Ozarks Profile: Mark Sechler

Tell us about your company.

We were founded in 1984. Home remodels and quality room additions are our specialty. We cover Springfield and Greene County primarily, however, interesting jobs take us further. We would consider work in Colorado during ski season.

What do you do?

I coordinate and schedule the various trades and schedules needed to complete a project. I'm a problem solver. There are always lots of issues and these have to be examined, resolved and incorporated into a successful project. I'm chairman of the Remodolers Council of the Homebuilders Association of Greater Springfield. For the last two years, I've managed the annual volunteer remodeling project for worthy charities in town.

What attracted you to remodeling as a career?

I've been trained and have experience as a mechanic, but I missed the great outdoors. I've also built log cabins, poured concrete foundations and trained as a welder. I did an apprenticeship for a large local remodeling company, and I liked being busy year round regardless of the weather.

What are some challenges in your work?

My daily plan changes almost hour by hour. No project is cut and dried, and all my work is custom. My job is as much about relationships as it is about lumber, and I have to work hard to integrate the contributions of my employees, customers, suppliers and designers.

What do you like best about your job?

I get to see a big difference every day. At the end of each project we can stand back and admire the work. I can't be fired and there's almost no politics in our organization. I work hard for a single customer until they are satisfied and then ... I'm satisfied.

Tell us about your family.

I'm happily married to Holly, and we've got four boys: Stanley, Jacob, Daniel and Joseph. We all live in a house that gets remodeling attention when my paying clients have been taken care of.

What are your favorite spare-time pursuits?

I gave up golf to become an avid mountain bike racer. I'm ranked second in Arkansas in expert men's class, age 40 and above. I like to take my boys with me to the races so we can go camping and floating before the events. I once rode my bicycle from Sprinqfield to Vancouver, and right now I'm riding sections of the Continental Divide trail from Canada to Mexico.

If you could choose another job, what would it be?

I'd like to guide for world wide bicycle touring events.