COTTONWOOD CUSTOM BUILDERS - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Project Manager

Calvin is a recent transplant to Colorado, having lived in the NY-Metro area for over 26 years. He and his wife are now enjoying a more balanced lifestyle, spending time to connect with their community, environment, and great outdoors in ways that they only dreamed about before. After 19 years in the world of finance and business development, Calvin returned to his family roots in residential real estate development and income property management - and started a residential construction company. He assembled a highly-skilled construction team and grew the company over 11 years into one of the leading remodelers in Westchester County, an affluent suburb north of NYC. Keys to his success were commitment to quality, communication, and organization - making him a great fit for Cottonwood Custom Builders. What drew Calvin to Cottonwood was its commitment to green building practices and re-using/recycling building materials. As part of his more balanced life strategy, Calvin spends much of his free time enjoying Colorado's great outdoors. He is an avid skier, enjoys road and mountain biking, and gets out hiking with his wife and dogs as often as possible.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Production Coordinator
• Production Manager With Cottonwood

Chris' love for building and the trades began early on while working for his father's remodeling company as a carpenter and handyman. While earning his B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of New Hampshire, he developed a passion for the environment, science, and the constant pursuit of reducing our impact on the planet. After college and with a desire to be challenged, Chris moved to Colorado to fight forest fires as a Hotshot with the National Park Service. After three fire seasons, Chris found his way back to residential construction and eventually became a licensed contractor while operating his own remodel company in Boulder. Currently, as a production manager with Cottonwood, Chris works with all of our project managers to keep jobs on track, coordinate schedules, and guide our team of carpenters and laborers. As a student of building and the sciences, he is especially interested in creating spaces that will last lifetimes and are increasingly more sustainable. When not working, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, son, and dog playing outside. Chris developed his passion for reducing our impact on the planet while earning his B.S. in Environmental Science. He brings that dedication to each Cottonwood home.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Project Manager

After graduating from Penn State in 2016 with a Civil Engineering degree, Colin began his career working for a large general contractor in the commercial construction industry in Baltimore, Maryland. Fueled by his passion for sustainability, Colin became a LEED Accredited Professional and supported his team in completing multiple LEED Certified projects in the Baltimore area. After visiting Colorado for a ski trip, Colin felt drawn to move west and finally made the leap in 2021. Landing a position as a project manager with Cottonwood, Colin is excited to see what the residential construction industry has to offer. So far, he has learned something new every day, with his unique renovation projects always keeping him on his toes. In his free time, Colin spends as much time outdoors as possible. Depending on the season, you can usually find him on the ski slopes or a golf course. Colin brings experience in civil engineering and commercial construction, as well as passion for sustainability, to our team.

Job Titles:

• Marketing Director
• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Artist

Hannah is passionate about creating & implementing authentic, lasting branding strategies for companies doing good in the world. As an avid outdoor adventurer, she is particularly focused on sustainability and preserving our gorgeous landscapes. That alignment makes her work with Cottonwood a natural and rewarding fit. Hannah brings nearly 10 years of experience doing design, marketing, and branding strategy for the sustainable construction industry. Along the way, she's worked with companies such as EnergyLogic, EnergyPro Exchange, Green Building Hawaii, Cultivate Energy Optimization, and many more. She loves learning more about building science and is building science basics certified. Outside of her work as a marketing consultant, Hannah is an artist specializing in landscape and galaxy paintings, murals, and public art. In her free time, you'll usually find her hiking fourteeners, backpacking, rock climbing, working in the vegetable garden, taking her dogs on an adventure, or planning her next big trip. Hannah has worked in design and marketing, with a focus on sustainability, for 10+ years. She loves sharing the stories of our homes.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Founder
• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Owner
• President

Jeff Hindman is the founder and CEO of Cottonwood Custom Builders Inc, incorporated in 1995. In that role he is involved in all aspects of the business - from sales and marketing to bidding, scheduling and quality control. Every project includes Jeff's personal involvement and benefits from his 30 + career as a carpenter and custom green builder. Jeff also has a tremendous team of project managers, master carpenters, an estimator and incredible office manager, that ensure projects are built to Cottonwood's standards. Cottonwood is a leading general contractor providing Boulder with high-performance buildings that are energy efficient and have the best possible workmanship. Jeff came to the building industry with an environmental and consumer protection ethic. Cottonwood has also been at the forefront of recycling for the construction industry. As a Colorado native, Jeff realized at an early age how fragile the environment we live in is. Most importantly, he saw how human actions could make a big impact. With a passion for living a green lifestyle, Jeff worked in campaign management for eight years. He spent two years as a canvasser fundraising to pass the "Bottle Bill" in Colorado. He then collaborated with California Public Interest Research Group organizing grass root campaigns focused, again, on environmental and consumer protection. In 1987 Jeff joined the building industry starting out as a laborer on a production framing crew. A year later, in 1988, he advanced to working as a high-end carpenter in Washington D.C. Having worked his way up from a carpenter, to project manager, then vice president of LifeCraft, Inc., starting his own company only seemed natural when moving back to Colorado with his wonderful wife and 6-week-old son. Jeff believes the Northern Front Range has contributed to his company's success. Including the many great architects who design one-of-a-kind buildings and the educated community who is as interested and passionate about green building practices. Jeff is dedicated to nurturing Colorado's green building movement. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Green Building Guild, presented for the Good Future Design Alliance, and advocated for more robust recycling standards in Boulder. His favorite time outside of work is on his road bike. Having conquered Independence Pass, Cottonwood Pass, and the Buff Classic Century, among others, a 50-mile bike ride is his preferred way to clear his mind and relax.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Project Manager

First and foremost, Kaitlin is a team builder. She thrives at engineering talented, communicative, high-performing teams so that together they can create exceptional structures. Kaitlin earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly. Her passion for project management and the built environment soon led her to a career in construction. She started in the commercial world, spending nearly a decade in project management in the Bay Area. A continuous learner, Kaitlin has developed a broad toolkit of skills, ranging from estimating, takeoffs, and clash detection to final project delivery. She has worked on diverse projects, from LEED-platinum convention centers to luxury high-rise offices. This broad skillset and project experience equip her for the fun and challenging adventure of building one-of-a-kind homes. Throughout her career, Kaitlin has developed a reputation for protecting her clients' interests with laser focus. She's particularly passionate about building custom homes, where she can have a close relationship with the homeowners as she brings their dream homes to life. Outside of work, Kaitlin enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, mountain biking, and exploring the beautiful Colorado outdoors with her family. Kaitlin lives and breathes project management excellence, building high-performing teams capable of constructing any vision.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Preconstruction Manager

From her first construction job after college, Karen knew that she had found her industry. She worked for a residential builder in North Carolina and discovered that she loved connecting with clients and walking them through each phase of building. Chasing her dream of living in Colorado, Karen moved west in 2003. The move was not her only adventure; she also branched into commercial construction and enjoyed the challenge of working on several historic renovations along the Front Range. Driven by her love for learning, she has an extensive resume, including commercial estimating and project management, tenant finish, ground-up construction, historic renovations, and more. Karen is excited to continue her journey at Cottonwood Custom Builders, where she is already expanding her green building expertise. She loves the alchemy of making old things new again, reusing existing materials, and incorporating the latest energy-efficient design techniques. In her downtime, Karen enjoys spending quality time with her three children, traveling to visit friends and family, running, and practicing Bikram yoga. Her kids are her biggest passion in life. Together they enjoy hiking, skiing, mountain biking, camping, watching and playing soccer, and chilling with their dog, Sunny. Karen is involved in all of our projects, collaborating with clients, architects, and our team to map out a plan to go from blueprints to completed dream home.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Project Manager

Originally from Maine (Wabanaki Confederacy land), Kate has diverse experience in education, affordable housing, the arts, and green building. In 2019 she moved to Moab, UT, to delve deeply into the world of sustainable construction. There, she worked foundation-to-finish on two affordable earthen strawbale homes as part of the International Living Futures Institute's "Living Building Challenge," a highly regenerative building certification. She spent the following two years teaching homeowners with low incomes how to build their own homes cooperatively through the USDA's Mutual Self-Help Program. Kate first entered the world of building through volunteer service in affordable housing. Her experience during Bike and Build in 2011, where she bicycled from Maine to Santa Barbara, California, with a group of 34 others, is a source of great inspiration for her. The trip raised money and awareness for affordable housing causes while stopping to build houses in different cities along the way. She later spent a year as an AmeriCorps construction crew lead for Habitat For Humanity MidOhio in Columbus. She particularly enjoyed helping lead the Women Build home there, which was built 70 percent by women volunteers. Kate is deeply dedicated to service and craftsmanship. With a solid background in carpentry and a bachelor's degree in Studio Art focusing on sculpture, Kate has a keen eye for detail, beauty, and quality. She is committed to education, community building, and advocacy. Kate is a Passive House Certified Tradesperson and also holds a Permaculture Design Certificate from the Boulder Permaculture Guild. She is currently serving a 2 year term on the board of the Colorado Green Building Guild. In her free time, Kate enjoys volunteering, rock climbing, packrafting, cross-country skiing, and cycling. You can often find her listening to an audiobook and taking a walk with her cat, Peaks. Kate brings her keen eye for detail, beauty, and quality to every project. She first discovered her love for building through volunteer work.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Cottonwood Team
• Project Manager

Spot Randy on the job site and one thing is for sure - you'll find a smile and enthusiasm for the project at hand. Growing up in Sandy Hook, CT, he started working for his dad's drywall and remodeling business in his early teens and has worked in the industry ever since. In college, Randy dove into his passion for sustainability and reducing waste, earning a degree in Human Ecology with a focus on Sustainable Waste and Energy Management from the College of the Atlantic. He is acutely aware that construction is one of the world's leading causes of waste and is passionate about learning and improving upon green building best practices. Randy is committed to using his knowledge for the greater good and has lived and worked in and around Mexico and Guatemala in rural communities working on sustainable water and sanitation projects. Outside of work, Randy is a life-long musician. You'll find him playing guitar and writing music when he's not working, walking his dog Beto, or enjoying time with his wife. Randy is acutely aware that construction is one of the world's leading causes of waste and is passionate about being part of the solution.

Job Titles:

• Special Projects Coordinator

Tom Roberts has over 35 years of carpentry experience, making him an essential resource for our team. Working with the company since the mid-1990s, Tom has filled various roles making him a jack-of-all-trades. Primarily, he works as the lead carpenter, helps train and guide our team of carpenters, and solves tricky building challenges when they arise. His fulfillment with green custom homes derives from knowing that each endeavor built will still be standing far into the future. Tom strives to make each build practical for long term use, which ties into his favorite aspect of the job: the everyday challenges and opportunities to learn new practices. To date, his favorite project was the Fourmile Canyon Fire Rebuild due to the challenging design executed on the house and site. When he's not working Tom enjoys Colorado's adventurous lifestyle. You can find him skiing in the winter, hiking and camping during the summers, and hanging out with his three kids every day.