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Remodeler Kenton Pass proudly acknowledges that his professional and personal path to success has been the proverbial "road less traveled". An Atlanta native who at age 17 attended the legendary Woodstock music festival, Pass forsook the upper-middle class of his upbringing and skipped college to become a nail driver on a construction site. He ultimately built a well-regarded remodeling business in Atlanta before he and his wife Ricky pulled up stakes in the early '90s and moved to Colorado.
In Colorado Springs, Pass initially became a superintendent for Richmond American homes, then launched a new remodeling company that has thrived in the Rocky Mountain State. Along the way, Pass has earned a number of NAHB professional designations: CGR, CGB and CAPS. He has attracted enough members to the association that he has earned his "Life Spike."
In addition, he has served in many capacities for the Remodelers Council of the Colorado Springs HBA. He has served as chairman twice, in 2002 and 2007. He is also active in the HBA Cares Philanthropic Board. He is a member of the HBA's board of directors.
More impressive has been his involvement in his local community, specifically an organization that aids at-risk children: the Court Appointed Special Advocates or CASA. Today he is a member of the organization's board of directors, but previously he and his wife were foster parents to more than 30 children over a seven-year period during the mid- to late '90s.
"It was quite an experience to have 30 kids — along with our biological kids — live in our home in such a short period of time," says Pass. "We actually adopted two of the kids, a brother-sister pair. We are really proud of them. They have done really well. We have seven kids between us and we are up to seven grandkids now. It is quite a group. We are no longer foster parents now, but we have a great, dynamic board and we are doing great things."
In just eight years, Pass' Colorado full-service remodeling company has already achieved a range of successes. From its inception to 2004, the company grew to $4 million in revenue, eventually carrying 24 full-time employees. But the growth was too fast. So Pass, pulled back his business and relaunched as a leaner version with four employees that will do $1.5 million in 2008.
"I am having more fun now, at this level of activity, than I was when we were doing $4 million," says Pass. "I am making more personal money. I have fewer headaches. I just can't imagine having that stress again. I am too old for that."
As Pass looks ahead to the remainder of 2008, he sees plenty of opportunity for growth but is much more cautious about taking the right jobs and is considering joining a peer-group program such as a Remodeler 20 Club, so that he can tap into the wisdom of peers for advice on how to better manage professional and personal goals.
author: By Patrick L. O'Toole