Twenty-three years ago, Chad Kundert started building his dream. That dream was to own his own construction business: Kundert Construction. Kundert Construction specializes in residential construction: new homes, additions, remodeling, etc. Long before he started his company, Chad knew what he wanted to do with his life. Growing up, our father (yes, Chad is my older brother) was a carpenter. He was a great carpenter, but had to quit the trade, as he had back issues. Chad always enjoyed working around the house with dad growing up. Doing this helped Chad
start to figure out what he wanted to do with this life. Chad's passion for construction was solidified in high school. Monroe High School used to offer a class called Capstone. Each year, high school seniors from Monroe would build a house! Talk about an incredible experience! For a variety of reasons, that class is no longer offered, but it was certainly impactful to many students, including Chad. Going through the building process at that age made him commit to pursuing a career in construction.
Growing up, Chad was part of the Monroe football dynasty. When he was in high school, his teams won three state titles in a row. He never lost a high school football game, although they did have two ties his freshman year. He was also a varsity wrestler for the Cheesemakers and coached for a bit after high school. Chad talks about his experience and the lessons he learned through sports on episode 7 of Wisco Legacy:
Chad has had a number of people impact his life. All of his football coaches, wrestling coaches, and teachers made an impact in his life. However, no one has made more of an impact on his life than our parents: Gene and Holly. Mom and dad have always been incredibly supportive of everything that both Chad and I have done over the years. When Chad wanted to pursue his dream of starting a construction business, they didn't blink an eye. They were encouraging and as helpful as any parent could be. Some parents might try and sway their children to do something more stable, but not our parents. They want the best for both of us and they knew that starting Kundert Construction would be the best thing for Chad. They knew that Chad was passionate about construction and knew his work ethic would take him places. That encouragement certainly helped Chad in the early years.
Chad has slowly grown his business. For the first decade and more, Chad would be in the field working, have 1-3 other employees working with him, and do the business side of Kundert Construction early in the morning or at night. Over the last few years, Chad has slowly grown his business. He purchased the former Green County Humane Society building in Monroe and converted it into his shop/office. He completely remodeled it and turned a former eye-sore in town into a beautiful building. He's also expanded his field crew and office staff. For years, Chad had been balancing the field and office side of the business. He was throwing the tool belt on, meeting clients, estimating projects, and doing all of the backend work necessary to run a construction business. Now, he has 12 field staff and an Office Manager, Dani Hartley. The office manager has been extremely helpful. The field staff does incredible work too. Without them, the business wouldn't be growing like it is.
Family has always been an important part of Chad's life. Everyone in our immediate family has helped Kundert Construction in some way. In high school and for a few years in college, I would help Chad in the summer. That helped instill a strong work ethic in me that I still use to this day. I've also helped him on the office side with technology, recruitment, and marketing efforts too. In the early years, dad would occasionally help on site too. Mom had helped in the office and his wife, Gen, has helped in the office too. Chad's two children, Paizley and Camo, understand and appreciate all of the time and effort that he has to put into his business. I have a feeling Camo will be great future summer help too!
Monroe and Green County helped shape Chad into who he is today. Growing up here, winning state titles, moving back, starting a business, and growing his business in Monroe was his dream and he's living it! I'm so proud of everything Chad's accomplished in his life. Seeing his business grow over the years has been great and I'm thankful that he's let me be part of it. He's been one of the biggest supporters in my life, so I was honored to have him on my podcast to talk about growing up in Monroe and living his dream.
To see more information about Kundert Construction go to the website, listed below. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Tune in to Episode 7 of Wisco Legacy with Chad on Tuesday, November 2nd. The video version is on YouTube and the audio version can be found on all of the podcast platforms. Link to all is below!
I just read it and it was really great and inspiring! I'm looking forward to seeing my two boys on the WISCO LEGACY podcast tomorrow!