OUR STORY + OUR PEOPLE
Born from a creative spirit and a desire to return to our Wyoming roots, Heritage Woodworks was a dream several years in the making when we opened in January 2015. As with many start-ups and entrepreneurs, our road to business ownership wasn’t a direct route, but more of a winding path that started with “What if…?” followed by opportunities, experiences, hard work, and people that mentored and encouraged us.
That path began for us in 2003. Education completed, newly married, and searching for career-broadening opportunities, we settled in Bozeman, Montana. Matt’s previous work experience in residential and commercial construction secured him a spot with Lohss Construction, one of southwest Montana’s premier builders. Here, he honed his log and timber craft skills and became a site supervisor while building custom homes in Big Sky’s Yellowstone Club, many of which received national press. At the same time, Kristin was building her own career in both the publishing and social service industries. Fulfilling as these experiences were, the dream of business ownership and pull to return to Wyoming grew stronger as the years flew by.
Nine years later, Lohss Construction was awarded a building contract for a distinguished residential ranch property near Sheridan with Matt designated as Site Supervisor and Lead Timber Craftsman. Without hesitation, we packed up our family and Montana life in 2012 and let our roots call us home. During the course of the two-year project, much of our free time was spent solidifying our dreams into reality. Matt built connections with the local sub-trades and took the necessary steps to earn his General Contractor’s License while Kristin used her upbringing in the business world to hone our business plan. Although we had the opportunity to return to Bozeman when the project wrapped in December 2014, rural Wyoming had a strong hold on us; we knew this was the moment we had prepared for and dreamed of all these years.
Today, we take pride in the company we’ve built, a business where craftsmanship joins with our innovative drive and genuine love for the work we do. Of course, we couldn’t do it all on our own. As our business has evolved and grown these past few years, we’ve been privileged to assemble an extended family of craftsmen whose individual skill sets create a dynamic building environment where everyone plays a valuable role. Together with this dedicated team, we strive to bring the highest quality and service to our projects every day, no matter if that project is a custom home or a custom furniture piece.
As our company continues to grow in the coming years (we have lots of ideas in the works!), we’ll never lose sight of where we’ve been, our gratitude for those who help make it possible, or our commitment to our three defining “C’s”: creativity, craftsmanship, and our clients. We hope you’ll follow along with us on our journey!
Matt & Kristin Hill
Heritage Woodworks’ Owners, Innovators, and Entrepreneurs