John Thornhill and his brother Aaron of Origin MCMXCIX in Bremerton

Though small businesses are the core of America, any small-business proprietor knows that ownership has its pitfalls. A small portion of small-business owners have found a way to avoid some of the challenges, transferring knowledge from one generation to the next. The construction trades are one place where this is especially prevalent.

As one of these owners put it, family owned and operated businesses “are the backbone of the country, but are hard to maintain.” Nonetheless, many local families find it a good way to share their passion, strengthen relationships and, best of all, make a living together.

Oliver Hanley left the U.S. Navy after Vietnam with the dream of starting his own business. After buying some houses with poor workmanship, he thought he could do better — and Hanley Construction was born. Now, 27 years later, the company specializes in roofing and offers superior craftsmanship. With 25 employees, and sons Morgan and Paul by his side, Hanley says he loves the Promised Land, “but it is pretty tough.” Oliver’s wife, Karen, is also involved.

“Every breath you take, you are either losing money or making money,” he said. The company’s signature is working on roofs, rain, or shine, and delivering service with honesty and quality. “We are a 12-month per year company. We don’t hesitate to go to a house when it rains cats and dogs,” he said. Hanley Construction started specializing in roofing 15 years ago because the company couldn’t find quality roofers, and since then has delivered many outstanding projects.

Tim Ryan started as a builder in 1957 with some spec homes, and then ran into some small commercial jobs. “I loved commercial work, and I have been doing it ever since,” he said. In those days, Tim and his wife did everything. Today, Tim Ryan Construction is a true family business: of Tim’s eight children, two sons and a daughter help in the company. Another son, a structural engineer, sometimes does work as well. Two sons-in-law, two grandsons-in-law, a grandson, and three granddaughters complete the family crew, some working full time and others part time, from running the company and doing maintenance to selling properties and building.

“With 32 grandkids and two great-grandkids, we have a pretty good supply of labor for a lot of years,” Ryan said. Even with the company in good hands, however, he doesn’t plan to retire just yet. “I trust them 100 percent, but it gets in your blood,” he said. “It’s a wonderful and exciting business.” Poulsbo Village and Medical Center, Frontier Bank in Poulsbo and Courtesy Chevrolet are just some of the company’s best pieces.

Brothers Way — Jim, 29, and Jeff, 27 — founded Pristine Homes when they were in their early 20s. First working as framers, more than two years ago they became general contractors. The company employs 30 people, sub-contracting the majority of the work for other builders. Another company division offers remodeling and custom homes. One custom, 4,400-square-foot home, recently build from the ground up, is featured as part of this year’s Parade of Homes.

While the brothers work the front lines, father Richard works behind the scenes. Richard had retired after owning his own business in Seattle for 25 years. “Now that I am retired, I work 60 hours a week,” he said. “I started getting involved in many aspects and now I help them out a lot, because I am fairly familiar with the ins and outs of running a business.”

Gary Higgins, who at the time had nearly 30 years of experience in the industry, founded Port Orchard Glass in 1992. The company installs windows and offers a variety of glass-related services, from art and custom glass to doors and windows. The five installers have been friends and working together since 1985. Son Jerry oversees sales, customer service and manages the office, while daughter-in-law Briggette helps with accounting and bookkeeping and her cousin Shelly Silver assists with office duties.

Pretty soon, a third-generation family member may become extensively involved. “My son is 12 and he already comes in to help out,” Briggette explained. “He knows a lot about glass and knows how to cut it.”

A-1 Door Service opened its shop in 1989, after husband and wife team Philip and Darlene Denham had sold a similar business in Idaho. The couple was in Spokane after merging the business with a bigger company, when they found their way to the Kitsap Peninsula. “We fell in love with this area,” Darlene Denham said. “We started here with just my husband and I, and we do work all over the Peninsula.”

A-1 specializes in everything garage doors — from the doors themselves to electric openers sales and installation. Darlene does scheduling, ordering, paperwork and office management; Philip works the sales. Their two daughters, Carol and Susan, are also part of the business, helping with payroll and bookkeeping; and additional part-time and full-time staff works for the company.

Joe Gates

Joe Gates Construction started building spec and custom homes about 14 years ago and has won awards for the homes they’ve built. Joe Gates had been in the industry for more than a decade when he decided it was time to work for himself — with the help of his wife, Judy. “Joe builds the house, and I do everything else,” Judy explained the arrangement.

Eventually the couple saw a trend of more people wanting to be involved in the construction process of their new homes, and U-Build-It, a franchised company, was added to Joe Gates Construction. “If you want to build your own home, we act as a coach in the building process,” Judy Gates said, “because we have all the resources at our fingertips.” By using U-Build-It, property owners can save money by handling the day-to-day details themselves, instead of paying someone and adding overhead costs. But those who’d rather let the contractors do it all can instead use Joe Gates Construction, and either way rely on the expertise of the company.

Judy had an opportunity recently to handle all the work when Joe was seriously injured and partially paralyzed for a time. Thankfully, he has made a complete recovery and is back to work.

Heritage Fireplace has undergone several transformations since its owner, Gerald Winslow, opened shop in 1959. Back then, he ran his brick laying business out of his home while his wife, Loma, took care of bookkeeping. As wood stoves became popular in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Winslow opened a fireplace shop in Gorst while continuing the masonry business. One by one, his children joined in — one daughter even quitting a job in a hospital.

“Things just continued to grow,” said one of the daughters, Annie Wilson. These days, all five children, and Gerald’s sons-in-law are part of the business, which eventually opened a second store, in Poulsbo, and incorporated. Though Gerald and Loma retired several years ago, four of their children continue his tradition today. They employ 10 people. The masonry business became independent of Heritage, with their son Bret turning it into Winslow Masonry in 2001. “Small businesses are becoming more and more rare, Wilson said. “ The one reason we’re still in business is because of our customer service and expertise in the industry.”

John Thornhill began Origin MCMXCIX, Inc. out of his truck in 1995, as a stone and tile craftsman. After working for a while out of someone else’s shop “on the other side of the water,” the company got established in West Bremerton a year and a half ago — and outgrew its first shop in just a few months. John’s brother, Aaron, and their mother, Bobbie, are part of the company, which employs six people and has earned a reputation for exceptional craftsmanship.

“The key to our success has been the support of the local construction industry and the community,” John Thornhill said. “We were welcome with open arms.” Origin, described by Thornhill as the “first legal fabricator” in the city, is environmentally conscientious and recycles all its water via a reclamation system. Being “salmon friendly,” Thornhill said, separates them from competitors.

Tim and Vicki Uhler

Tim Uhler of Pioneer Builders began his building career as a cost accountant for a Port Orchard builder, but seven years later, in 1978, opened his own company. His son Brian, though he helped clean up the “homes and the ditches” when he was a teen, set out to be an accountant, not much interested in the construction businesses. But when he wanted to start his own company in 2000, at age 20, Brian Uhler returned to his roots after all.

Brian and Elizabeth Uhler

His company, Pacific Bay Homes, is independent from Pioneer Builders, but father and son still work together. “I do all the leg work, but I use my dad as a reference when I have problems and questions,” Uhler said. “It’s almost like an apprenticeship program; I learned everything I know from him because he doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel and knows all the practical things.” Since he’s a CPA, Brian also does Pioneer Builders’ accounting.

Three generations of the Dahl family in business in Kitsap County since 1932.

Brian’s brother, Tim, is the lead carpenter for Pacific Bay, but also works for their father’s company. Their mother, Vicki, helps both companies as well. With Tim Uhler specializing in higher-end homes, and Brian focusing on the $150,000-200,000 niche, they are “hitting all price points between the two companies.”

Kevin Dahl is a third-generation owner of his family’s business, founded in 1932 by his grandfather, Ole. Though Dahl Glass has changed its name since and slightly altered its specialty, Kevin says customers know the name Dahl means superior customer service. Ole Dahl started small—he didn’t even have a receptionist — running windows and lumberyard operations. His son, Harold, only kept the glass business, and nearly 20 years later passed the reigns on, selling the company to Kevin. Since then, the business has expanded to offer commercial glazing in additional to residential glass, raised the number of employees from four to 16, and has dramatically increased its profits.