Phil Boonstra
Owner of PR Builders and Ace Septic & Excavation
Age: 26
Location: Loveland
Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
I grew up in northwest Iowa on our family farm, and my family moved to Colorado when I was in high school. I just celebrated my two-year anniversary with my beautiful wife, Ruth. Currently, I spend most of my time working on making PR Builders the best builder in Northern Colorado.
Explain your career, achievements and professional highlights.
After high school, I attended CSU for four semesters doing a double major in history and education. When COVID-19 hit and school went online, I decided to go into construction. Since then, I started PR Builders and Ace Septic & Excavation. Together, the companies employ over 20 people locally, along with dozens of subcontractors and vendors. We recently completed an $8 million home in Boulder.
In what ways do you give back to the community?
For two years, I taught high school students in the Colorado Heritage Education School System computer programming, economics, U.S. government, physics and algebra. I stepped back from that role, but I hired another teacher to take my spot. He teaches two days a week and spends the rest of the week as our marketing director. I have a heart for Christian education, so I donate to local Christian schools.
What do you consider your biggest accomplishment or challenge you’ve overcome, either professionally or personally?
Recently we built a semi-custom home in Weld County in four months for a lovely couple. It was an enjoyable process for them as well as a high-quality build. My biggest achievements have always been identifying, recruiting and placing great people in positions where they can be successful in their careers. This continues to bring me the most enjoyment in my career.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
I want to continue to be a part of the local business and contracting community, building custom and semi-custom homes for clients while bringing together great superintendents, project managers, subcontractors and vendors.
What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell myself to take a longer view on people, both personally and professionally. Life is long, and you want to keep your friends and family alongside you for the journey. If you can figure out a way to bring people together and work as a team in the long term, the compounding effort will be incredibly successful.
Tell us something unique about you.
I have seven siblings: three brothers and four sisters. I led our high school robotics team to the FIRST Tech Challenge Super-Regionals tournament in my freshman year. I also had the opportunity to meet with the leadership team at Echelon Front, including Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, while attending their leadership training at the Council.
What helps you organize and complete such large, custom jobs?
We use great construction management systems, such as Buildertrend, CompanyCam and others. However, systems only get you so far. At the core, it’s working with talented, hardworking and trustworthy people who can handle complex and challenging projects.
What is your secret to successfully employing so many people?
Finding people who I enjoy working with. I take extreme ownership of everything I do and everything my company does. If an employee works hard, takes responsibility and has a high level of agency, they can be extremely useful in any role. They naturally look to solve problems, remove hurdles and generally are self-managing. It’s easy to work with people like that. As the business owner and leader, it is my responsibility to see the vision and equip great employees with everything they need to be successful.
