Ozarks Profile: David Duncan

Tell us about your company.

Home building was kind of a hobby. It was 1996 when we moved from Washington, D.C., to here and started the business. I was in defense contracting in high-tech submarine systems, and my wife had wanted to move back to her hometown, which is Springfield. There's not a lot of high-tech (jobs) in Springfield, so we decided that for us to make a living that I would pursue my hobby as a second career, which is home building. (The company is) my wife, Margaret, and I, and we subcontract all our labor force.

What challenges do you face as a home builder in this area?

There are probably two big challenges for me. The biggest change, and challenge, when I started out, was that in defense contracting and high-tech (there are) advanced degrees, and you had a well-educated work force. When we came out here, it was a little bit different because you couldn't just give someone a project to do and anticipate that three weeks later the project would be done on schedule. In the home building field, you realize very soon that it is a completely hands-on type business that you have to check every single day to make sure they're doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing for quality control, and just to make sure projects are getting completed on time. That was my biggest challenge, because I wasn't used to it all. And the design I was used to a traditional two-story home with a lot of color and open spaces, and light and formal settings as the primary home, and we found out very fast that that is not the preference here. It's a darker, neutral color home with one story, preferably a walkout basement and on the East Coast, they try to increase living space and decrease garage space in the Midwest, it seems that everyone wants a three- or four-car garage and they'll sacrifice space on the inside for that.

What goals do you have for your company?

Growth-wise, I think we're where we want to be this year. This is the first year since we've been in business that we're actually turning jobs away. We want to be building about seven bigger custom homes a year, and maybe one major remodel a year, and that's a pretty full plate for a company like ours without having to hire a lot of extra people.

Tell us about your Parade of Homes entries.

We have two homes in a subdivision that are simple, but elegant homes that meet the demands of two different clientele. One is more or less geared for an older couple, the other for a young family. Both homes are well-priced for the development and the square footage.

Tell us about your family.

We have three young children Kathleen is 10, Nicholas, 8, and Madeline, 4. We enjoy skiing and traveling together. I still have family on the East Coast, and we go to the beaches out there every year. We go to Colorado and go skiing once a year. All my wife's relatives are close by and we have lots of social gatherings together. I volunteer my time coaching Nicholas' Mighty Mites football team.