Gansen Construction Co

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When Mike Gansen earned his contracting license in 1983 at the age of 19, he was one of the youngest builders to ever apply for a license in the state of California. For him, though, the construction trade was already old hat. "I have always been able to work with tools and with my hands," he says, "That's what gave me confidence when I was young." Gansen's father owned a number of rental properties in the San Francisco area where the family resided. The elder Gansen put his son to work remodeling and renovating the properties while he was in high school. The efforts suited Gansen's natural talent for hands-on craft, and ignited an interest in construction that would become his life's work. After high school, he acquired his contracting license and began working for himself. His company, Gansen Construction, handled mostly remodeling work in the Bay Area for the next 10 years. Though Gansen was interested in tackling speculation building, he found competing with the huge building companies that dominated the area too daunting. Drawn to Eugene because the city appeared on lists as both an excellent place to raise kids and to retire, Gansen and his family moved north in 1993 and established Gansen Construction in Lane County. Today, Gansen Construction builds 12-25 speculation and pre-sale homes a year in the greater Eugene area. "Most of our homes begin as spec homes," explains Gansen, "but in this market, they quite often sell before completion." In that case, the Gansen Construction team strives to include clients in the decision-making processes that will impact the design and finishing touches of their future home. "We like to make the homeowner a positive part of the construction process," says Gansen. Gansen, who manages relations with designers, homeowners, land officials, banks and bookkeepers to keep the wheels of the company turning, is backed by the assistance of several skilled employees. Traci Dunlap, Gansen Construction office manager, handles all in-office tasks. In the field, project manager Mike Dotson oversees all of the company's home building projects, including the facilitation of client involvement in pre-sale homes. "Mike works very well with clients," says Gansen. Gansen Construction employs a team of five framers who handle all of the framing for the company. "It really helps to keep scheduling on track to do our framing in-house," explains Gansen. In addition to company staff, a crew of subcontractors devoted to producing a high-quality product help finish all Gansen homes. In the last few years, Gansen Construction has expanded their business to include several land development projects. Most recently, the company developed a I5-lot neighborhood in the Veneta area. Taking on modest development projects "works well for our size company," say Gansen, and allows more flexibility in the product that can be offered to the client. The Veneta area, especially, has remained an affordable market in which to purchase real estate, and working as both developer and builder helps Gansen Construction provide reasonably priced homes to buyers. Affordable housing is an issue that Gansen takes seriously.

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