Franklin Grove construction firm builds quite a resumé

FRANKLIN GROVE – The midsummer sun pounded down mercilessly on the two men stooped and pounding nails atop the partially completed structure. It wasn’t yet midday, and the thermometer already registered near 90 degrees.

“We’re trying to get as much done as we can before the rain comes in,” Kyle Stumpenhorst said as he descended from the rooftop, perspiration glistening on his forehead. “We’re hoping to have this project done by end of next week.”

He glanced to the west where dark clouds roiled on the horizon, an indication the weather could turn at any moment.

Mother Nature’s mood swings are but one of the challenges Stumpenhorst, 33, faces as owner of Rural Renovators, a Franklin Grove-based building firm that specializes in post-frame construction.

But he’s not complaining.

“It’s a lot of work,” he said, “but I love it” – and it shows. In each of the past 2 years, The National Frame Builders Association, the only national trade association to represent post-frame industry professionals, has recognized Rural Renovators for construction excellence.

In 2014, Rural Renovators won Building of the Year in the Hobby Shops category for the multi-purpose building that Stumpenhorst constructed to serve as the company’s shop and sales office in rural Franklin Grove.

According to the NFBA website, the barn-red building also serves as a “horse barn and kids play area, and ... a tool to demonstrate their capabilities to potential customers.”

On March 10, the company was once again recognized by NFBA at its annual Expo Awards ceremony in Indianapolis. This time, the company received a first-place award in the Commercial Buildings category for the North Court Building, which was constructed for Ken Nelson Auto Plaza in Dixon.

“I guess it’s kind of unprecedented,” Stumpenhorst said of the consecutive national awards. “But we do good work, and we have good customers.”

Part of the secret to Stumpenhorst’s success is his hands-on approach. He not only designs the structures he builds, he helps build them.

“It’s pretty much just the two of us,” he said, pointing to 23-year old Greg Haas, his only full-time employee. Haas, a Franklin Grove native, began working for Rural Renovators 5 years ago.

Together, Stumpenhorst and Haas make sure each construction project meets the company’s rigorous standards and each customer’s unique needs.

“We just do one [building] at a time,” Stumpenhorst said. “The work has to be done right, and it’s got to look good. Someone is paying good money for what we do, and we want to make sure they’re satisfied when we’re done”

A 2001 AFC High School graduate, Stumpenhorst initially planned a much different career. In 2005 he graduated from North Central College in Naperville with an IT degree.

“I took a job in the suburbs,” he said. “But I was inside all the time sitting at a desk, and I realized this wasn’t for me, not what I wanted to do with my life.”

Construction was sort of a family tradition while Kyle was growing up.

“My mom and dad did a lot of remodeling work, so when I decided to change I started remodeling,” he said.

From there, Kyle moved into building a few homes. Eventually, he decided to concentrate on post-frame construction.

Along the way, Stumpenhorst married and began raising a family. His wife, Lindsy, is the principal of Washington Elementary School in Sterling. They have two children: a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.

As he retraces the journey that brought him to found Rural Renovators, Stumpenhorst provides a brief tutorial on the differences between post-frame and stick-frame construction.

He said he “was attracted to the strength and cost efficiency” of post-frame construction, in which the load-bearing vertical posts are secured in the ground, as opposed to stick built, which are secured to a floating slab or a foundation.

Stumpenhorst admits post-frame construction has “kind of a negative connotation” for certain types of construction, and is usually associated with barns and storage buildings.

That’s not the case with Rural Renovators.

“We kind of like to specialize, custom build,” he said. “That’s what we like to do. We even do residential construction.”

So far, Stumpenhorst has built close to 50 structures in the area, with a waiting list that will have him and Haas working through the winter.

“We’re already booking for spring,” he said.

It’s a lot of work, often done in difficult conditions, like the scorching heat of summer and the bone-chilling cold of winter. But for Stumpenhorst, it’s all worth it.

“I’m just living the dream, and that’s really the truth,” he said. “Friday comes, and we finish for the week and I can’t wait until Monday to get back at it.”

BUSINESS INFORMATION

Rural Renovators, 1353 Pine Hill Road, Franklin Grove, is a construction company that specializes in custom, post-frame construction. The firm is booked through the rest of the year, but is booking jobs for the spring.

Call 815-677-0265 for more information, or find Rural Renovators on Facebook.