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Nathan Reynolds Carries on Family Business

Tuesday September 4, 2007

By Ann Kensek

     Nathan Reynolds is no stranger to the construction business.  He began working for his father, Larry Reynolds of Mt. Abe Construction, when he was only thirteen.  He worked summers for his father and has worked full time for 12 years.   He took a sabbatical for a few years and worked full time for the National Guard, sitting behind a desk.  “That made me realize  I’m not a desk person.  I want to build,” he said.  When Larry decided to close his business, Nathan decided to start his own, Nathan Reynolds and Sons Construction, LLC.

   Reynolds said, “I do things the way my father taught me to. I try to build each thing as if it were my own.  We want the product to last.”  He works with subcontractors in the business, rather than hiring employees.  “ I like working with the subs because they are working with you to establish their own business.”

   Specializing in renovations, Reynolds also does a lot of siding, both cedar and vinyl.  “We build everything, though,” he said, “garages, horse barns.  We do of a lot of v-groove pine.  It looks really rustic instead of sheet rock.”  His favorite jobs are the ones where you can really see progress by the end of the day, where his customers say “Wow!”   He related a story about a modular home where he built a porch.  The owners joked that the porch was so well built it would  last longer than the home would.

   Over the long term, Reynolds hopes to become established enough that his sons, Wesley, 8; Ian, 7; Branden, 4; and Owen, 2, will be able to work with him if they want to.  “I want them to want to do it, but not feel obligated,” he said.  So far the boys show an interest in the family business.  “Wesley,” Reynolds said, “has a gift for designing things.” He uses Lego building blocks to showcase his ideas.  Ian is more hands-on.  “He wants to move boards and swing a hammer.  He’d use power tools, if I let him,” chuckled Nathan.   “Branden wants to do anything that Daddy does.”

   Nathan’s wife Tina, while raising their four sons, is the bookkeeper for the business. She had a chance to hone her skills while they subcontracted under Nathan’s father last year.  “She is really organized and very good at it,” said Reynolds.  They related how their accountant gave them a discount on their taxes last year because all she had to do was copy figures from Tina’s books.

     Nathan said, “I’m dedicated to making people happy.  The end result of a project, whether a complete addition or a deck will have the same result.  I want it to be something I’d feel good about having at my own house, to have anyone come see it and appreciate the structural integrity and quality.  I never underbuild, and always overbuild.

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