Christians in Business: Baumann Building
Back row from left to right Jordan Venard, Chelsea Schipper, Nick Wesseldyke, Chris Barense, Mary Wilson, Ammie Bouwman Front row from left to right Brad VanderZwaag, Marci Baumann, Mike Baumann, Eric NykampMike Baumann, of Baumann Building, started out as a farmer. He had a love for being outside, but didn’t want to farm the rest of his life, so Baumann attended a tech center to learn the trade of framing and building. He began his building career working for another builder and ended up running a crew. Soon after marrying his wife, Marci, in 1997, Baumann told his boss that in a few years he’d like to go on his own and start an excavating or building company. The next day, Baumann showed up for work and was informed this would be his last week on the job. After just two weeks of marriage, Baumann found himself unemployed. “God was good, and the next day I went to work. I’ve worked every day since then that I wanted to work,” Baumann recalled. The day he lost his job, Baumann started making phone calls to friends in the industry. A man he knew had work for him, and Baumann started framing the very next day.
Baumann worked a number of side jobs framing houses for larger builders in the area. After a number of years, he started building spec houses from start to finish.
Now, seventeen years later, Baumann Building, Inc. handles every aspect of a home building process – from design and quote, to selection of products, contracts, and complete build. Baumann Building employs a home designer, interior designers, framers, woodworkers, supervisors, and a real estate agent. Their current location in Holland includes a design center where clients can make all the selections for their home in just one stop.
Baumann’s priority is to build relationships – with his employees and contractors and clients. He meets personally with every client, and hopes to build relationships that go beyond building their house. “I’m not just a builder,” Baumann said. He often finds himself in the role of a counselor as husband and wives discuss, and sometimes disagree, over details of their build. He also offers encouragement and support to subcontractors who might be dealing with losses in their families or divorce. Over the years he has met with people who’ve lost their homes to fire and assisted them with rebuilding. “We want to build a great house and make money and a living, but if I’ve done all that and we don’t have relationships with people then we haven’t done what we’re called to do,” Baumann explained.
Each year, Baumann Building builds around seventy houses. Not only do these jobs employ the company’s sixteen part-time and full-time employees, but also each job supports a total of sixty-eight companies and three hundred and seventy people who work on a home from start to finish.
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About seven years ago, Baumann felt called into ministry. He was in a leadership class at the time and spent much time in prayer to discern God’s will for him, his family, and business. “Business was tough at the time. We were doing fine, but I wasn’t sure this was where I should be. Through that time God made it clear this was my mission and this was where I belong. When you know this is God’s plan for you, it’s freeing,” Baumann said. Even when challenging times have come, Baumann said he was not shaken, because he knew the company belonged to God. “It’s easier to go through tough times, knowing that He has given this to us and it’s where we belong,” Baumann said.
As Baumann looks to the future, he will continue to focus on building relationships. He and Marci Baumann will continue to listen to God and follow Him no matter where that is, turning each opportunity over to God. “I want people to see my faith through my actions in slowing down and seeing people and taking time with them,” Baumann said.
At a Glance:
Name: Mike Baumann
Company: Baumann Building, Inc.
Title: Owner
Family: Wife, Marci, married 17 years; 4 kids, ages 9-15.
Address: 2763 120th Ave, Holland, MI 49424
Phone: 616-796-6623
Website: www.baumannbuilding.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
