BRIAN IWANO—OWNER

Who founded the company and when?  
I founded the company in November 2006, at first as a part-time handyman company, however over time the company grew to acquire more significant and larger renovations. As the growth took place we rebranded to Blue Tree Builders with the intention to position ourselves as a mature, full-service custom remodeling company. Today, in addition to Blue Tree Builders (home remodeling), our business includes Blue Tree Developers (investment properties), Braden Custom Cabinetry (after our 8-year-old), and in the works is Blue Tree Craft Co. (coming soon on Etsy).

What makes your family business unique?
Our business is set apart from other construction companies in how much emphasis we  put into the customer’s experience throughout the project. We do this by considering the project’s impact on the family, caring for the customer’s home every day we’re on site and focusing on consistent communication. Home remodeling projects  are very intrusive and disruptive to families’ everyday lives. In our experience, we’ve found that while many projects often require a high level of skill and  craftsmanship to execute, the customer’s  overall experience throughout that process holds far more value in the long term. Our company’s mission statement is “We design and build comfortable  spaces that foster gathering while delivering the best possible experience during the entire process.”

What are the advantages and/or what do you find rewarding about working with family members?
I love that my family can be part of the business by offering their gifts and talents across different areas of the business. My wife and I have four children (ages 6, 8, 15 and 17) and each member of our family contributes in such an important way. The story of our company name comes from our daughters, who were role playing at roughly the ages of 8 and 10, when they created “Blue Tree Café.” So when it came time to give our business a name that carried significance to our family and was versatile across multiple platforms, it seemed fitting in the spirit of our family business to allow for their creativity to brand our company.  

My wonderful wife of 17 years, Ady, now on the other side of a highly successful HR executive career, helps me in a multitude of ways with the business. She knows me like no one else does and is invaluable in helping me with numerous business decisions, big and small. Our oldest daughter continues to harness and offer her creative talent with professional photography and social  media insight. One of our sons, even at 8, has shown strong interest in some day taking over the company and loves to spend his days off from school, riding with Dad between jobs and visiting suppliers.

We are so grateful for all of our faithful customers who have chosen us to execute their project goals and become part of the vision for their home as it comes to life.

What is your favorite thing to do together as a family outside of work?  
As a family, we enjoy taking our annual summer vacation road trips, day trips to Cape May in the offseason and short stays in the farmlands of Lancaster County, Pa. My wife and I are also grateful for those everyday moments with our kids, whether it’s our current college hunt with our oldest daughter, watching Hallmark movies with our teenage daughter, admiring our 8-year-old son playing his drums, or reveling at our Lego wizard (youngest son) who is constantly full of questions of all kinds. 

Blue Tree Builders, LLC
Cherry Hill, N.J.
(609) 240-3231
brian@experiencebluetree.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 19, Issue 10 (April 2019). 
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