Our Team

Our team members are our biggest strength and most important asset. We believe in hiring and retaining the best talent through generous incentives, ongoing training, and opportunity for growth. Our team’s dedication to customer satisfaction is one of the major reasons we are the premier design and renovation company in the Brandywine Valley.

click on an image to learn more about our team

Joe

President

Nancy

Vice President of Operations

Diana

Marketing Director

Tony

Project Consultant & Sales Manager

Mike

Project Consultant

Brian

Production Coordinator

Ron

CAD

Kalee

Interior Designer

Amber

Marketing Assistant

Megan

Bookkeeper

Michelle

Accounts Payable Specialist

Kelly

Showroom Manager

Adam

Warehouse Manager

Jen

Customer Service Representative and Administrative Assistant

Lacey

Phantom Screens Divisional Manager

Dave

Phantom Installer

Cindy

Phantom Screens Coordinator

Pete

Project Manager

Matt

Project Manager

John

Assistant Project Manager

Dave

Lead Carpenter

Tom

Lead Carpenter

Edward

Carpenter

Ervin

Carpenter

Josiah

Carpenter

Conor

Carpenter

Riley

Carpenter Apprentice

Nick

Carpenter Apprentice

Matt

Carpenter Apprentice

Joe Oakes

President

As President of First State Building & Design, Joe lives and breathes carpentry and construction. He started the company back in 2006 and has transformed it into the business it is today – a growing full-service home renovation company that designs and builds custom-crafted exterior and interior spaces. All with a customer-first approach. From meeting with clients to getting his hands dirty in the field, Joe continues to put his passion into what he loves.

Nancy

Vice President of Operations and Interior Design Divisional Manager

Nancy oversees all staffing and day-to-day office activities of the office, as well as key departments including marketing, sales, production, and customer service. As the team leader for the Interiors division, she manages all aspects of our interior design projects including initial consultations, proposals, production, and planning to ensure quality and customer satisfaction.

Ron

CAD

Ron initially joined our team as a lead carpenter, honing his master carpenter skills to perfection. Now he leverages that expertise as our Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) professional. In this role, he creates all the structural and technical drawings for our exterior projects.

Michelle

Accounts Payable Specialist

Michelle brings 20 years of accounting experience and a love of helping businesses succeed to FSBD’s accounting team. As the company continues its quick expansion, Michelle helps ensure it does so in an organized and strategic manner while keeping all accounts up-to-date.

Lacey

Phantom Screens Divisional Manager

Lacey brings 14 years of experience to our production team. A true team player, Lacey coordinates various elements of our production process as well as providing general oversight and management to the Phantom Screens division. With a focus on always exceeding client expectations, Lacey focuses on teamwork to make that happen.

Brian

Production Coordinator

Brian’s 30+ years in construction management and passion for helping to create peoples’ dream living spaces carry over to his work on all FSBD projects. As project coordinator, Brian’s role is key to a project’s success as he oversees many details and touches multiple points of our process.

Pete

Project Manager

Pete began his construction career after serving in the 82 nd Airborne division of the United States Army. Now, some 40 years later, his master carpentry skills and experience are leveraged in overseeing many of our residential renovation projects.

Matt

Project Manager

As Project Manager, Matt manages all production aspects of our home renovation projects including our daily working crews and subcontractors with an emphasis on maintaining our high standards of quality in both workmanship and customer satisfaction.

Julia

Production Assistant

Julia oversees the permit application process for the company, working with local townships and counties to ensure all our projects meet local standards and requirements. She also serves as the main liaison between our sales department and our project managers.

Chris

Exterior Designer

Chris may have spent the majority of his 30-year career as a graphic designer and web developer, but he has turned that passion into the role of our exterior designer. He is responsible for producing 3-D renderings of our exterior projects, including decks, pavilions, porches, patios, hardscapes, and landscaping.

Kalee

Interior Designer

A member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, Kalee is FSBD’s lead interior designer. She serves as the point person for all kitchen and bath remodeling projects. She works with clients from initial consultation and proposal to the design stages and planning of the project, ensuring customer satisfaction every step of the way. In her spare time, she also oversees our line of Phantom Screen products.

Tony

Project Consultant & Sales Manager

Overseeing the FSBD sales team, Tony’s passion for helping homeowners achieve their dream homes and make educated decisions drives his management of our sales representatives. His 38 years of sales experience has served to refine and strengthen his knowledge and dedication to the client experience.

Mike

Project Consultant

Bringing 15 years of experience in the home improvement industry, Mike enjoys connecting directly with homeowners to provide the best solutions to their needs. As a former student of math and physics, he is detail-orientation and pragmatic in his approach and excited to gain further knowledge and skills in his experience at FSBD.

CJ

Sales Representative

CJ brings 22 years of project management experience to FSBD. Initially focused on major deck projects (he is Azek certified), he has expanded his passion and construction knowledge to all our exterior services. His commitment to customer communication and satisfaction helps to streamline the FSBD sales process.

Jen

Customer Service Representative and Administrative Assistant

Jen joined the FSBD team as administrative assistant and customer service representative. A direct point of contact for our customers, Jen’s 25 years of experience in business administration and management serve to provide a quality customer experience and unwavering administrative support and management.

Jeff

Sales Representative

Jeff brings 12 years of experience to the FSBD, specializing in roofing, siding, windows and doors. His work in the supply sector provides a unique advantage and in-depth
knowledge of the quality products FSBD carries. Jeff’s love for the industry and enthusiasm for helping homeowners with their renovations position him perfectly to provide an extraordinary customer experience.

Diana

Marketing Director

Diana joined the First State Building & Design team as Marketing Director after 13+ years of marketing experience in hospitality and tourism. Diana applies her multi-channel marketing expertise to highlight and promote the excellent experience, quality product, and outstanding workmanship that all FSBD clients encounter in their home building and design journey.

Kelly

Showroom Manager

Kelly is the first friendly face you see when you stop into our main showroom on Wilmington Pike. As showroom manager, she oversees the appearance and inventory of the showroom (among many other duties). And if you contact our office, it is Kelly’s voice you will traditionally hear first — reinforcing our philosophy of a personalized (human) experience.

Megan

Bookkeeper

With certifications in QuickBooks Online and Managerial Accounting, Megan handles the day-to-day responsibilities of accounting and bookkeeping for FSBD. She keeps a sharp eye on new methods to increase the efficiencies of our internal processes and to streamline operations.

Cynthia

Phantom Screen Coordinator

Retractable Phantom Screens represent one of our top product lines. And Cindy is an integral part of that business, handling all facets of the operation from sales, quotes, and project scheduling for our clients.

Dave

Phantom Installer

Installing a Phantom Screen may sound like a simple endeavor but there is a real science to it. As our main Phantom installer, Dave is involved in almost every screen installation for our far-reaching service region, making sure they operate to maximum efficiency.

Dave

Lead Carpenter

Dave knows a lot about home renovation. After all, he lives in a house that was built in 1722 (and has needed a lot of work over the years). He’s been a carpenter since he got out of college and with his personal and professional renovation experience has helped FSBD grow over the years.

Tom

Lead Carpenter

A resident of Reading, PA, Tom brings over 15 years’ experience in the carpentry business.

Todd

Lead Carpenter

Todd has been in the industry for many years and is truly a master carpenter. As a lead carpenter for FSBD, he utilizes his master level skills to build high quality exterior projects for us and overseas the execution of the overall quality workmanship for each project.

Edward

Carpenter

With 30+ years of carpentry experience, Edward, has been in and around construction since high school. He initially did interior finishing work, including drywall, painting, and finishing carpentry. This has expanded into general construction and home renovation, most recently with FSBD.

Miguel

Carpenter

Miguel has been working in the construction industry for 15+ years now. He likes this industry so much that he does home renovation for us full-time professionally and part-time personally. His ongoing passion for expert workmanship helps to maintain our high-quality standards here at FSBD.

Conor

Carpenter

Conor has 10 years of carpentry experience and enjoys the satisfaction of creating something beautiful where nothing stood before. He is a passionate learner and eager to become more familiar with the many products FSBD offers customers, especially its exclusive products.

Riley

Carpenter Apprentice

Riley began his apprenticeship carpentry education by attending Hodgson Vocational High School and has been honing his industry skills for the past 7+ years.

Matt

Carpenter Apprentice

A resident of Lancaster, PA, Matthew may be a newcomer to the industry but his work ethic and attention to detail makes him the perfect addition to our carpentry team.

Ervin

Carpenter

With over 18 years of experience in the construction industry, Ervin loves doing what he does. And his dedication to his craft helps keep our customer satisfaction levels very high.

Josiah

Carpenter

Josiah brings over 6 years of experience to the industry. His drive and dedication make him an invaluable member of our team.

Nick

Carpenter Apprentice

Residential remodeling is Nick’s passion, and he does it extremely well. When he’s not using his skills at FSBD, he’s doing his own DIY projects at home.

John

Assistant Project Manager

John brings over 30 years of construction experience to the job. As an experienced assistant project manager, he ensures the best quality and craftsmanship for our renovation projects.

Adam

Warehouse Manager

As our Warehouse Manager, Adam oversees a 4,500 square foot facility that was designed and built to house our construction equipment, along with our wide variety of exterior and interior products.

Dawn

Administrative Assistant

Dawn may be the newest member of our team, but her 24+ years of administrative experience along with her singular focus and commitment to stellar customer service serves our customers well.

Amber

Marketing Assistant

Amber is a recent graduate of West Chester University and is eager to kick off her marketing career with First State Building & Design. With a strong passion for the industry, marketing, and FSBD’s mission, Amber is excited to make a positive impact. In addition to working to promote FSBD’s work, Amber proudly serves as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.