| Home Team: Building On a Solid Foundation
It's no surprise that home construction has traditionally been a male-dominated industry, one that few women enter or succeed in. But that didn’t stop Jennifer Strimple. She’s not only found success in home construction, she's found her calling.
After receiving degrees in Construction Technology and Engineering Design Graphics from East Tennessee State University, Jennifer began her career in commercial construction, designing floor and roof trusses for Paty Company in Tennessee. Jennifer then started a family and moved to North Carolina, where she worked as an estimator and project manager for local commercial construction companies Matteson Construction, John S. Clark Company and Collins & Galyon. During her commercial construction career she oversaw the building of more than 50 facilities, such as office complexes, warehouses and retail spaces, including many CVS pharmacies.
Jennifer transitioned into residential construction when she founded Home Team Builders in 2005 with her husband Eric, a Captain in the High Point Fire Department. The company builds homes mainly in the northern and northwestern parts of Guilford County in the $300,000–$700,000+ range.
For Jennifer, owning—and running—her own business is the culmination of a lifetime love of architecture and more than ten years spent earning the respect of the local building community. As president of the company, she is in charge of every aspect of construction, from laying the foundation and framing to choosing paint colors and selecting kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures. To her, it's the best of two worlds: She uses her skill and experience in construction technology to ensure that each house meets the highest quality standards, while unleashing her creativity to design a home that potential buyers will also find aesthetically pleasing.
"I want my company to be a household name in the local building world," she says. "But at the same time, I want to stay small enough that I can still be in control of all aspects of the business. I enjoy being involved in every detail—working with customers, overseeing the actual construction, communicating with subcontractors and vendors, dealing with advertising and accounting. I tend to be a bit of a control freak."
Balancing work and family make for a hectic schedule, but Jennifer says she'd never trade the satisfaction she now gets from her career. "There's nothing better than for someone to look at one of my houses and love it as much as I do and want to call it home. I can't imagine a job more satisfying."
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