lead carpenter on many of our projects, with great success. In Kevin’s free time, he loves to go snowmobiling.
We are excited to welcome experienced Interior Designer Laurén Schaefers, who most recently designed kitchens and baths for KSI, Ann Arbor, also assisting with project management. Laurén is passionate about design work, and enthusiastic about bringing her skills and creativity to larger and more diverse projects with Acheson Builders. Laurén enjoys working with clients to help meet their goals and budget. She loves to get each client excited about their project, helping them enjoy the sometimes difficult process of pre-visualizing remodeling, and all related tasks from the grand to the granular, such as selecting finishes. Her strong organizational skills, knowledge of materials and products, space planning abilities — She is comfortable creating 2D and 3D renderings, both by hand and with Computer Aided Design (CAD) software and other tools. Laurén is a Board Member and Vice President of Academic Relations of National Kitchen and Bath Association, Michigan Chapter, and frequently volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and Relay for Life. Acheson Builders is grateful to have Laurén join its team and we are sure that our clients’ experience with our company will be much enhanced because of her.
Charlie moved to Ann Arbor from California with several years of carpentry experience, including finish carpentry, time spent as a commercial carpenter, as well as many years of running his own carpentry business. He left the California sunshine to come to Michigan and marry an Ann Arbor woman. Charlie always brings a smile to work, and is a great team player, cheerfully taking on the tasks that he is given, whether labor work or fine carpentry. We appreciate his great attitude, his integrity and his workmanship.
Jose came to Michigan from Spain (not Mexico). Spanish is his native tongue, but he is very good with the English language. He is also a capable member of the team, and fits in well with either crew leader to help accomplish the tasks. He is married to a gal from Grand Rapids, and they have one daughter. Jose loves to travel to Spain to visit his family there.
Wayne joined our team after a number of years of experience working for another builder, doing everything from demolition to framing to final punchlist work. He enjoyed being a carpenter, but was looking for an employer of integrity, that cared enough about its employees to pay fair wages “above board”, and provide good benefits including health insurance, so he joined Acheson Builders. We are happy to have him on board! He is a committed, capable worker with plenty of skills and talents to assist in providing the high level of craftsmanship that we require.
Jeff has a great attitude, and he works diligently without complaining even on the menial tasks he is often given. He watches carefully to make sure the materials that he picks up to take to jobs are exactly as specified. He is also happy to join the crew in the field and help with general work that needs to be done – especially cleaning up and making sure things are in proper order. He willingly stays late whenever needed to complete a task – rather than leave it only partially accomplished. Jeff is married to Bonnie, and they have one son and some grandchildren!
Another smiling face, and a good attitude, James works diligently and does not complain. He did not start out with carpentry skills, but is continually learning by watching, gaining knowledge and understanding as he assists with general labor and helps keep job sites clean. He is prompt, friendly, hardworking, and dedicated.
Here is another multi-talented fellow, with excellent carpentry skills and understanding of building requirements, from over 15 years of experience in residential construction obtained before coming to join Acheson Builders. Along with working in carpentry, he studied at Baker College, and received an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Drafting and Design Technology, Magna Cum Laude. He learned AutoCAD and other office skills, and with his construction knowledge he has become invaluable for Acheson Builders as a draftsman and estimator, as well as assisting in preparing Proposals and Preliminary Price quotations for our clients. He is meticulous and careful, paying attention to every detail, just as he did when working as a carpenter in the field.
We were blessed when we found a bookkeeper with so much experience. She worked at her last company so long that she became an officer of the company – Vice President of Finance! When the company was sold, all the current officers were let go. Ruthann could have just decided to retire at that time – but she still has a lot of energy and wasn’t ready for that. She came to Acheson Builders, and now puts in long hours of undivided attention to the tasks of managing the accounting for our company. We have rarely seen someone so steady and focused on the job – and totally precise and accurate. We are grateful for her contributions here.
Being the son of the founder of family-run Acheson Builders, Ross has played a role in several spheres of the company. Having done labor work while young, he later spent several summers working here (between college semesters) in the office. He was instrumental in implementing our estimating system, and has served in several other capacities, doing computer work, administrative work, job coordination, product research, and more. He currently serves part-time as our Payroll Clerk, which he is doing remotely from Pennsylvania while working on a Masters in Information Systems at the University of Pittsburgh. He is intensely accurate and precise in all he does – just like his father! We are thankful for his capable assistance.
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Recent NewsOut of the Embers – Remodeling After FireAfter the smoke cleared and insurance company assessments were completed, the homeowner chose Acheson Builders to come to the rescue. Work has already begun to complete renovate the great room and other parts of the house. |
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