ESPIRE | NUPATH 262-746-2000 RENOVATIONS GROUP 262-821-1100
New Construction & Renovations Experts
MEET THE ESPIRE TEAM
Together, our team strives for excellence. Our goal, whether you’re working with our new construction or renovation team, is to provide your family with a wonderful space that you’re proud to call home. Over the years, the members of our team have gathered several awards in the home building and remodeling industries, which represents our true passion and dedication in what we do.
Erika Miller
POSITION:New Construction Professional
Realtor®
Categories: Home Selling Team, New Construction Team
Erika has been part of our Espire sales division since 2021. As a New Construction Professional and Realtor, she meets with homeowners to discuss everything from finding and purchasing land, to building a new dream home, to selling their current home. Before joining the Espire team, Erika worked in residential real estate and custom new home building for more than seven years. She loves that working for Espire doesn’t feel like a job–it’s being part of each client’s special process of creating a one-of-a-kind home and making a positive impact on homeowners and the community. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors and watching sports, especially her daughter’s soccer games.
Jen Anderson
POSITION:New Construction Professional
Realtor®
Categories: Home Selling Team, New Construction Team
Jen joined Espire in 2021 as a New Construction Professional, which involves guiding clients through the entire build process from picking out a customizable floor plan through moving day. Prior to joining Espire, she was a real estate agent, an entrepreneur, and a stay-at-home mom (so she really knows what families are looking for in a new home!). She especially enjoys getting to know the people who visit Espire and NuPath models and discovering what they want from a new build. She loves the supportive family environment at Espire that makes coming to work each day fun! Outside of work, she likes spending time with family, relaxing on her back porch with a good book, and taking care of her furry friends.
Linda Snyder
POSITION:New Construction Professional
Realtor®
Categories: Home Selling Team, New Construction Team
Based on their synergy working together in the past, Linda knew joining Jenny and Daryl’s Espire team was a great fit! As a new home construction and real estate expert at Espire, Linda loves working closely with clients, building relationships and their dream home. Her passion is providing the best service and experience based on detailed communication; a crucial piece of the home-building process. She values the teamwork and collaboration culture at Espire, where everyone works with the client as the top priority. With her family, she enjoys traveling, attending baseball games, and relaxing at home.
Tara Ruppelt
POSITION:Realtor®
Categories: New Construction Team
For Tara, her career in real estate isn’t just a job, it’s a passion! She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge, both in assisting clients who are looking to customize and build their dream home and in working with buyers and sellers in the existing market. As an expert in luxury listings, relocations, and new construction homes, Tara takes a relationship-first approach to all aspects of business, which often results in clients becoming dear friends. As a full-time Realtor and home-schooling mother of three, she understands the balancing act today’s families face. Her organizational skills, follow-through, and keen attention to detail will ensure a positive and enjoyable experience throughout your build and real estate transaction. When she’s not assisting in designing your Espire dream home, Tara is likely to be found at the baseball diamond and soccer field cheering for and supporting her kids!
Danielle Valderrama
POSITION:Director of Selections
New Construction Professional
Realtor®
Categories: Home Selling Team, Management Team, New Construction Team
Danielle is a local real estate agent and new construction professional, specializing in helping customers find the perfect piece of land to build their dream home. With her attention to detail and passion for building lasting relationships, she ensures each home is designed to fit the customer’s unique needs. With a little one of her own, she understands the importance of family and finding a home that suits her customers’ lifestyles. As a licensed Realtor, she facilitates the sale of existing properties to deliver a seamless new build and real estate experience from start to finish. Now, as Selections Manager, she brings her passion for process to ensure every customer’s selections are captured smoothly and their vision is brought to life. In her free time, she loves traveling with her family and spending time on the lake. Family values and Espire’s pride in their work are the reasons Danielle joined the team.
Julie Bain
POSITION:Selections Coordinator
Categories: New Construction Team
As a selection coordinator, Julie works with customers as they make design choices for their new home. Bringing over 25 years of dedicated customer service to the role including 5 years in commercial design, Julie gets to know our customers on a personal level to better assist them in bringing their ideas to life. In her free time, she enjoys baking sweet treats, traveling, game nights, and spending time with her family.
Lindsey Mack
POSITION:Selections Coordinator
Categories: New Construction Team
With a background in interior and architectural design and a degree from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Lindsey comes to Espire with a wealth of experience in the design industry. She has nurtured her passion for creating surroundings that influence individuals, built meaningful relationships, and worked collaboratively to bring ideas to life. As a Selections Coordinator with Espire, she will help customers gain confidence in their choices and share their excitement with building a new home. You can find Lindsey woodworking, restoring furniture, staying active, and spending time with her cat when she’s not in the office.
Joe Lazzaro
POSITION:Director of Construction
Categories: Management Team, New Construction Team
Joe joined the Espire team in December 2021. In his role as the Director of Construction, he helps ensure that each new construction project we undertake for clients stays on track and in line with the homeowner’s vision. Joe uses his prior experience in residential roofing and siding every day. After work, you can find him spending time with his family or playing a round of golf.
Abe Lang
POSITION:Project Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
With over 30 years of experience in construction, Abe Lang joins the new construction team as a Project Manager! Abe schedules subcontractors, manages project timeframes, and supervises the quality of each project to ensure everything is up to Espire’s standards. What he enjoys most about work is seeing a project come together and finding solutions to on-site challenges, and outside of work he likes to fish, golf, and spend time with his family and friends.
Chris Kamine
POSITION:Project Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
Chris Kamine brings 25 years of experience in construction and home improvements to the Espire team as a Project Manager for both new construction and renovations! He works on-site to ensure the project meets code requirements, safety regulations, and Espire’s own standards. In his free time, Chris enjoys golfing, boating, and watching his kids’ baseball teams.
Chris Sires
POSITION:Project Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
Chris has been part of the Espire team since October 2021. As Project Manager, he guides the process of new home construction for our Espire Homes and NuPath Homes divisions, ensuring that each new home exceeds the homeowners’ expectations. Chris uses his background as a construction supervisor to keep projects on track. He is excited to be part of the Espire family.
Jason Lessard
POSITION:Project Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
Jason has spent most of his professional life working on construction sites, bringing his hands-on expertise to the Espire/NuPath team as a Project Manager. In his role, he provides on-location direction in order to make sure each construction project runs smoothly. In his free time, Jason enjoys playing in his men’s league hockey team.
Matt Behrendt
POSITION:Project Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
Matt is a project manager for new construction. He joins us with 15 years of experience as an electrician, 1 year of experience as a remodeling project manager, and 2 years as a new construction project manager. In his role, he oversees the day-to-day production of a new construction home and ensures the quality of work meets Espire’s high expectations. Outside of work he spends time with his wife and son and enjoys going on walks, visiting parks, and sitting by the fire. His favorite part about working for Espire is the family-type atmosphere.
Shane Bernhardt
POSITION:Director of Production Operations
Categories: Management Team, New Construction Team
As the Director of Production Operations, Shane oversees the production and progress of all pre-construction projects and design coordination. With over five years of experience in new construction as a Project Manager and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Shane helps keep projects on track. His favorite part about working with Espire is his fantastic colleagues. Shane enjoys getting outside to fish, golf, kayak, and spending time with his family.
Kristin Carey
POSITION:Pre-Construction Coordinator
Categories: New Construction Team
Kristin has joined Espire as a pre-construction coordinator. She brings more than twenty years of experience to the team and loves this company because her responsibilities vary from day-to-day, which she really enjoys. When she’s not busy completing surveys, collecting information and attaining permits, she spends time with her family. Kristin enjoys the outdoors and tapping into her creative side with scrapbooking.
John Wachter
POSITION:Senior Plan Designer
Categories: New Construction Team
As the Senior Plan Designer for new construction, John thrives on helping make his clients’ dreams come true. With his 27 years in the design and construction field, including eleven years as the Architectural Design Manager for a large home builder in Southeastern Wisconsin, John is a valuable asset to the Espire Homes family. A man of many interests, John enjoys riding his Harley, playing sports and the drums, amusement parks, and spending time with his family.
Brenda Fritsch
POSITION:Plan Designer
Categories: New Construction Team
Brenda Fritsch joined the Espire team as a plan designer in 2021. She has an acute sense of great design, built through more than 25 years of experience in residential design and construction. Her expertise helps make sure Espire homeowners are delighted with their finished homes! Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and three wonderful children.
Justin Kagerbauer
POSITION:Plan Designer
Categories: New Construction Team
Justin joined the Espire New Construction Team in July 2021. After acquiring his architecture degree from UW-Milwaukee, he has spent more than 20 years in residential construction design. As a designer, he helps our clients turn their biggest and grandest dreams into reality by creating a home design that meets their every need, want, and expectation. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing volleyball and soccer and spending time at the lake with his family.
Mike Wolf
POSITION:Estimator
Categories: New Construction Team
Mike has been an Estimator for Espire since late 2021. In this role, he handles estimates and change order pricing for our New Construction team. He brings with him more than 36 years of construction experience. His favorite part of working for Espire is the atmosphere and the people that surround him. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities like camping, kayaking, hunting, and fishing, as well as spending time with family–including his first grandchild!
Jim Selas
POSITION:Production Assistant
Categories: New Construction Team
Jim has been in the home building business for over 15 years including remodeling, buying and selling, and new home construction; he is in a vocation that he truly loves. He considers his greatest reward in this business to be having the ability to work with multitudes of customers and make their dreams become a reality. He values his customers’ loyalty above and beyond just the home seller and buyer approach and takes pride in listening to and striving to fulfill all their lifestyle needs and wants within their budget. Outside of work he can be found with family and friends, particularly his son Mitchell, who is serving our country proudly in the Marines.
Ann Stapleton
POSITION:Warranty Coordinator
Categories: New Construction Team
Ann joined Espire in July 2021 as our Warranty Coordinator, which involves coordinating clients, subcontractors, and our Warranty Team to take care of any repair work that’s needed in our new homes. Her intensive customer service experience ranges from high-end salons to 40,000 feet in the air as a flight attendant, so she sure knows how to take great care of our clients! She loves being able to connect with clients to ensure that they’re happy homeowners. Her favorite part of working for Espire is truly feeling like a part of the family and the positive team dynamic that she experiences every day. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, kayaking, and checking out local restaurants.
Donnie Hegemann
POSITION:Service
Categories: New Construction Team
Donnie brings decades of experience with custom-built homes to the Espire team. As Warranty Manager, he is responsible for following up with Espire and NuPath homeowners about their warranty needs and ensuring that they’re satisfied with their new home. He loves that the Espire family is so welcoming and that he can contribute his plentiful knowledge and skills so that the team can build quality homes together. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, fishing, golf, and spending quality time with his wife, three children, and grandson.
Melissa Peters
POSITION:Finance Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
Mel currently supports Espire as the Finance Manager and originally joined the Espire team in 2021 as a Selections Coordinator. She has more than 24 years of experience in many facets within the new construction and real estate industries–which means she really knows how to make our homeowners happy! To Mel, the best part of being part of the Espire team is seeing everyone’s smiling faces at the office every day. When she’s not at work, she loves to garden and enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and three wonderful rescue dogs. She is also getting a double master’s degree in business management and project management.
Kristin Schwenker
POSITION:Administration Manager
Categories: New Construction Team
Kristin comes to Espire Homes with over 25 years of experience in the Education and Training Management field where she managed the training and development of new staff on a regional level while directing and running a school in the Lake County area. Her strong leadership, team-building, and organizational skills ensure that our customers receive VIP status in all aspects of the home building process. Kristin’s favorite pastime is going on adventures indoor and outdoors with her husband, Chad, and their three daughters. She received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
Amy Ginsch
POSITION:Office Assistant
Categories: New Construction Team
Amy’s role is crucial to the organization of team Espire! She especially loves meeting new people and learning about the various aspects of the home building industry. With a background in insurance, Amy understands the need for detail and efficiency to keep all projects moving forward. Amy enjoys the family atmosphere at Espire and, when not at work, Amy enjoys reading, trying new experiences, and spending time with her family.
Kris Bertling
POSITION:Photographer
Categories: New Construction Team
Kris joined the team as Selections Coordinator in 2021, but she has been doing photography work for Espire since the beginning! She loves the creative side of the building process and helping customers turn their ideas about interior and exterior finishes into a beautiful, functional family home. She supports Espire’s goal of making sure that each customer has a great experience throughout the entire building process and ends up with the home of their dreams. In her free time, she enjoys photography, art, live music, days on the lake, and spending time with family.
HERE FOR YOUR FAMILY
At Espire, we start with family. Bringing yours and ours together, we can perfect the building process. We’ll help you hone your approach, customize your package, and build a home that will be a gathering place for years to come. Let us share our story and process with you.