Owner/ Founder

Zeke grew up on the job site with his father who was a builder as well as his lifetime mentor.

In a quest to master all aspects of hands-on creation, he attended The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding in 1993, ultimately building his own sailboat and spending 2 years cruising the West coast and Pacific. After decades of immersion in residential design, homebuilding, boatbuilding, and ship repair, he founded McFadin Design/Build in 2018.

Zeke believes that capitalism has a responsibility to elevate the interpersonal richness of our lives as well as raising our collective standard of living.

Outside of work, you’ll find him spending time with his family or chasing down new snowboarding terrain.

Lead Designer
With McFadin Design Build since 2021

Matt has been interested in architecture and building since early in childhood. Ever since, he has been balancing a set of strong technical problem solving skills with deep artistic interests. Previous jobs walked the line between these interests, most recently at a custom casework shop & design studio.

Interested in hands-on, bags-on, trial by fire experience in a larger scale construction environment, Matt met Zeke and hit the ground running. McFadin enabled him to learn on the job and meld his creative design with real construction knowledge.

When not in the studio Matt enjoys balancing time spent between urban environs and rural settings - daily life involves socializing with family and friends, farming, raising animals, biking or cross country skiing, painting, and creating art in many mediums.

Project Manager/Lead Carpenter
With McFadin Design Build since 2018

Born in Switzerland and raised in the UK, Sam moved to the U.S. in the early 2000s—that’s where his journey in construction began. Over 20 years later, he's still passionate about what he does. He likes to think he brings his Swiss precision to every job.

​Sam has worked across all aspects of the building trades, from new construction to tiny homes, and now custom design-build projects. What he enjoys most is building strong relationships—with homeowners and with the amazing team at McFadin.  

Outside of work he loves spending time with his family, snowboarding and watching a good show with his wife Beth.

Office Manager
With McFadin Design Build since 2024

Holly grew up with a father working in construction and previously worked at a non-profit, protecting public lands. Family ties brought her to McFadin. Her background includes a BS in Biology and being a plant nerd and avid cyclist. Skill in organizing information and enthusiasm for learning suits her role tackling McFadin's social media, hazard testing, drone piloting, and admin tasks.

When not performing arial acrobatics with the drone, Holly spends time in nature - hiking and enjoying the abundant flowing water in the region, or exploring all of Portland’s big city quirks and perks. She also attends Burning Man every year, since 2006!

Interior Design/Procurement
With McFadin Design Build since 2020

Caroline grew up immersed in her dad’s work—on job sites and in the blueprints of the homes and neighborhoods he built. She was Zeke’s first client in Portland when he began McFadin Design Build. The two became friends during her own house remodel, realizing they aligned on many fronts and worked really well together. A year later Zeke jumped on the opportunity to hire her for help with his growing business.

When not on the jobsite or tracking down a client’s dream tile, Caroline is fantasizing about her next global trip, spending time gardening, and hanging out with her family.

Project Manager/Lead Carpenter
With McFadin Design Build since 2020

Originally from Wisconsin, Kellen has lived in Portland since 2011. Dabbling in some woodworking in his 20s, he was introduced to the tools of the trade and developed a creative outlook for his skills. After starting in construction work in 2016, he met Sam through a mutual friend and ultimately landed as a Lead Carpenter at McFadin.

Kellen enjoys making meaningful connections with our clients - who absolutely adore him. He loves working alongside his coworkers, juggling multiple projects, and the flexibility of the job.

Off the jobsite, Kellen is keeping up with his 3 kids, dreams about a future cabin build in the high desert, shreds on a snowboard, and is likely visualizing his next tattoo.

Specialist
With McFadin Design Build since 2021

Most of Kris’s training in construction, plumbing, electrical work, and even people management, was learned on the job running a backpacker’s hotel high in the Tibetan plateau of China. ​  

At work he's called the Honey Badger because he likes to get his hands in everything, get dirty, and get the job done! He enjoys working for McFadin because the projects are not just run of the mill, but challenging. He is appreciative that the crew is always available to help each other out, and continuously improves from every job. Kris considers his coworkers as friends and sees the job site as an honest and fair work environment.

Designer
With McFadin Design Build since 2025

Jon made a career shift in 2018, starting as a structural draftsperson at a local engineering firm, and enrolling in architectural design courses at PCC.

After learning the ins and outs of the Portland residential building industry via structural design work, passive house builder certification, and starting a residential design business with his partner - Jon is now happy to be at McFadin putting all that experience to work.

Outside the studio, Jon is chasing around his 4 year old daughter & three dogs - often in the woods and on a bike or snowboard.