McBride Remodeling celebrates its 40th year in business this year. From day one, our core values of professionalism, relationships, integrity, dedication, and excellence have been the heart of everything we do. Here’s a look back to how it all began, and how these values got us where we are today:
Humble Beginnings
Dave McBride celebrated his graduation from Michigan Technological University in 1982, only to be welcomed into the “real world” by an unforgiving economy. Undeterred, he moved back in with his mom and started a small business called McBride Builders.
He worked for neighbors and friends on tasks such as painting, cleaning gutters, and small fix-it projects. Dave found the neighbors on his mom’s street to be incredibly supportive; he developed his remodeling and business skills through these early neighborhood experiences.
The Path to Success
After a few years of early successes, Dave joined The Little Traverse Home Builders Association where he was a highly active member. Dave served as the association President, The Remodelers council Chairman as well as the State Remodelers Council Chairman. This association and its events were pivotal in the business’s growth. He learned from fellow members about the business of building and remodeling. Dave takes great pride in developing long lasting relationships with clients and even has one family that the McBride Remodeling team is working with the family’s 4th generation.
With Mike Stolt by his side as the company’s first real employee and Dave’s brother Jim helping in the summers, McBride Builders — eventually renamed McBride Construction — was taking off. Moving well beyond their fix-it jobs, the McBride team early on focused on new house construction then focused primarily on renovation projects.
Dave eventually moved out of his mom’s house into a small 1-bedroom garage apartment that also served as his office. In 1991 he renovated a small home on M-119 into the office space that has been the company headquarters ever since.
Once Dave and his team were operating out of the newly renovated office, they realized they needed an office manager to help run their growing business. Kitty Sowles was the woman for the job and solidified her place as the backbone of the business for many years to come.
McBride Today
40 years later, McBride Remodeling is Northern Michigan’s premier choice for quality home remodeling and maintenance. Our services have evolved to meet the needs of our clients — from winter home care to architectural design work. Our office has been completely renovated and now includes even more features, products, and technology that help us stay current and successful.
While it’s fun to reminisce about the past, we’re also excited about our future. We look forward to our continued growth and serving our loyal base of clients — in both this generation and the next. After all, we don’t just renovate homes; McBride builds relationships. We’re also honored to increase our service to the community as we partner with organizations like Petoskey High’s Cheetos Club, the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District, Manna Food Project, the Harbor Springs Chamber of Commerce and so many more. These special connections keep us successful and serve as the foundation of everything we do.
Thank you to all our clients, team members, and trade partners for your part in McBride’s history. You are what made these last 40 years possible, and we’re so fortunate to have each of you as an important part of the McBride Story.
