Teammates Matter: Jason Cole

RIC has been in business for over a decade, and every year we’ve grown and evolved, especially within our own team.

We’re thrilled to now have 11 super talented designers, carpenters and project managers representing us. As we expand our team, we do so not just with the intention of taking on more and more projects, but on bringing the most talent we can to every job. So when we were looking to add a new Lead Carpenter at the start of the year, we found a wellspring of talent in Jason Cole.

In early 2022, Jason had just moved to Richmond from Sonoma County, California. He grew up in San Francisco where he spent his formative years playing in bands, working on classic cars in his hot rod shop and even bartending and owning a few bars of his own. But when a friend who was a General Contractor suggested to him that he’d make a great carpenter, it changed his professional trajectory. 

He started working with high end custom home construction companies in San Francisco, renovating old Victorian homes, and eventually made his way north to a company based out of Sonoma. There he worked on luxury modern homes for celebrities and the wine country elite. This period of time gave Jason excellent experience, not just in carpentry, but also in the people skills required to interface with often demanding clients. 

Eventually, however, the wildfires and cost of living in California pushed him to start looking for a new place to explore and grow. He knew that Richmond had a great music scene and plenty of cultural opportunities, as well as an architectural history that interested him, so he packed up his car and headed east. After about a week of settling into the city, he started to look for work. Fortunately for him, his skills and experience made him in-demand, and he took interviews with literally dozens of construction companies, including RIC.

“When I met with Matt, it was like my heart was telling me this was the right place to be,” Jason says. Likewise, RIC owner, Matt Warner, says “Jason seemed like a good fit from every step of the interview process. His portfolio was impressive and has lived up to the expectations!” Jason said RIC’s in-house design process as well as the team’s honest and hardworking approach really appealed to him. 

Jason hit the ground running and in the seven months he’s been here, he’s already been able to see three projects from beginning to end. His goal, he says, is to make each job work like a well oiled machine - to be out of the client’s space as quickly as possible but without cutting any corners along the way. He considers himself an especially skilled finish carpenter, and aims to have a tiny to nonexistent punch list at the end of a project. An eye for details and a bit of self-professed OCD make him the perfect person to put a bow on projects. 

As a lead carpenter, he’s not afraid to assert his opinion and lead his team, but always with an explanation of the “why” behind his expectations. His ability to communicate well extends from the team to our clients, several of whom he has already become friends with. He’s even taken on the role of virtual tour guide for one of our clients visiting Northern California.

While he has a passion for his hometown and region, he’s getting more and more comfortable with his new east coast lifestyle. “It just feels more ‘real’ here” he says. We’re grateful that Richmond is where this skilled craftsman landed, and incredibly grateful that his journey and trajectory has intersected our own.