Freeman launches construction firm

Owner and founder of Freebird Constuction, LLC Ryan Freeman has been reborn like the phoenix on his logo as a self-employed, one-man crew for local housing needs.
Originally from Greeley, an hour northwest of Aurora, Freeman has spent the past near decade as a worker for the Paschke Bros. Construction before moving on to offer his services of his own. 
“I felt like it was just kind of the next step in the process,” Freeman said. “I wanted to learn as much as I could, but I think that was kind of the plan. It just kind of felt like stuff kept progressing to the point where you own a business.”
Freeman first started his career in construction in Milford at Southeast Community College, earning a degree in construction before working at a commercial cabinet shop in Crete while his future wife, Ashley, finished her own schooling in Lincoln. 
Freeman and his partner decided to make two major decisions in 2012 -- first to get married, and then to move to Aurora. 
Part of the reason was that his wife could find a job as a dietician at Henderson Health Care Services. There was also a family connection with her brother, whom they had visited often in Aurora. The trips left a positive impression on the newlyweds. 
“We’d always pass through, stop and visit,” he recounted. “We always liked Aurora and I wanted to live in like a smaller town.”
Freeman first got a job at BonnaVilla Homes for nine months before landing a position with Paschke Bros., where he would work for a total of nine years.
“Josh, who was Nick’s brother, it was kind of him and I doing remodeling stuff,” he remembered. “He kind of did all the estimates, and I’d be out on the jobs, calling subs (sub-contractors) and talking to homeowners. So I kind of got my name out a little bit, just in interacting with homeowners and being around this whole time.”
After so many years with Paschke Bros., honing his abilities and connections, Freeman said that he felt it was time to move on to the next step. He felt confident enough to launch his new venture in November, around Thanksgiving of last year.
“It was almost risky,” he stated. “There were a few jobs lined up and calls coming in. I’m trying to think if there was an unsure time there for a little while, where I didn’t have a ton of stuff on the books, but it hasn’t been a problem here lately.”
Between November and July, Freeman estimated that he had about 10 clients that he has worked with various construction jobs on. These include bathrooms, kitchens, trim, carpentry and the occasional deck. 
“I’d like to get to the point where I can pretty much do everything,” he said. “And that’s why I wanted to stick with Paschke is just so I could learn everything I could before I took the jump to go out on my own.”
There are challenges or times he needs help, such as teaming with other former Paschke Bros., self-employed construction workers for certain jobs or the ever-present supply chain issues. Freeman stated that he wasn’t too affected by the supply chain except for windows and the increasing cost of materials. 
“(I’ve been affected) a little bit, like the trim for this job has really gone up here lately,” Freeman explained. “People, I guess, maybe aren’t quite as eager to pull the trigger on jobs.”
But in spite of the challenge, Freeman says the best part of the job is the unpredictable or difficult nature of whatever house he walks into. 
“I like that it’s always something different and a little bit of a challenge,” he commented. “You never know, once you tear into something, just what you’re going to get into and just having to figure it out along the way. You hit a problem, say like there’s rot in the floor or something, and you kind of just have to adapt and figure it out and keep moving.”
As for the next step in his process, Freeman said he has to wait and see.
“Well, I think I’m going to kind of see how stuff goes and kind of take it one step at a time,” he concluded. “I’m real curious to see what the economy is going to do in the next year or two. It makes me a little bit nervous, but it hasn’t been an issue so far...I’m just excited to get out there and see how this builds and where it takes me. It’s been good so far.” 
For more information, contact Freebird Construction via Facebook.