Todd DeLonge joined Lemel Homes in December 2013 after running his own rough carpentry subcontracting business for 14 years. Today, DeLonge puts that experience as a business owner to good use by taking on a variety of duties as construction manager for Lemel Homes, including estimating, budgeting and scheduling for all the company’s projects. He’s rarely in the field these days, but when he is, he oversees the building process from groundbreaking through rough carpentry, which includes site procurement, excavation, foundations and backfilling.
“I started my company while I was at school at [the Milwaukee School of Engineering], and the main reason was so I could work my own hours, but it started growing from there,” DeLonge said. “By being able to start my own company when I was 21, I was able to learn a lot, which was awesome.”
DeLonge also works with Lemel Homes’ sales and marketing teams back at headquarters. No matter what he’s doing for the company, DeLonge is constantly learning new insights about the homebuilding industry from Lemel himself.
“ Joe is very experienced in business, it is easy to learn from him about the business side of custom homebuilding,” DeLonge said. “I think I bring a lot to the table, as well.”
Most importantly, DeLonge has learned the importance of making sure Lemel Homes’ get what they want in their homes, but also understand how to get the most bang for their buck.
“We want you to get what you want,” DeLonge said. “You want your home to have function, look cool in your eyes, and you have to be able to afford it. Once you nail those three things, you have everything you need.”
When he’s not building home for his , DeLonge is building a home for himself, his wife and their three young children. In between getting his kids to their myriad of activities, DeLonge also enjoys hunting, camping, kayaking and cooking.