Building Homes That Rise Above

In 2012, Justin founded Ascent Contracting Inc. with a razor-sharp vision: His firm would transform the typical home-building or renovating experience from a process that clients simply endure to one in which Ascent’s team would guide clients, to create not only beautiful spaces but also great partnerships. 

Originally from the suburbs of Detroit, Justin spent his formative years as an expat living in Zaragoza, Spain; Rome, Italy; and Sao Paulo, Brazil (where, coincidentally, he met his future wife, Whitney, who is Ascent’s COO). Upon his return to the States for college, he spent two frustrating years pursuing a physics degree at the University of Michigan before taking a summer job in residential construction and falling in love with it. Inspired, he switched gears and earned a B.S. in construction management from Eastern Michigan University.

Justin promptly moved to Colorado, where he worked in project management for Calcon Constructors and LONG Building Technologies for seven years before launching Ascent. He’s built the company slowly, carefully hiring people who uphold Ascent’s values and can deliver on its mission.

A natural problem-solver and a passionate communicator, Justin values the opportunity to help transform the construction industry. He places a high value on the men and women who work with their hands to take the design that begins in two-dimensional blueprints and make it a reality.

When he’s not at work, Justin enjoys his time with his wife, Whitney, and their three children. Chances are, you’ll find them outdoors: rock-climbing, snowboarding, and mountain biking. Most of his other free moments are spent practicing his guitars in an effort to one day play Carnegie Hall. After 30 years, he’s sure he’s getting closer.

‍Playing on Spotify: Anything guitar-based and complicated. It’s a very long list but favorites include Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, Joe Satriani, and Death Cab for Cutie.

As Ascent’s COO, Whitney Bride applies her experience in developing organizational infrastructure for vision-driven organizations. “I have always been at my best contributing to or orchestrating projects behind the scenes; smoothing out the administrative path for technical experts to execute on their work,” she says. At Ascent, she enjoys thinking strategically about how to improve systems and coordinate people as the company grows.

Whitney’s extended family roots are in Houston, though she moved often and spent most of her formative years (ages 10-18) in Westport, Connecticut and Sao Paulo, Brazil (where she went to high school and met her now-husband, Ascent founder Justin Bride). Whitney has a degree in Human & Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University and started her career as an elementary school teacher through Teach for America, a nonprofit committed to providing equitable public education to underserved students. She then built and managed the business operations at a charter school in Denver that quickly replicated in just over ten years from one school to 11 schools serving more than 4,000 students. There, Whitney spent many years as COO, developing the organizational infrastructure needed to exponentially scale the successes of a very small team–experience that applies directly to Ascent’s vision and growth.

Outside the office, Whitney enjoys going on neighborhood bike rides with her family and taking in Front Range views on longer bike rides with friends. She also loves trying out new recipes and gathering friends and family around her table.

‍Playing on Spotify: A little bit of everything! Ben Harper, Cat Stevens, All Sons & Daughters, and Chris Stapleton.

A Colorado native, Justin Riley has made a career of bringing organization and structure to businesses and nonprofits. At Ascent, his experience in real estate and property renovation meets his skills in organizational development as he oversees projects with detailed precision.

When asked about his favorite aspects of the role, Justin says, “I love exploring, creating, and restoring, so the work of taking an old thing and making it new, and providing a family with a beautiful place to call home is incredibly rewarding to me.”

Justin holds an A.A. in biblical studies and a B.S. in organizational management. He’s practitioner-certified in ADKAR Change Management from Psoci and trained in Lean/Six Sigma process improvement methodologies. When he’s not scouring schedules for ways to reduce a project’s timeline, he’s spending time with his family, tackling side projects, camping, biking, climbing, hiking, shooting, or hunting. 

‍Playing on Spotify: 2000s alternative mix (an admittedly guilty pleasure).

Originally from New Hampshire, Lou Henriques came to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado—Boulder, from which graduated in 2018 with a B.A. in history. All that analytical thinking—plus summer job experience in construction—landed him a job at Ascent as a framer in the fall of 2018. Today, he serves the company as a project manager. In his role, Lou delves into the details of every component on each project, from ordering and tracking materials to anticipating challenges and identifying solutions ahead of time. Whether he’s working with clients, subcontractors, or his own colleagues, Lou participates in almost every aspect of construction, guiding a project from start to finish.

“Whether in my personal or professional life, my priority is the people around me. Ascent’s mission parallels this priority,” he says. “While we may be building or renovating unique and badass houses, we are also (and arguably more importantly) building people’s dreams.”

Outside of work, Lou spends a lot of time in the mountains, skiing and camping. He’s also a frequent participant in “Western Wednesdays,” in which his friends get together and watch and rate classical western films. “Who doesn’t love a good shoot ‘em up, bang ‘em up?”

‍Playing on Spotify: Flogging Molly, Sabaton, and Dropkick Murphys.

Originally from New York, Melanie moved to Colorado in 2021 with a background in psychology, personal training, and interior design, as well as an entrepreneurial spirit (she’s owned and operated two small businesses)! Melanie brings to Ascent a meticulous attention to detail and passion for connecting with people, both of which serve her well in her role as Sales + Design Associate, guiding new clients through the preconstruction process with care. By working to understand clients’ unique visions and dreams for their new homes, Melanie seamlessly connects homeowners with their construction team and assists in the interior design process, providing a truly personalized experience from initial conversation to final product.

What she loves most about her job: “First, I’m incredibly passionate about interior design, so getting to be a part of the entire design-build process—from initial concept to final construction—is a dream come true. It’s exciting to see our clients’ visions come to life and to be a part of that journey! Second, I genuinely enjoy working with my team at Ascent. Although we’re a small group, we’re dedicated to providing a top-notch, white-glove experience throughout every phase of the project, and we have a lot of fun along the way. The blend of working on something I love and being surrounded by a great team makes my job truly special.”

Outside of work, you can find Melanie enjoying coffee walks with her dog Truman, playing tennis, watching a good scary movie, enjoying an old fashioned with good company, or embarking on her next interior design passion project.

‍Playing on Spotify: Dermot Kennedy, any of her dad’s oldies like Joe Bonamassa, or some R&B.

Originally from New York, Ben Unger came to Colorado to pursue an active outdoor lifestyle.  As Project Manager, Ben brings to Ascent Contracting an master-level knowledge of construction software and technology which provides a more interactive, creative and streamlined approach to project management.  His favorite part of his role?  Producing 3D models to facilitate value engineering and problem solving among the team and hand-off to interior design.

Having earned his B.S. in Engineering from Penn State University, Ben has worked in the construction world since 2008, serving in a myriad of positions such as project engineer, site supervisor, logistics coordinator, estimator, and project manager.

When off the job, Ben enjoys Muay Thai, hiking, yoga, playing sports (basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf and tennis), weight-lifting, and listening to live music.

Playing on Spotify: mostly classic rock and synthwave

From the first moment you meet Steve, it’s clear that he’s a people person.  People are Steve’s favorite aspect of his role as Superintendent, although he also really loves the creativity and challenge of custom designs.  

Having earned a Bachelors in Business Administration, a GC license and operated his own remodeling company, Steve brings to Ascent a wealth of knowledge and expertise.  He has built custom homes, track homes, multi family projects, and performed sone tenant finish work.  His involvement in residential and commercial projects has spanned all phases including sales; recruiting, training, managing and evaluating employees; estimating; scheduling, negotiating with, supervising, and inspecting the work of tradespeople; building his own successful remodeling company, and of course, developing and maintaining collaborative relationships with clients, architects, designers and colleagues.      

In the 38 years Steve has spent in Colorado, he’s found joy in camping, shooting, jeeping, and his family.  Pink Floyd or Kenny Chesney are usually playing on his radio, and if you’re lucky, his 2 dogs will be in tow.

Allison is one of Ascent’s secret weapons: As an Interior Designer, she provides in-house design services and works closely with our clients to tailor their spaces to their specific tastes. “I love working to understand homeowners’ dreams and goals for their new spaces and collaborating with our very talented team as well as our clients to ensure every detail is well-planned and executed,” she says. In addition to providing interior design services, Allison works with Ascent’s clients to identify and track their specific finish selections including tile, cabinets, trim accents, appliances, paint colors, etc. She collaborates with Ascent’s Project Managers to coordinate procurement and installation of all of these aesthetic details. 

A Texas native, Allison has a B.A. in marketing from Texas A&M (but she got to Colorado as soon as she could!) and an interior design certification. 

“Integrity is my number-one value,” she says. “I love transparent communication, creativity, and honoring the historical integrity of older homes. And I really love people.”

When she’s not weighing the merits of subway tile versus penny tile, Allison is likely hiking, cross-country skiing, or running–and she’s definitely spending time with her two young daughters. The three of them can often be found having dance parties, making jewelry or painting–or taking on another creative endeavor.

‍Playing on Spotify: anything from instrumental to 80s pop.

A Colorado native, dog lover and triathlete, Tanner Browning serves as a project superintendent. Tanner’s excellent communication skills, self-motivated work ethic and team-first attitude help him effectively manage subcontractors and collaborate with homeowners to ensure every last detail is properly executed. His favorite part of the superintendent role? “I love that I get to be part of such a life-changing phase in a homeowner's lives. I treat every family’s home as if it were my own.”

Tanner has a business degree and experience in customer service, electrical work and framing.  He brings fresh ideas, a professional demeanor and a smile to every interaction.

Off the job, Tanner can be found spending time with his wife and their dog, Rosie. He enjoys camping, boating, fishing, snowboarding, competing in triathlons and duathlons… and tackling his next outdoor adventure goal: mountain biking.

‍Playing on Spotify: Feel-good music—everything from alternative to indie rock to country!