How did you get started in your career? 

In 1980 Paul, my husband, and I moved to Steamboat Springs, CO from Wisconsin to ski for a year...I began my career in real estate development in Steamboat as the office manager of a real estate company. The Broker I worked for did condominium development projects and as ‘his right hand’ I assisted with everything from permitting to contracting with trades, paying the bills, coordinating sales and marketing programs, model merchandising and selling.

When we moved to Denver 5 years later, I was hired as the Administrative Assistant to the President of Ken-Caryl Development Co. The principals of the Ken-Caryl Development operations decided to start a home building company to build on lots there. The company they started was Village Homes of Colorado.   I worked in numerous positions for this homebuilder over the following 25 years and worked my way up to President/Chief Operating Officer and Partner. Unfortunately, the devastating Great Recession caused the original Village Homes to lose all of its assets and the majority of its team members.

During the recession, my amazing business friends opened so many doors for me. With Cheryl Schuette & Associates, I helped banks and the FDIC liquidate troubled assets, I oversaw commercial property management and sales operations, and managed significant real estate assets for financial groups. Incredible learning opportunities do come from business challenges.

During those times, I made a commitment to help to put as many people as possible back to work as I could. Hence, I partnered with Rob Kuck and we brought a JWilliams Staffing Company franchise here to Colorado about three years ago. We’ve always had capable folks (like Philip Eidenschink) running the day to day operations of this real estate staffing company for us. We are proud to have put a tremendous number of folks back to work in housing and in the apartment industry and we currently help about 100 people each week to find temporary work with clients. I like to call those temporary assignments “working interviews” for our candidates. 

A year ago in January, I had the opportunity to take the helm of a home building company again. As President of Larsen Development Company, I am having a great time helping clients to realize their dream homes. We Design and Build fully custom homes, primarily in Urban Infill sites. It is fun to create something on paper and then deliver it three dimensionally through a small and amazing team of staff and trade members.

Has there been someone along the way that you credit with helping you get to where you are?  And why? 

My Partners, John Osborn and Donn Eley at Village Homes were unbelievable mentors. To have had the opportunity to sit down at the table – face to face – every day - with these two amazing business professionals is something for which I will always be incredibly grateful. John was a master mind on envisioning great places – from the land to home design. Donn was incredible at identifying and mobilizing the resources to create the great places that John envisioned. Together over the years we created an amazing company comprised of a top notch team of professionals that could deliver Denver and “America’s Best” communities, homes and customer experiences. John’s, Donn’s (& my) organization was true to its word – ‘The place you want to be’ – as a home owner, a trade/vendor or an employee. 

The two of them made me the business professional I am today. I continuously strive to be as they were – transparent, thoughtful, creative, and to practice with the utmost integrity in all we do. I miss John Osborn every day and I share time with Donn and his charity, Brent’s Place, whenever possible.

I also owe much to my peer group in the industry during my growing and learning years (which btw still hasn’t stopped!).

Jennifer Gore, Margi Clute, Jeanne Ryan, and Cheri Meyn – my lifetime friends.  We all were VP’s of marketing and sales for local companies and Cheri a consultant with our organizations. As leaders in the HBA’s SMC and MAME events at the same time back in the early 90’s, we began to share many a “Stress Management Group” dinner which has continued for 20 years. We still help each other to improve and grow both personally and professionally. Perhaps we were the original Colorado PWB!?!

What do you love about the Home Building industry? 

The people, the creativity and the constant problem solving. Above all – creating those very special places that folks call “home”. 

Tell us 3 things about yourself that people don’t know.

I am one of the rare few HBA members who is both a Builder member (Larsen) and an Associate member (JWilliams). I think it has been great for me to work on both sides of the volunteer table, getting to know the engaged members of the entire organization - being both a client and a service provider.

In my early years in leadership as a home builder, I would attend national/regional conferences and typically I would be 1 of 3 women among 200 men in leadership roles. Today, I’m happy to say that the ‘odds’ have changed and women are typically about 1/3 of the attendees.

When my third child was just months old in 1992/93, I was the chairperson for MAME and SMC. Many women in our industry can appreciate the juggling act. My business hours were long with company’s growth and my HBA commitments. I brought Michaela in her car seat to decorate the tables for 900 people who would attend that year’s sell out event (my ever supportive husband, Paul, was probably at sporting events with my 4 and 6 year olds). That evening I had my Mom and Dad join us from Wisconsin to share in the event. The HBA/SMC rewarded me that evening with the MAME Person of the Year. It was such a special evening to share with my folks and made me feel so incredibly proud about the work I had done for my company and my industry. The juggling was so worth it! I became a better leader and Mother because of it.

Anything else you would like to share? 

I’m proud to be a part of the inaugural year of Professional Women in Building Council here in Denver. Thank you Chris Presley and all the other amazing women for making this happen. It was long overdue.