When Jeremy Williams completed his degree in church ministry, he never dreamed that fourteen years later he’d be working at Texas Custom Patios.  Now, Jeremy watches over a congregation of carpenters, not churchgoers.  And he’s loving every minute of it.

So how does a minister turn manager?  Read on to find out.

What do you do at Texas Custom Patios?                               

Williams:  I am a project developer.  That means that I meet with clients, help them design their outdoor living spaces, and manage all the workers involved on the project from start to finish.

I understand you used to be a minister.  What got you interested in outdoor living projects?

Williams: It’s true, most of my work history is in ministry.  I went to college for church ministry, and I’ve spent fourteen years between two churches in Houston:  First Colony Bible Chapel and First Colony Church of Christ.

But I’ve done construction and construction design for almost as long as I can remember.  My dad didn’t work in construction, but was very handy and we did a lot of projects around the house.  I started digging holes for his projects when I was about 5.

I designed my first building in 7^th grade.  It was a garage for my dad, and the construction company used my design to build it.  I built my first deck with my dad when I was 13 or 14 and living in North Carolina.  I thought it was a blast—deck construction is really fun.

Still, that’s a big jump from ministry to construction.  How exactly did you get into full-time construction?

Williams: Well, I’ve never really been out of construction.  When I had a part time ministry job after college, I worked construction at the same time.  I did design for a big construction company in Houston.  We worked on Texas Children’s Hospital, Reliant Stadium, and downtown office buildings and apartments.

Later, when I got married and we bought a house, we built a deck.  It’s just something I’ve always done.

Williams: Why did you choose to work with Texas Custom Patios?

In 2010, my friend Ryan Guikema started working for Texas Custom Patios as a project developer. I thought it sounded like the coolest job ever.

Last January I started thinking about moving out of ministry and into a construction job.  Naturally, Texas Custom Patios was at the top of my list.

What jobs do you most look forward to?

I love that I get to do a variety of projects, and I like the big ones that kind of include everything ­ patio cover, kitchen, fireplace, etc.  I like to build an entire outdoor living room, not just a deck or patio.

I’m also looking forward to having my own outdoor kitchen.  But I think I’ll have to make my patio bigger first…