Welcome to Our New Lead Carpenter
I am excited to introduce Vision Design Build Remodel’s new Lead Carpenter, Timothy Swink. Tim lives in Morganton, NC where he was born and grew up. His grandparents raised him on their family farm, so he learned how to care for chickens, cattle and other farm animals. His grandfather was also a master mason and a master carpenter, while his uncle was a master carpenter as well. As a little boy Tim’s passion was for doing construction and building things. Already at that young age he was determined to follow in his grandfather’s and uncle’s footsteps.
The Morganton school system offered many opportunities to learn the trades, and Tim took advantage of everything he could. In 8th grade he had shop, and he was fortunate to have four years of carpentry in high school, even though students normally were not allowed into carpentry classes until they were Juniors. He took block mason classes as well. “As a part of a high school carpentry class, I helped construct the roof over the dugouts at the baseball field of the new Table Rock Middle School,” Tim remarked.” That was was a wonderful hands-on learning experience!”
During Tim’s senior year, he spent half-days doing carpentry projects for his uncle. After graduation he went to work for his uncle full time building homes. When his uncle passed away, Tim got a carpentry job with Jack Lackey who was one of his most influential mentors in the home industry. He also worked for other contractors who specialized in log home construction. Later he branched out and specialized in plumbing as well as metal work for other companies. Then he signed on with Master Installs and traveled for five years all over the country remodeling multi-family housing and apartments. Tim loved being able to gain experience in so many different facets of the construction industry. “I’ve done a little bit of everything, including cabinets, solid surface countertops, and plumbing/lighting fixture changeouts” Tim declared.
Finally after five years on the road, Tim decided it was time to move back home to Morganton so he could spend more time with his family. For a year and a half he completed contract work for Home Depot and Sears. Then he learned about the opportunity to work for Vision Design Build Remodel. Tim has been working as our Lead Carpenter since July and I feel so blessed to have him as a part of our team.
“What attracts me to VDBR is the excellent quality of the work we produce,” Tim explained. “Anything that is required to build a 100% top quality project is made available for the job. And if it takes an extra day to make sure a project is just right, we will do it. It pays off in the long run. I also appreciate VDBR’s values, morals, family atmosphere, and high respect for our clients.”
Tim’s main responsibility is making sure our clients are pleased and satisfied with respect to the work that is going on at their homes. This means he communicates with them on a regular basis to keep them informed about what has been accomplished on a particular day and what plans are on the schedule for the following days. In addition to this, Tim does demo work, finished carpentry, schedules the trades and subs, and confirms that all the materials are ordered and in place.
As Tim looks back over his many years of construction experience, he’s very grateful for all the knowledge he’s gained from so many people he’s worked with. “Every project has its challenges and requirements to complete the work,” Tim admits. “Learning the tricks of the trade from others is very important to success. I’ve been supervisor over four or five people in the past who at the time didn’t have a clue, but now they are trade supervisors themselves. I always say that instead of asking for money, ask for knowledge and you’ll eventually receive more money than you would have otherwise. Knowledge is everything.”
When he’s not at work, Tim enjoys farming, hunting and fishing along with his 13 year old daughter who is an 8th grader at Liberty Middle School. They raise a variety of animals, such as pigs and chickens. His 19 year old son served in the National Guard after graduating from high school. Now he has a great job working for Gaston county. Tim is very proud of his two kids!
We are so lucky to have Tim on our team. He is a dedicated and loyal team member. He brings lots of knowledge and motivation to our company! Tim truly know what it means to be a great skilled carpenter. Welcome Tim!