Stunning!

As the summer between his junior and senior year approached, his father wisely advised him to take a summer off before heading into working the rest of his life. Anderson agreed and enjoyed an unforgettable summer. “I just had the best summer ever and I met my wife (Melanie) that summer,” says Anderson. “When we graduated high school we walked down the aisle together.”

In March the following year he received a call to build a lake home on Silver Lake, near Battle Lake, Minnesota. Word of his quality and conviction spread and began a chain of custom homes and construction.

Over the years Anderson acquired a degree in business management as well as a background in law. He explains, “I graduated NDSU with a degree in business. I was not in construction management. I did business and I did law.

When you think about what a contractor is, a contract is business and it’s law.” He credits amazing instructors for giving him a foundation he leans back on in the business today.

Anderson admits the early years were sometimes tough. Now married and having their first child, Ben and Melanie dug in and worked hard.

Today Ben and Melanie continue working together in the family business. Melanie is the company’s interior designer working with clients on all the details of the home. Anderson smiles and proclaims, “She is the superwoman of my life and definitely my soul mate. Melanie and I have three boys: Jakobi, 7; Maks, 4; and Henrik, 2 — my three-man crew. I’m looking forward to the days of teaching them. My oldest is a heck of a nail pounder already!”

Also in the family business is Adam LaPlante, Melanie’s brother, designer and Anderson’s right hand man. Benjamin Custom Homes employs six full-time employees and two part-time employees, building 10-15 homes per year. The business is run with integrity and an old school sense of loyalty. “I run things in the way of Henry Ford,” states Anderson. “The people that work for you should love working for you. That’s the type of climate we try to build here.”

Innovation plays a role as well. The home in Evergreen Meadows is one of Moorhead’s first closed cell foam encapsulated homes. And with multiple comfort zones, humidity control, fresh air exchange, and redundant heating sources, the home features a robust comfort system.

Working closely to produce a home clients want is key to the success Anderson’s business has enjoyed. Homeowners, the Nielsens are a perfect example as they speak about Melanie’s expertise as she guided them through the process. Kristie remarks, “If I had several choices, I’d take samples over to Mel’s and say what do you think? She’s been so helpful.” Scott, too expresses, “She was such a good sounding board because I don’t have the skill set to be really creative. I was so thankful for her.”

They tell too how, often times they had pages of questions for LaPlante. Scott comments, “He would address everything to the nth degree and never made us feel like, ‘Oh, it’s them again.’”

As the house is now filled with the footfalls of grandchildren, the voices of family and friends, and the quiet of the dormer, the Nielsens find comfort in knowing the home fulfills all of the visions they started with at the beginning of the process. They know too that combining their faith in God and trust in all the people who had a hand in building this home, has made it the welcoming place it is today. [ aw ]