Jordan Smith is the CEO and Founder of Smith House Company, a design+build firm based in Austin, Texas. He learned to build and weld while working on the farm with his grandad, and after earning a degree in Welding and Materials Engineering, he spent the next 10 years working in the heavy construction building everything from robots to ships to offshore oil rigs before transitioning to residential construction. After spending a couple of years working with industry leading builders in Austin, Jordan and his wife Veronica struck out on their own to form Smith House Co.

Smith House Co. strives to build more beautiful, functional and resilient spaces which are self sustaining and harmonize with their natural surroundings.

Jordan Smith is the CEO and Founder of Smith House Company, a design+build firm based in Austin, Texas. He learned to build and weld while working on the farm with his grandad, and after earning a degree in Welding and Materials Engineering, he spent the next 10 years working in the heavy construction building everything from robots to ships to offshore oil rigs before transitioning to residential construction. After spending a couple of years working with industry leading builders in Austin, Jordan and his wife Veronica struck out on their own to form Smith House Co.

Smith House Co. strives to build more beautiful, functional and resilient spaces which are self sustaining and harmonize with their natural surroundings.

The only thing Mike Guertin likes better than building new homes is remodeling old ones. After 40+ years tackling every facet of residential construction from excavation and foundations to interior finish work and tile setting, he’s still challenged every day to find more-efficient ways to build better. Mike worked on his first deck build when he was 15 and fortunately it was less than a foot off the ground so no one got hurt when it fell apart several years later. Now he takes deck building a little more seriously – but only a little bit.

Ryan Smith is a carpenter specializing in residential construction and roof framing. Upon graduating high school, Ryan was immediately passionate about roof cutting, which led to many late nights listening to lead carpenters explain how the job was done. Ryan gained experience in many areas of construction including siding, roofing, drywall hanging, and trimming houses. Still, his first love was always framing. Over time, Ryan developed his own approach to the craft, which involves cutting roof rafters before a house has been built. Today, he is the sole roof cutter at 7 Construction Inc., a custom framing company based in Buffalo, New York. He believes carpenters’ integrity matters more than their skill, as this enables them to bring a level of mastery–and respect–to the work at hand.

Tyler Grace’s father always warned his son to steer clear of the trades. But college internships with civil and commercial construction contractors made clear what he wanted to do. Shortly after graduating from Drexel University, where he met his designer wife, Rachel, Tyler started his own remodeling business, TRG Home Concepts, in Medford, New Jersey. Today, TRG specializes in detail-oriented renovations of older homes. Tyler believes these small projects afford him the time and budget necessary to deliver an uncompromising experience, from design to installation. He loves to work every day with his hands and hopes to do so indefinitely.

Mary-Anne Bowcott is a residential and commercial plumber, certified gas fitter, and owner of Westcom Plumbing and Gas Ltd. She received the 2016 and 2018 Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce Trades and Skilled Labour Excellence Award and the British Columbia Construction Industry Leadership Award in 2018. She was named Canadian Construction Association’s Person of the Year in 2019. A champion of women in the building trades, Mary-Anne mentors tradeswomen to help promote positive change within the industry. When she’s not running her business or tackling plumbing and roofing projects, you can find her rock climbing, exploring the outdoors, surfing, or crushing a CrossFit workout.

Elly Hart is a site lead on multi-family developments in Vancouver, Canada. Born and raised in Australia, she was an award-winning journalist writing and editing stories about consumer technology before transitioning to carpentry. She is dedicated to challenging public perceptions of the construction industry and advancing the skilled trades through education and mentorship.

Growing up with a father who specialized in laying tile with mortar helped Adam Esparza fall in love with the craft early on. As an adult, he quickly realized the corporate world wasn’t for him and he set out to learn all he could about tiling. In 2013, Adam launched his small contracting business, ALE Tile, in Orange County, California. Recent projects have included tilework for OQ Farm, a 500-acre farm near Woodstock, Vermont, and the kitchen of a mid-century bungalow in Laguna Beach. Adam reveres the spirit of quality custom craftsmanship, which he hopes to pass onto the next generation of builders. 

Lydia Crowder is a second generation drywall finisher. She started helping out her dad with the family business as a kid and quickly grew to love it. Her dad instilled a love for quality, craftsmanship, and sharing knowledge. She has over 18 years of experience in the field and runs Trinity Drywall with her husband Ryan. Together they finish over 500,000 square feet of drywall board a year: that’s an average of a house a week. Lydia started sharing drywall tips and tricks on Instagram under the name DrywallShorty and the response was explosive. There is a huge lack of basic knowledge in the industry and Lydia has become a go-to for professionals and DIY-ers alike.

Jennifer Todd is the president of LMS General Contractors, a full-service demolition and environmental contracting business based in South Florida that completes local, state, and federal work across the Southeast and California. She is the youngest Black woman to receive California’s CSLB (A) General Engineering license, and has been recognized by Engineering News-Record as a 2020 Top 25 Newsmaker and a 2021 Top 20 Under 40 Professional. Construction Business Owner Magazine also recognized her as a 2020 Outstanding Women in Construction finalist.