11/28/2025
This summer, a friend at the lumber yard told me, “Hey, I voted for you,” and I had no idea what he meant. He explained I was a finalist for the 2025 Best of the N’West in Handy Man Services—news that surprised me even more when I later learned I had actually won.
Since then, I’ve thought a lot about how I got here. I taught 7th-grade math for 13 years before leaving education 14 years ago to work with my wife at ATLAS and start the ATLAS Internship, where we trained about 80 college students over 9 years in discipleship, leadership, and service. Because that job was part-time, we talked about how I could spend the rest of my time—and soon people began asking for help with projects. That’s how Hawaiian Handyman began.
Over the past 14+ years, I’ve been blessed to work with 315 homeowners and businesses—mostly right here in Sioux Center—and many of them have trusted me again and again. For someone without formal construction training, that’s incredibly humbling.
I’ve also been fortunate to have great help along the way. We enjoy our work, do our best, have fun doing it, and don’t take ourselves too seriously. There’s real satisfaction in working with your hands and seeing what you’ve accomplished.
To my customers: thank you for trusting me in your homes and for your encouragement. It’s been an honor to bring your ideas to life.
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for all the relationships God has blessed me with—customers, contractors, suppliers, coworkers, and family. I couldn’t have done this without your support. Helping people with their projects, big or small, is something I truly value.
