(Javier catching the builder's bug at a young age)
Meet the Founder and CEO of Build Forward, Javier Montalvo. Javier is a father of 2 (4 if you count puppies), and has been in the remodeling industry for 25 years. He got his start at the age of 18, when he set out to self-design and remodel his own restaurant in Ecuador. With little knowledge besides the fact that he knew he wanted to build things, the restaurant was completed successfully, and the project proved a belief and passion that grew into a fruitful learning stage in the coming years.
Throughout his 20’s, Javier learned almost every single trade he could get his hands on. While working under various contractors, he worked his way from learning painting, drywall, carpentry, to more advanced trades such as basic plumbing, basic electrical, and roofing. By his late 20’s, and by this point living in Florida where he got his training, he started doing smaller remodels independently. These remodels ranged from small remodels such as bathrooms, to whole house remodels that involved designers, architects and the like. Later on, Javier started working with a home inspection company and mainly did home inspections for 7 years. Throughout the years, while performing thousands of home inspections, Javier began seeing how contractors would skip steps, add extra steps, etc., and began to see how paying attention to details and hitting all the crucial steps in a remodel are key to getting the job done right. Having developed a hawk-eyed sense of detail, Javier began doing home inspections independently as a licensed home inspector.
In 2015, life brought Javier and his expertise to Boston, MA. While working in Boston as the General Manager of a Design Build firm, he grew to see the value in having projects designed in-house and built by the same company, by seeing how each project was much more streamlined and well-designed that way. And while working with larger remodels under more difficult circumstances such as homes built in the 17-1800’s that were built in the middle of smaller downtown areas with very little space for cranes, parking, materials, etc., it became clear to him that logistics had to be well thought out and detailed plans had to be made in order to get things right.
Having previously fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest, Javier made the final move to our beautiful state of Oregon, bringing all his experience and observations with him. He started Build Forward, quite literally, from scratch, doing small remodels again and structural repairs in McMinnville, and once word of mouth started taking off, he began quickly and steadily building a crew and reputation, and associating with like minded people with the same intentions. As things progressed, it seemed that most of the projects in demand were located in Portland, so operations moved and became based here in Portland. After being able to collaborate with excellent designers and architects on projects that were exactly what the team had always wanted to work on, they found that people loved the results. They have since been featured in Oregon Home Magazine twice (once on the cover!) and have had their projects featured in houzz, in addition to rave reviews by their clients.
Over the years, Javier has found key players to fulfill his dream team, and our carpenters, project managers, and office staff have only gotten more excited and passionate as a group; connecting over a shared purpose and inspiration. What inspires us you ask? The thought of bringing people together in a space they love, the accountability and innovation that the design build system allows, and challenges; challenging design and challenging techniques. Oh! And of course, the Pacific Northwest. From all the beautiful landscapes Oregon has to offer, to just the laid back way of life and functional approach to blending a love of nature and the home, we’re committed to helping Portland homeowners find even more reasons to love and embrace the place they call home.