Building a Company Pt. 2

Pete & Co. – Building a Company Pt. 2

In the last post, we asked Pete about how he started Stonewall Homes with a simple desire to build and an admirable amount of persistence.

For this second and final part of Stonewall Homes’ story, we wanted to move on from how and why the company was founded and instead look at the foundational principles, goals, and faith that have kept us steady and sure as each year passes.

Q – What’s one thing you think really sets Stonewall Homes apart from other builders, and why?

Pete – I think God blessed me with a love of building for people. A lot of builders…they like building, but they don’t really like a customer to be involved. So, they build specs or rental properties, and there’s nothing wrong with that. For my personality, though, building custom homes for people—trying to make them happy—is a perfect fit. That’s been my goal since day one.

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Q – In hindsight, is there anything you’d do differently if you could?

P – I do a lot of things different now compared to how I used to, but looking back I don’t think I’d change anything. There are a lot of mistakes I could have made as a young builder that God steered me around, though.

“I think God blessed me with a love of building for people… building custom homes for people—trying to make them happy—is a perfect fit.”

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Q – Did you ever doubt yourself or the company?

P – I’m a pretty confident guy, and my parents instilled in me that if you work hard and do your best you can do well. I never really doubted that I could do well if I followed that advice and trusted in the Lord. I never really knew what exactly I was trying to pull off—I just figured it out step by step.

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Q – Did you ever expect to reach the point you’re at now? Building million-dollar houses, managing a full staff, playing key roles in builder associations, etc.?

P – When I started Stonewall Homes, I didn’t really have a plan for where I wanted it to go. I was just going to work every day and doing what needed to be done. Honestly, though, I don’t see building these big houses as that big of a deal. My first job at Flintco was building the 45-million-dollar Civic Center—everything is relative.

Really, the answers to most of these questions are rooted in my faith. My goals, my confidence level… it all comes back to the Lord. My understanding from the Bible is that our work is to do everything we can, trust in the principles of the Bible, and leave the results to Him. With our company, any growth or sales is dependent on the Lord. But that doesn’t mean we don’t work hard—like with a farmer, we plow the soil and plant the seeds, but it’s God who brings the growth.

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“Treat people right. Be honest with them. Have their best interest in mind.”

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Because of that, I haven’t really given a whole lot of thought toward how many houses I’d end up building, or what kind of houses. I just work hard and build my life around principles found in the Bible. Don’t be too risky, but don’t be afraid of taking chances. Work hard, but balance that with living life and being with your family. Treat people right. Be honest with them. Have their best interest in mind. But, ultimately, I give God the credit for how well we’ve done.