Today we’d like to introduce you to Katy Bonello.
Hi Katy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I graduated with a BA in Strategic Communication from the U of M during the recession (2008), and it was a hard time to find a job in the advertising field back then. I worked a couple of temp jobs while figuring out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Eventually, in 2012, my dad offered to train me as a Project Manager and designer for his remodeling company, Al Theisen Homes. I learned the business by managing smaller interior remodeling projects and helping my dad’s clients with basic design ideas. I also became a Realtor on his Coldwell Banker Realty team for a couple of years to understand all the facets of the real estate and remodeling industry and how they all fit together. Two years in, I decided to get my general contractor’s license and start my own business because I had started enjoying working in the construction field. Now, eight years later, I partner with my husband, who handles many of the business’s site management, architectural, and financial elements. We have experienced exponential growth every year since I established KJB Homes, LLC in 2014, and we operate strictly on a referral-only basis. We still work closely with my dad, who retired his contractor license but operates a small team of Realtors through Coldwell Banker Realty. We do remodeling work for his real estate clients upon request.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road for me professionally over the past eight years. I started with little working knowledge of the residential construction field, and it took a lot of time and effort to learn the basic skills I needed to succeed. And even when I started to gain confidence in my work, it took a while for me to feel as though I would ever find a foothold in such a male-dominated industry. As of 2019, only 9% of the general contractors in the United States were women (I am unsure how that statistic has changed since then), and I had to fight to be taken seriously as a female GC. On top of that, I’ve spent the last couple of years navigating a pandemic in a strictly hands-on field. My company and I have faced challenges since early 2020 that have been daunting and, at times, almost impossible to navigate. Still, we kept propelling forward and stayed busy enough to power through. I’m hoping that we experience smoother sailing now for a little while.
As you know, we’re big fans of KJB Homes, LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
KJB Homes is proudly a woman-owned Minneapolis area remodeling company with the knowledge and resources to handle your home remodel from initial design to project completion. We strive to set ourselves apart from competitors by being a one-stop shop for project consulting, architectural and design planning, and project implementation, with a high level of detailed communication. The remodeling world can seem daunting, so we provide a professional, guided process that thoroughly involves our clients. We are proud to be a referral-based company that depends on word-of-mouth marketing from happy clients to succeed.
Our mission is to create custom remodels that preserve the integrity of traditional Minneapolis-area homes while incorporating modern elements and fresh perspectives into each design. We do not do teardowns or new construction.
What matters most to you? Why?
Good communication with everyone involved in our remodeling projects matters the most to me in my business. There are many moving pieces during a remodel, and good communication between the GC, subcontractors, and clients is the key to a successful project.
Contact Info:
- Website: kjbhomesmn.com
- Instagram: kjbhomesmpls
Image Credits
Jessie Eckroad Kassy Shimotsu
