Homebuilder Neumann quietly launches basement renovation company
Milwaukee Business Journal – By Teddy Nykiel – February 16, 2022
Neumann Companies of Pewaukee has added another company to its family of home development and building firms in order to provide basement renovation services to its existing customer base of thousands of homeowners across southeast Wisconsin.
Neumann Companies of Pewaukee has added another company to its family of home development and building firms in order to provide basement renovation services to its existing customer base of thousands of homeowners across southeast Wisconsin.
The company launched Renova Services LLC in early 2021 but so far has done very little marketing of the new division.
Neumann, one of the Milwaukee area’s largest homebuilders, has been considering adding a basement remodeling division for years, Neumann Companies CEO Matt Neumann said. It took the plunge last year after finding the right person — Renova president Brad Blaney — to lead it.
Blaney, who has spent the last two decades in software product development and technology leadership, may seem like an unlikely choice to lead Renova. But he had an early-career background in construction and, more importantly, is a strong project manager, Neumann said.
“There are certain skill sets that go across multiple industries,”Neumann said. “He knows how to run a business. He knows how to take care of customers.”
Blaney originally was brought on as a consultant to help build an online home design and buying experience for Harbor Homes, one of the Neumann Companies’ builders. He’s still on that project but is now primarily focused on Renova. The company did around 10 basement remodel projects last year and plans to do around 35 this year, Blaney said.
“Since Covid, people have been inward-focused on their homes,”Blaney said. “I get a tremendous amount of people asking about home offices, a workout room, a movie room.”
Neumann owns land development firm Neumann Developments Inc., as well as three home building companies: Tim O’Brien Homes, Halen Homes and Harbor Homes. It plans to sell around 500 new-construction homes this year across those three builders, Neumann said. The company has built more than 5,000 homes insoutheast Wisconsin in the last 15 or 20 years, Neumann estimates.
