Jim Acheson, President

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.

Ben Stanley, Lead Carpenter

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.

Laurén Schaefers, Interior Designer

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.

Jose Portales, Carpenter

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.

Jeff Scott, Driver and Skilled Laborer

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!

Nate Calhoun, Estimator and Draftsman

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.

Ross Acheson, Payroll Clerk

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.