ASHLEY PLOOY | 28

Owner

Brick And Birch Homes

Hometown/Current City: Anchorage

Education: Graduated, in 2013, from Dimond High School. After high school, I got my insurance licenses in property, casualty, life and health, and managed a State Farm office while I worked to get Brick & Birch up and running. In 2018, I pursued getting my residential endorsement and contractors licensing. Since starting my business I've built over 25 ranging from 400,000 - 2,200,000.

Community Work: I am involved with a scholarship program at Dordt College, a Christian college in Iowa. The rooster booster scholarship program has helped provide thousands of students opportunities to attend Dordt and receive a Christian-based education.

I am involved with two organizations that I hold very close to my heart: Proyecto Fe and the Sandra Lee Center. Proyecto Fe is an organization based in Guatemala that provides education, local job opportunities, medical needs and basic services to the children and families of the community We have built a school and many other buildings in the community to help the children gain a better education. My favorite way to contribute to Proyecto Fe is through sponsorships. You can sponsor a child that attends the school, this provides them with books, clothes, lunches, etc. You're able to write, send photos back and forth, and visit on mission trips creating special relationships with these kids.

The Sandra Lee Center is an orphanage in Swaziland, Africa, that was built by my grandparents and named after my grandma. The purpose of building the orphanage was to give abandoned, neglected and abused children a safe home, family and education. They are raised at the orphanage until they graduate high school, and from there we work hard to help them with further education or trade schooling. Being able to visit and serve in Swaziland, seeing what a difference the orphanage is making in so many kids' lives, is the best thing I've experienced yet. I sponsor children through this organization as well, and I can’t explain how it feels to be able to make these children feel they are important to someone, even if the beginning of their lives made them doubt that. To see these kids grow up, graduate high school and pursue goals that wouldn't be imaginable without the orphanage - it's a special thing.

I am also on the board and very involved with Anchorage Home Builders Association, where we strive to make Anchorage a better community. We have an endowment program that we use for many things, such as providing smoke/CO detectors to low income families, providing hundreds of under privileged kids with Christmas backpacks filled with gifts they probably wouldn’t be able to receive at home and providing funds to community members in need.

Family: I was raised by my grandma and grandpa. My grandpa owned a State Farm branch for 48 years, where I was able to learn business and management skills at a young age. My husband is my biggest supporter in life; I couldn't do what I've done without his encouragement and support. Our kids have four legs: Remi, a Corgi, and Brew, a Husky/Aussie mix.

What is your favorite place in Alaska and why?: Kincaid Park: I spend my free time mountain biking, trail running, cross-country skiing or walking my dogs. All, of course, at Kincaid park. I would call this my peaceful place.

Name the person you respect and why: My grandpa, Tom Plooy. I have looked up to him my entire life. He chose to raise someone who wasn't his and made it a goal to teach me everything he knows. Not only is he a selfless person who would give you the shirt off his back, he is the smartest business owner I know. He was able to come from absolutely nothing and create multiple successful businesses and investment ventures. Our normal dinner table conversations were more of business meetings than family dinners, and I'll forever be grateful he instilled all the knowledge in me. But, I'm even more thankful he could see me for who I am, and encouraged me to follow the trades when I was so determined the only way I could be successful was if I went to college. He's always pushed me to reach my full potential when I can't see it.

What is your favorite pastime or hobby away from work?: Mountain biking, snowboarding and cooking.

What was your first job?: At 16, I worked from cleaner to manager of a tanning salon in 6 months. At 17, I began working the front desk at my family's State Farm branch. At 18, I got my insurance license, and the day after high school graduation I began full-time at State Farm. At that point, my parents began to snowbird and I took over running the State Farm office and doing remodel projects until I had the opportunity to get into new construction. I worked full-time managing the State Farm office until Jan. 1, 2022; Brick & Birch had grown to a point that I was able to run just one business, so we closed our State Farm branch.

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