Today we’d like to introduce you to Teresa Sherman.
Hi Teresa, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
In March of 2020, Roger left his place of employment without another job lined up. At age 59 and in the middle of the nation’s covid lockdown, Roger began feeling that he had made a hasty decision in leaving his place of employment. He made the statement to a close family friend, “Now God has to get things ready for me to move forward.” Dino, a close family friend, reminded Roger, “God is never surprised by decisions we make; He doesn’t need to make up for lost ground because He sees the outcome from the start and will set things in motion ahead of time.”
Roger began looking for employment but there really was not a whole lot out there at the time when we were in the middle of the covid lockdown. I reminded him, “t is not like you don’t have any skills use the skills you have!” So, Roger began getting the word out to family and friends, that he was available for odd jobs.
Our daughter Gabrielle created a Facebook page BG&E Wood Workz and slowly the word started getting out. It is amazing what God can do! Over the next couple of months, Roger was not generating a huge amount of income, but he was beginning to exceed what he was previously making, money was tight, but we were managing.
I had been working in the banking industry since 2007. In 2018, though a series of events, I became the bank’s IT Officer. In April of 2020, the bank merged with a larger institution and on Friday, May 29th of 2020, my position at the bank was dissolved. When I went home that day, and told Roger of the day’s events, with excitement he said, “BG&E Wood Workz and Design is born!” I was not as excited about the prospect as Roger was.
Roger and I have worked together over the years; we pastored a local congregation from 1993 to 2007 that provided times of stress and growth. We had the discussion, is this even possible for us to work together day in and day out? We knew that we would have to make choice to give each other grace during times of stress, avoid conflict at all costs, and go home together at the end of each day.
On that following Monday, I entered the construction industry, with a bookkeeping, IT, and administrative background. You may have noticed the skills are not the same, but they translated pretty well. We hit the floor running!
In late June, our friend Dino, who owned and operated the “Smithton Diner” and the City of Smithton owned the building and was looking at joining the diner with another small building to expand the size of the diner. This was my first opportunity to put my eye on design to work. We met with Dino and the town council to hear their ideas for the expansion. I, however, had a different idea to present that brought the two buildings together to look as though it was the original design. Using colored pencils, I hand drew a picture of what the building could look like complete with a front porch dining area. We compiled a quote of the cost associated with the project and presented the idea to city council a couple of weeks later. To our amazement, we just landed our first Commercial job! Because Roger would not be able to complete the work by himself, we collaborated with Roger’s cousin Chris Mabry of “Mabry Maintenance” to complete the exterior construction phase of the project. During the construction, the Sedalia Democrat drove to Smithton and did a story on the renovation complete with pictures and shout out to BG&E Wood Workz and Design. It was quite a feather in our cap. God is faithful!
Our first year in business was off to a pretty great start, we completed a number of small projects for new customers, family and friends but by the end of the year, Roger began to declare, “By this time next year we will be flipping houses!” Which was always the desire of my heart. I appreciate the process of construction, but my favorite aspect of what we do is to give something old, new life” add form and function to a space and decorate it beautifully. A home is a special place. Yes, it shelters us physically, but it also helps to create the environment in which we raise our family, build memories, and grow old together. It cannot change the people who live there but it can support that family or that couple on their journey through life. I love designing, creating flow, and charm bringing form and functions to areas void of that luxury. I love the fact that God allows us to play a part like that in the lives of the families we serve.
• In the fall of 2021, my friend former business partner (Gay) contacted me and made an open-ended statement that went something like this, “I don’t know exactly how this would work or what it would look like, but I think we should buy and flip houses.” Wow! How God works is astounding! Our business was not even a year old yet and the lack of capital to purchase a property kept us from pursuing a “flip.” Gay had the capital and was willing to take a risk with us. BG&E Wood Workz and Design became the General Contractor. Roger with all his construction experience and knowhow, and Gay and I leading the way with vision and design.
We created “Prosper1022, LLC” June of 2021, taking inspiration from Proverbs 10:22. “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” We all wanted this new partnership to be successful but more importantly, to be a blessing to each of us. Having faith that this new adventure was of the Lord, (because Roger had been declaring it for a year) we began looking for property. The first property we found was a 106-year-old home directly across the street from our home. The home had taken down to the studs a couple of years earlier but then the work stopped. We contacted the owner, put in an offer, and purchased our first property.
We turned an 856-sf, 2-bedroom 1-bath bungalow into a two bed, two bath Craftsman inspired home. Upon completion, I staged the home and then it was time to enter the unknown territory of selling a home. I listed the “Home for sale by owner” on Zillow and on Facebook Marketplace. I held an open house and received multiple offers. We sold the home to Kady and her dad, who are members of our church. (In hindsight, purchasing, remodeling, and selling a home right across the street from you is not the best idea?) However, Kady and Kelly have been great neighbors and friends and are still enjoying their home.
Over the past 5 years, we have continued to build our customer base and have renovated and sold 3 lovely homes which increased the value of surrounding homes and elevated the overall look of the neighborhood. In 2024, we began looking at the prospects of doing a new construction build. At the beginning of this year Roger started declaring, “By the end of the year we are going to be building houses!” Last month we came across a great property, which Prosper1022 purchased for our first new construction home which will begin in 2026.
Job 22:28 “You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Shortly after Roger and I joined forces, our son Ehan, who serves in the US Navy, shared his concern, “Do you really think this is a good time to start something like this especially during covid?” We were thankful for his concern, and yes that exact thought crossed my mind, especially in those weeks we only had 1 or 2 days of work.
As a contractor, we go to homes and give a prospective customer a quote on the cost of us completing their project. You prepare a quote not knowing whether you will get the job. Roger confessed that it would be at those times that satan would put thoughts in his mind like, “What are you going to do when this job ends?” Roger learned to put satan in his place and responded right back, “Move onto the next one God is our supply!” Deuteronomy 8:18 “But remember the LORD your God, because he is the one who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” and He has been faithful to do so. He has blessed us with the best customers who have become our friends. We do love what we do!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Since Roger and I began working BG&E Wood Workz and Design together, we hear references to “Chip and Joanna” a lot. One of the first questions we get asked when we enter a potential customer’s home is, “How do you guys get along working with each other every day?” We jokingly respond, “Working together is easy, it is living with each other that is the problem!” It always received a laugh, but we honestly say that jokingly. Like any place of employment, differences of opinion will arise, and we must work together to come up with a compromise. We have decided to make our collaboration work first in marriage and in business secondly.
Roger feels his secret weapon for the success of our business is the design aspect of our collaboration. Most contractors do what the customers want, which is a must. The customer knows what they want but just don’t how to get it there. That is where we come in, we go a step further by offering solutions to problems that elevates the function of their home. Offering a design that creates an environment that they want to live in. That is what makes us different.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
When Roger was fifteen, he quit school and began working full-time for his brother, Larry was 10 years Roger’s senior and owned an established construction company. This work experience laid a great foundation in construction, plumbing and electrical. So much so that in 2016 we took on a full-blown remodel of our 100-year-old home. An undertaking that we knew would be tiring, dirty and stressful because we were both still working full-time jobs. We lived in a construction zone for a year because we typically worked on the renovation a couple of hours each evening and on weekends.
I read somewhere that statistics show that 12% of couples consider divorce during home renovation. Thank God that was not our experience. I am not saying it was always easy, but we were learning to communicate better and began to discover each other’s individual giftings and strengths.
Little did we know at the time, our home renovation would create a blueprint of how we would work together in our own company. I would develop a design, and we would develop a plan to bring the design to life. Roger managed all things construction, the materials list, and the “how to” if you will. I ordered the materials, picked the colors, and the finishes that worked and struggled to keep my vision in line with our finances.
During the construction phase, I was typically a “fetch it girl” or a “paper weight,” “stand here,” “hold this.” Watching him work was an education. We upgraded Roger’s old tools during the yearlong project when the purchase made sense, and made our home more cohesive in style, colors and finishes throughout. When the year was over, we touched every room on the entire main floor including a full kitchen and main bathroom gut. Our home looked fresh, it was more functional and a welcoming space to come home to. The transformation was really something!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bgewoodworkz.com
- Facebook: BG&E Wood Workz
