Go big or go home – the all-American idea that encourages us to go all-out, be bold, experience something to its fullest, or else don’t even bother.
What happens if you take that idea and turn it on its head? That’s exactly what Travis Pyke and Caleb Knowles did when they founded Wind River Custom Homes. Wind River is a design/build company with the mission to create attainable housing solutions of the highest quality in craftsmanship and design, and to do so with integrity, innovation and stewardship.
You hear about businesses getting started out of a garage – well, this one was started out of a pole-barn! Travis founded the company in 2014 after building and living in his own tiny home with his family, and Caleb was the first person he hired to come on board the venture. In 2018 they expanded their operations into a 9,000 square foot facility, and a few years after that expanded again, adding a custom cabinet shop, paint booth, spray foam, and trailer manufacturing.
Paul Beckmann, CFO and sales executive, explained that the company’s initial focus was on luxury park model recreational vehicles (think tiny home on wheels), but Wind River is currently in its third major growth phase and is diversifying to include modular housing.
“We are taking what we’ve learned in designing small spaces and we’re going to apply that to the residential home market and the modular home category,” said Paul. “That would include projects like cottage clusters, urban infill, pocket neighborhoods, intentional neighborhoods and other small home design concepts.”
To accommodate their growth, Wind River has a new 90,000 square foot facility under construction in South Cleveland, aiming to move in by April 2024 and potentially doubling their workforce.
Being focused on improving our communities and building up a skilled workforce, Paul said it made sense for them to join and support our efforts at AGC East Tennessee. “We are really excited about the Construction Career Center and what that can do for the industry.”
So, it’s safe to say that the people at Wind River Custom Homes know exactly what it means to go big or go home – they’ve just added a tiny twist.