(left to right) Shan Stassens, July Newberg, Aaron Kumnick, Wendy Stassens, Michelle Blumenthal
Shan Stassens
How did you get your start in construction?
I’m a third generation Oregon builder. My grandfather had his own construction company in the Portland Metro area and, although not “green” as they would define it now, was very old school and traditional in building. He and my father really drove home the importance of quality and doing it right the first time. We built and fixed everything ourselves when I was growing up, from barns and shops on our own property to renovating and building commercial and residential buildings that we later owned and operated. Building, construction and real estate was such a natural part of our family culture that I benefited from a really solid foundation in how things worked in those realms. I was passionate about designing and building from a young age. I still have the plans for the first house that I designed, which was a little cabin that I drafted when I was only 16. I still feel that same enthusiasm when I work with home designs and builds with client’s today. It is a really fun job! Our family’s culture of construction is more than a second language, or a trade, it’s creativity, problem solving and a commitment to a quality-result that drives my business today.
What does “green construction” mean to you and Winsome?
I was raised immersed in green building, although we didn’t call it that. We reused everything. One of my chores when I was a kid was to remove nails from boards and straighten the nails so we could reuse them. We were really conservative with resources, incorporated passive solar for home heating and used hydronic solar to heat our water. Living in the country growing up I felt really connected with the natural world and my family really put an emphasis on the importance of doing our part to preserve it. Wendy and I spent the first four years that we were married in Hawaii developing a 50 acre farm that had previously been used as a Macadamia Nut Orchard. The property was wild when we got there with no roads or infrastructure and overgrown with Guinea Grass and Ironwood Trees, so it gave us the opportunity to experiment with a whole spectrum of things as we developed it. The vision for the property was to be self sufficient and sustainable. We built an outdoor solar hot water shower, rainwater catchment system for irrigation, solar electric for power and worked on planting the property using permaculture techniques and principles to provide a year round food supply. It was a really interesting experience.
For us as a home builder/general contractor, we feel that Green Building is a higher level of responsibility in our actions. There is a wide spectrum of what “green” is. Part of our job is to find what fits a client’s needs and budgets and produces the best possible result taking into account a broader spectrum of impacts of our projects including the indoor air quality of the home, the impact on the immediate environment and the more global impacts of our projects. We’ve also extended our passion to the community by working with others who are passionate about green building. In 2010 we formed the “Green Building Guild of Yamhill County,” a local organization focused on promoting sustainable and green building practices through education opportunities and the sharing of ideas and experiences. What brings you and your business to McMinnville?I am a native Oregonian and I’ve worked in the construction industry in the Portland area since 1985. When we lived in Hawaii, we missed the Pacific Northwest and I know that there is no other place I would rather call my home. We looked all over when we returned from Hawaii and found that McMinnville offered everything that we could possibly ask for and it was also a great place for us to offer what we have to offer in our business. We feel like it is a sweet spot of Oregon. Close enough to Portland to have access to the airport and all of the urban amenities of a great city, only 45 minutes to the spectacular coast and an easy commute to Salem. We really liked how McMinnville has its own identity and a really strong sense of community. It still has a small town feel and also has a remarkable array of things to offer including a world class air and space museum, water park and IMAX theater at Evergreen, a wide array of high quality restaurants, local wines and foods, a prestigious college, thriving local businesses like Hopscotch (the local toy store), Honest Chocolates (local homemade chocolates) and Third Street Books. The setting is gorgeous with the fertile valley bordered by green hills dotted with forests, meadows and vineyards and the town is so quaint and well planned with trees, parks, green space and walking and bike paths. I sometimes forget all of the things that attracted us to McMinnville. There really are so many good things about being here.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I love camping with family and friends. There are so many amazing places to see in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest and even as a native to this State I haven’t scratched the surface of all of the places that I would like to visit. It is a great change of pace to sleep outside and appreciate the simplicity and beauty of nature. Being a Dad, which shouldn’t be a hobby, but when I get really busy, sometimes it feels like that. I love being with my kids as much as I possibly can. I already see how fleeting their youth is. They are constantly on to new things and they never look back. When I was still a bachelor I used to play quite a bit of golf and would have called it a hobby. Now since I only get out there once or twice a year I will have to say that my hobby is to be a bad golfer and a worse fisherman. I also like gardening, cooking, and enjoying the vast array of amazing local wines.
Wendy Stassens
As a partner of Winsome Homes, a Real Estate Broker with Bella Casa Real Estate Group, a City of McMinnville Planning Commissioner and a member of the board of the Green Building Guild of Yamhill County, what does a typical “day in the life of Wendy” look like?
And Mom for two amazing kids, of course! I don’t look at my days as a list of things to do. I try to dedicate some time each day and week to the things that need to be addressed in each one of my roles. It helps me to focus on being present in each moment and trying to do a really good job with what is right in front of me. Every big accomplishment is a result of a series of small actions, right? I try to focus on each of those small actions so the big picture can take care of itself. Like everyone else, I do try to fit too much into my waking hours, but my overall goals are to create a healthy and improved world for my family, my community and our world.
How does your degrees in Environmental Science translate into an asset for your business?
I worked for world renowned green architect Will McDonough, Dean of Architecture at the University of Virginia where I went to school. McDonough introduced me to the ideas of sustainable design in communities and buildings. My passion for the environment grew from there and everything I’ve done since then has been related in some fashion to the search for better solutions that will help us to live more harmoniously with our environment. After college, I taught Environmental Engineering at a University in Mexico (in Spanish)…I wasn’t fluent when I got there, but I sure was by the time I left! I returned to Portland, OR after my time in Mexico and worked with The Natural Step Network of Oregon and was the Sustainability Coordinator at Ashforth Pacific, a corporate real estate and construction company located in Portland. This background gives me a breadth of understanding of green practices, technologies and design not often present in a small construction company. My passion is still about how the design of our homes and communities encourages health, connectedness and vibrancy, and I feel so fortunate that I can be a part of the planning of our local community through the McMinnville City Planning Commission and help people to find their place within our amazing community through real estate.
What brings you and your business to McMinnville?
I’m originally from Boston and I still remember the first time I came to Oregon when I had just graduated from high school back East. I fell in love with it. Who wouldn’t love this place: nice people, gorgeous environment, progressive thinking, mild winters and year round running. The first winter I was here I thought that I had missed the winter. Rain is nothing compared to snow and cold from October to April! I went away to college in Virginia for a while, then to Mexico but there was always this pull back to the Pacific Northwest for me. Shan and I met in Portland then moved to Hawaii for four years and had a really interesting experience developing a 50 acre farm using permaculture techniques with an eye towards local sustainability, but we found that we both really missed the Pacific Northwest. When we decided to leave Hawaii, we thought we would do a comprehensive search and decide exactly where we would land and set down roots. My son was only 10 months old at the time, so we felt like we were choosing his childhood home. We had a pretty elaborate matrix of criteria. Through all of our studying, we found McMinnville. We loved the bustling downtown, the small town feel with all of the amenities of a burgeoning, vibrant community, the parks, the countryside, the proximity to the coast and Portland…I could really go on and on about all of the things that we found that we love about where we landed. We feel so fortunate to be where we are.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Really, who has time for hobbies? Shan and I are so glad that we enjoy our work, because that and our little ones consume much of our time. I guess if I were to pick out the things that I still strive to have time for outside of work it would be spending time with Shan and the kids, connecting with family and friends, running, gardening and yoga. I also am really interested in buying and eating locally. I am a part of a group called MacCanners that gets together and cans so that we can enjoy our local abundance all year long. I am still learning about food preservation and cooking and eating locally, but it is really fun to explore. I love that home canned pickled asparagus is one of my kids’ favorite treats!
Aaron Kumnick
This is a hard one. Working for Winsome Homes allows me to work on the type of projects that I care about most. Homes and buildings that are built to the best standards, with the occupants and the environment in mind. If I only could work on one project I would have to be a home completely built from recycled or re-purposed materials (but still look like a normal house).
When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time?
You can usually find me with a camera in hand, so if I only have 30 minutes I would be out shooting whatever is near me. If there is one close by I may also hunt down a geocache or two. If I have more time I might sneak my kayak into the nearest river.
If your personal home could only have only one “green” feature, what would it be?
Hydronic Power! Here in the northwest there are so many creeks and rivers that have megawatts of energy to capture. The key is to do it without disturbing the habitat. You don’t need the sun to shine or the wind to blow. A small creek can power a whole farm year round off the grid.
As Project Manager what would you say is the hardest part of your job?
The greatest challenge is time management. You not only need to manage your own time, but all the subcontractors, suppliers and workers. While all the while keeping the homeowner involved without overwhelming them.
July Newberg
“Managing Winsome Homes accounts is a big job and requires a professionally brewed, custom-made caffeine and sugar concoction which is essential to keeping my brain on task, ensuring accuracy in my billing, spreadsheets and filing. When I am buried knee-deep in invoices and bids, I crave an Irish Crème Latte. On payroll days, I need a double shot Irish Crème Latte. Black Forest Cherry Americano is required for payables.” When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
“Uma Thurman. I wanted to be her in the 2005 movie “The Producers” and work for Matthew Broderick. I got the job, but my boss looks more like Will Ferrell (but my husband is cuter than Matthew, so it really all worked out). Seriously, I take my job very seriously, but I’ve always been a closet comedian. I like to spread the good humor around almost as I like QuickBooks.”
What do you do in your spare time?
“What spare time? I am a mom to three great kids who never sleep. When my husband and I get a date night, it’s usually dinner and a movie. If I ever get a minute alone, I enjoy the company of my inner-artist, taking and editing photos and scrapbooking. If I can find spare change to go with my spare time, I get a manicure and a pedicure!”
What is the best job you ever had, and the worst?
“I think as long as I am working for Winsome Homes, I’d better say that this is the best job I ever had, right? Well, it really is – I enjoy what I do and I’m good at it. I enjoy the people I work with. I also don’t have to bring the job home with me or worry about work when I am with my family. The worst job I ever had was working in a tattoo parlor – I hate to see tough guys crying and that happens more than you would think!
Michelle Blumenthal
Your career path has many forks, from real estate to law, from photography to fundraising, from marketing and events to designing custom homes and project management. How did you end up working with Winsome Homes after all of that?
My husband and I were Winsome clients in 2007, and once you are in that happy family you are a member for life. As our plans came together for making Oregon our full-time home, it also became obvious to Shan and I that we loved working together. My crazy skill-set and varied interests were somehow exactly what Winsome needed. I’m incredibly fortunate to have chased down every dream-job I’ve ever wanted and gotten it and working with Winsome is a wonderful opportunity for me.
How long have you been designing homes?
I bought an odd piece of property and designed and built my first new home in 1988 – wow did I learn a lot on that job! It turned out to be a beautiful house and a profitable endeavor and I was hooked. I built or remodeled a few more homes in the 90′s. When we built in 2007, I was hooked again. Shan encouraged me by giving me design work and the working relationship just grew out of that arrangement. What would Winsome clients say is the best and worst thing about working with you? The best thing about working with me is that I’m organized. The worst thing is that I’m bossy. In the end, I think clients come to love the bossy-me too because it helps to keep them on track. It’s so easy for clients to be overwhelmed by the number of decisions to be made in a custom-build. I try to be a good guide.
What do you do in your spare time?
Funny, but I design homes! At the moment I am working on plans for a very special home, probably the last one I will ever build for myself. There is a lot of pressure to “get it right” and I’m experiencing the same decision-making anxiety that my design-clients endure on their own projects. I’m definitely empathetic – it’s difficult to dream within a reasonable budget! When I need a distraction from designing, I love the Oregon outdoors – I garden, take photos, hike with my dogs or play with my horses. My hobbies are as much all-over-the-map as my career path.
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