My wife, Nicole, and I returned to Virginia in the summer of 2021 after previously moving further south for a seminary education.  Then three kids later and what ended up being more than a decade in Durham, NC, we made our way back to our home state.  Since everyone always asks, “What brought you to Roanoke?” Let me go ahead and explain!  We both grew up in the northern Shenandoah Valley and were by no means strangers to southwest VA.  I studied architecture at Virginia Tech while Nicole got a teaching degree from Radford.  During that time, we both enjoyed several great years of outdoor recreation in the area and became well acquainted with its beauty.  I still remember the times we would leave NC to go visit our family in VA and how we were always so inspired and overcome with awe by that first mountain view as we were heading north.  It was a sensation we could literally feel!  

Then, as with so many other people, the sea change we experienced with Covid-19 encouraged us to make some changes, to take a leap of faith, to leave the only home our kids ever knew, and use the opportunity to get a little closer to our parents, to start something new, and to immerse ourselves in another place where we believed our family could thrive.  In Roanoke, we saw a city seeking growth, surrounded by beautiful mountains, with endless opportunities for us to be involved.  Our minds quickly filled up with ideas about how we could be a part of this city’s renewal and flourishing.

In Durham, we enjoyed so many years of building community, renovating old houses, and serving our under-resourced neighborhood that when we came to Roanoke, we knew we had to find a way to use our giftings and our prior experiences to contribute to what we found was already happening here.  So, we chose to move into the Riverland neighborhood and bite off an extensive renovation of a big old house that offers more space than our family alone would ever need.  But we were confident that as soon as we were able to be present and engaged, we could easily fill the space with neighbors and new friends.  Plus, the project would give me the opportunity to enter into the local building scene and begin forming new relationships with other professionals.

For the majority of our time in Durham, I was designing custom projects for a home builder who was seeking to offer a more valuable and efficient (ideally less painful!) experience by way of design-build.  What I loved about the experience was that no project was ever the same. Custom work allowed for a lot of creative freedom, and it provided opportunities to try new things and gain additional knowledge of building materials and practices.  Working alongside builders, as a team, gave me a lot of experience in the field where I could consistently learn from the guys that put things together, helping me to become more accurate and thoughtfully detailed in my drawings.

However, I think more than any practical building knowledge I gained, my time in NC taught me the value of building relationships… whether it’s with co-workers, clients, sub-contractors, or vendors.  I have seen and truly believe that how I carry myself, how I communicate, and the extent to which I assume the posture of one who is eager to serve, all have the potential to make a world of difference in the experience of everyone involved.  Everyone knows that building projects can often be extremely stressful, especially when it comes to your home, your refuge, the place we all hold so dear!  For that reason alone, the relationship matters more than anything.  

Now, while I continue to be blessed with many relationships formed in NC, I am excited to discover new relationships as I seek to serve people in this great city.  I consider myself extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to invest my time and my talents in helping to improve the way people live in their homes and enhance their experience of spaces in which so many hours are spent.  Not only that, I consider myself privileged to be invited into people’s lives to do something that I love that also benefits others.  In the end, I am glad to say that what I gain from each relationship is greater than anything I could ever produce on my own.