Dedicated, energetic, reliable, trustworthy, respected, conscientious, and knowledge are several of the words that come to mind when describing Dennis Schaefer. For over 15 years, I have had the pleasure knowing Dennis as a business owner, Chamber Board Member, and Committee Chair Member. Through his own life lessons, Dennis has mastered the gift of being able to communicate in a straight forward yet logical and heartfelt manner. I consider my professional relationship with Dennis to be an honor. His devotion to his family and community speaks volumes to his character.
~ Shelly Day, Fenton Regional Chamber of Commerce
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Success Stories
Creative Wood Products
Dennis started Creative Wood Products as a one-man operation in 1986 at the age of 25 and built it into a $3 million corporation. What he started as a deck company grew into a three-part organization. Not only was it one of the largest deck building companies in the Midwest, but it also manufactured deck components and gazebos along with a full home and garden retail store. Creative Wood Products was listed as one of the Top 500 Remodelers in the country for 12 consecutive years, and became a well-regionized brand throughout Michigan.
BuildMeADeck.com
Founded BuildMeADeck.com in the spring of 2007, BuildMeADeck.com was created to give deck builders throughout the country an internet presence no matter how small their organizations were. While growing BuildMeADeck.com, Dennis also created DeckBuy.com as an e-store to compliment the existing organizations. BuildMeADeck.com is now a solid national presence in the deck industry with members in 30 states.
Louver&Lite.com
Dennis is currently working with a national corporation to create a new internet presence. This will be the first time that Dennis will build a company from the ground up for another entity other than himself. This project will launch in June 2010.
Other Projects Over the Past 25 Years
During this 25 year period, Dennis created several other businesses, and by created we mean from concept to grand openings. This means creating the image, including logos, message, and store layouts, all the way down to the colors on the walls. It also means designing the operations, the build-outs, business structure, and the marketing.
In 1995 he created Shoppes of the Backyard. This was a 7-Unit strip mall. The concept of this mall was that all seven stores cater to one theme: outdoor living. This project was featured in the national magazine “Qualified Remodeler” in May of 1995.
In 1996, he created “Earl E. Byrd’s” Coffee Shoppe. This was an added feature to cater to the customers of the Shoppes of the Backyard.
In 1997, he created “Wilderness Galleries.” Dennis’s love for art led him to create a one-of-a-kind art gallery and gift shop featuring the work of artists like Terry Redlin and Bev Dolittle.
In 1999, Dennis designed and built the new facility for Creative Wood Products. This was a 25,000 sq. ft. facility on five acres. The main focus of this project was that of the 10,000 sq. ft. showroom. This showroom was created to feel like the outdoors, complete with bird aviary, pond with a waterfall, sky ceiling, and a two-story Victorian home built in the center. This project was featured in many periodicals, including August 2005’s “Replacement Contractor.”
