Meet Your 2024 President: Dennis Shriver

“Originally I thought I wanted to be an architect; I liked engineering and drafting,” Dennis Shriver said, as he reflected on what drove him to be a builder. Shriver grew up in Raytown, Mo., and gained experience in high school and college learning the trades, working on a foundation crew and doing general labor. “Anything you can think of [when building a house], I did it… not always at the highest level,” Shrived laughed. “But I always enjoyed seeing something physically built.”

Shriver started his college days in architecture school at UMKC, which acted, at the time, as a satellite campus for K-State students on the Missouri side. After one semester he realized it wasn’t for him and transferred to what was then Southwest Missouri State University. “I realized I wanted to build the things as opposed to designing them,” stated Shriver. After pausing his formal education to join the Marine Corps for six years, Shriver graduated with a degree in Construction Management. “[The degree] was helpful in landing my first job as a superintendent. But four years of college didn’t fully prepare me for navigating job sites. Some things you just get to experience firsthand.”

Shriver has now been experiencing the residential construction industry firsthand for over 25 years. “I started building homes in 1997 in Overland Park, right after I got out of college,” stated Shriver. “I’ve been building homes ever since.” After a few years of working in Kansas City, Shriver received a job offer in Saint Louis, Mo. He moved to the other side of the state for several years before coming back home in 2004. “I moved back with the same company,” stated Shriver. He was tasked with starting a division of the organization in Kansas City. But then the calendar turned to 2008. “The market conditions [that year] caused the company to constrict. I left and went out on my own. In 2009 I became a part of Hearthside,” said Shriver. Hearthside is a multi-generational business, but not in the Shriver family.

“I didn’t have anyone in my family that was in construction, but I always liked the idea of how things got built,” said Shriver. “The concept of building a building out of nothing always kept me in awe.” Shriver and Chris Valentine originally purchased the company from Valentine’s father. When his co-owner of Hearthside wanted to retire in 2017, Dennis bought out his partner’s share and became the sole owner of the company.

“As I got further into my career I also found joy in the process; watching the number of different people and parts and pieces that come together to ultimately build a house,” Shriver stated. “As an industry, we’re comprised of a varied group of business owners, laborers, bankers, ditch diggers, salespeople, craftsmen, engineers, accountants, designers, artists… the list goes on. Somehow, we all come together in an orchestrated way to construct the actual spaces real life occurs in. We don’t just build buildings… we build homes.”

Shriver has been attending KCHBA events on and off since the late 1990s, but it was around 2012 that Shriver was able to really pour time into the association. He appreciates the KCHBA for providing a space for members to collectively impact the direction of the industry. “We’re small business owners with a million things to do, but it’s a place where we can all come together and collaborate, sometimes commiserate, and have that common ground. While we may be competitors out in the field, ultimately, we are all doing this together.”

Although an “empty nester” these days, Shriver still has a full house. Him and his wife of over 26 years, Mendy, have five children and reside near Liberty, Mo.

Goals for 2024:

“As a young, green, superintendent I remember looking up to the KCHBA as the expert source of all things housing,” stated Shiver. “Our association has helped create a successful, positive, thriving industry to work and do business in. It’s important for our future generations of homebuilders, and homebuyers alike, that we maintain that presence.”

Shriver’s overall goal in 2024 is to re-establish the KCHBA as the trusted information source for all things housing and homeownership for the Kansas City metro. Shriver points to the KCHBA’s new communications blueprint as a guide for this to occur. The continuous execution of this plan will promote the association as a primary thought leader and outwardly position the KCHBA as the go-to, consumer friendly entity that promotes quality housing data and education while working to move more people into homeownership.

Dennis Shriver, Hearthside Homes, is your 2024 KCHBA President. Serving alongside Shriver on the 2024 KCHBA Executive Committee will be:

Vice President: Justin Pfeifer, Pfeifer Homes

Secretary/Treasurer: Joe Christensen, Cardinal Crest Homes

Immediate Past President: Brian Tebbenkamp, Patriot Homes

Associate Representative: Kevin Kirtley, K&E Flatwork

Past President Representative: Bruce Rieke, BL Rieke Custom Homes