For Timothy, there is no greater reward than visiting with homeowners 2, 5, or 10 years after their renovation is complete and seeing that the home still looks and functions great. He loves stories about how an addition or new kitchen has enhanced the family’s life in daily experience and special events. Creating these one-of-a-kind, personalized home solutions for people is why he started Bluestem and Birch+Oak and what fuels his passion.

You’ll always get a smile and an exuberant greeting when Cody enters the room. His technical proficiencies began with a background in theatrical and AV arts. Helping coordinate and running the AV for big events at the Mall of America is one of his favourite memories. Now, he is our guy who can “fix almost everything” and is an integral part of almost all Birch+Oak operations.

Emily is a graphic designer and marketing professional with a background in advertising, customer service, and theater. Based out of the Bay of Fundy area, she is actively involved with her local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters where she and her wife are big siblings to two fantastic teens. In her spare time she can often be found playing the piano, gossiping with her nan, or spending time hiking with her goldendoodle, Margaret Houlihan.

Emily was drawn to the renovation industry after taking a keen interest in carpentry and interior home design after purchasing her first home. She loves getting the chance to be a part of such a collaborative and artistic process on the daily, and is overjoyed at getting to see home transformations come to life. Always aware of the unique challenges that come with renovating, she is dedicated to open and honest communication with the clients that Birch+Oak serves.

Celeste loves working in the home renovation industry because she’s motivated to help others. She wants to make each and every client’s experience with Birch+Oak a rewarding journey, and the end result to be everything they had in mind.

When homeowners talk to Celeste, she immediately puts them at ease. Her positive attitude is infectious, and her strong background in customer service makes client communication effortless and productive.

Celeste enjoys managing the diverse needs of our clients, and understands how important it is to answer every question promptly and accurately. Her motto: “Treat people exactly how I would like to be treated.”

Jen is a self proclaimed Home Renovation Enthusiast! She loves all things design: building, woodworking, painting, sewing, organizing, and graphic design. What she enjoys most about renovationg is finding creative solutions to problems, and being part of a collaborative team of designers and builders. She’s passionate about reimagining spaces to create final products that are both beautiful and functional.

Jen has a strong desire to help others, and finds it fulfilling to help other homeowners create beautiful and functional spaces in their homes.

Growing up in 100+ year old homes, she appreciated the beauty and challenges of architecture at a very young age. As a kid, she was an avid fort builder and artist, and by the time she was 10 years old, knew very well how to reset blown electrical fuses. As a teen, she regularly rearranged her room, and took advantage of every drafting, woodworking, photography and art class that she could. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Architecture.

Outside of Birch+Oak, Jen volunteers as a Girl Scout Leader and is an active School PTO member, organizing events and helping her community in any way she can. She values community, and encourages her kids to always be kind and inclusive. She loves to travel, and has lived in 5 states and 3 countries. The entire team loves having her talent, dedication and creativity as part of our team!

Stefanie has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Architecture and minor in Classical Studies. She has numerous years experience in the remodeling industry, doing everything from checking lumber in big box stores to designing decks to millwork sales to carpentry. She’s extremely passionate about home design, and loves “bridging the gap between an idea and something real.”

One thing Stefanie enjoys about home remodeling is how every single project and homeowner is different. She appreciates getting the opportunity to see one-of-a-kind details in homes and understands how precious homes are. “Everyone brings their own unique experience to the process, and it’s so rewarding to help people personalize their spaces – functionally and aesthetically. Sometimes people only see their home in a way they’re used to, and it’s fun when homeowners are surprised by the potential they hadn’t imagined before!”

Stefanie loves to be connected to the outdoors and experience the changing of the seasons. She is prone to taking the scenic route, and finds herself inspired and motivated by nature. She loves gardening, snuggling with her cats, and raising butterflies in a beautiful little pollinator garden she maintains at her home.

Shira has many years of experience working in marketing and sales, predominately in theater, attractions and entertainment. She’s an active part of her local theater community, but spends most of her onstage time these days in her backyard, or miscellaneous public places, fulfilling the performance requests of her 4-year-old daughter and doing duets to songs from Gabby’s Dollhouse, My Little Pony and Frozen.

One thing she loves about the remodeling and the design build process is seeing projects go from ideas to wonderful new spaces, involving art and craft and creativity and innovation. She also loves the collaboration and true teamwork that’s involved, and seeing frustrating home spaces become wonderful new ones that homeowners love and adore and make their lives better.

Having undergone a partial home remodel herself, Shira is very familiar with the process and greatly enjoys doing her part to help other homeowners have a wonderful experience with it!

Todd has over 25 years of experience in the remodeling industry. He is a 3rd generation carpenter with a long and varied list of experiences in the field. He has worked extensively in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities and around the Minneapolis lakes area, and is incredibly skilled at creating seamless transformations in century-old houses.

Todd embraces new and innovative designs in the remodeling and construction industries. He shows care and commitment towards every client he works with, and both homeowners and members of our team are continuously grateful for his creative additions to projects! Todd’s dedication to every Bluestem client is evident, and he is passionate about client satisfaction throughout the duration of every project from start to finish.

In his free time, Todd and his wife enjoy being outdoors, traveling, art fairs, home projects, and taking care of their three adopted pets. Three of their four grown children are serving or have served in the military branches.

Jennifer has over 20 years of remodeling experience, both as an independent business owner and leading a trade partner team. She values keeping promises to homeowners above all else, and loves managing our dedicated carpentry team.

George fell in love with drawing in the 9th grade, and has continued with that passion ever since. Now, he uses his impeccable and detailed drawing skills to help homeowners get new spaces in their homes that they can love and will bring them joy. After graduationg university, he continued his pursuit of learning independently, always striving to learn more and improve his skills and knowledge.

When not assisting homeowners in the building and renovation process, George loves to sit back and enjoy life with his family, and spend as much time outside on their patio as he can. His joyful sense of humor and delightful presence is always appreciated by both homeowners and the Birch+Oak team, and his detailed drawings, strong work ethic, and passion for excellence makes him an invaluable asset to our team.