This week, construction barriers will go up around a long-vacant building on the corner of Main Street and Highway 63 in Hayward, WI. Most people walking or driving by won’t know exactly what’s coming yet, but to me, this is a moment that’s been decades in the making.

I’ve been coming to the Hayward area since I was a young boy. Both my parents were teachers, and every summer as soon as the school year ended, we packed up the minivan and headed north. Our destination was Treeland Resorts on the Chippewa Flowage, where my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would all gather to kick off summer together. I still remember pressing my forehead to the window, watching the trees grow taller and the world feel wilder with every mile, my excitement rising as we got closer and closer to Sawyer County.

Those summers were filled with kayaks and rope swings, campfires and cribbage games, and the quiet magic of twilight walleye fishing with my dad and brother. We’d sit at the edge of the dock, watching our lighted bobbers glow on the water as the sky faded from gold to deep blue. I can still hear the stillness, the gentle splash of a cast, and the shared hope that a walleye would bite and pull that glowing bobber beneath the surface. Those rituals sparked a lifelong love for the Hayward area, and they never let go.

Years later, while attending the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, I met my wife Amanda, who grew up just a few miles down the road from Hayward on a dairy farm in Bruce. After we got married, the pull to this place only grew stronger. Hayward has a way of getting under your skin in the best way. Maybe it’s the quiet hush of the pines, or the sparkle of early morning sun on the lake, or that satisfying crunch beneath your tires on a winding CAMBA trail, or the church bells that ring as the first Birkie skier crosses Lake Hayward on their way to a Main Street finish. Whatever it is, it calls you back. Eventually, we found a place of our own nestled in a quiet bay on Windigo Lake. Today, our family splits time between Hayward and Minneapolis, and we’ve come to believe that both our roots and our future live here in the Northwoods.

Professionally, my journey has taken me deep into the world of technology and startups, from co-founding SportsEngine, to leading design at OpenTrack, to my current role as co-founder of Monoline, an insurtech platform modernizing the personal lines experience. Along the way, I also served as co-commissioner of the US Pond Hockey Championship, an event that celebrates winter, community, and the joy of outdoor hockey. But no matter how connected I am to the digital world, it’s time spent outdoors, in the woods, on the water, or around a campfire with family and friends that makes me feel most alive.

That contrast between building in the digital world and grounding myself in the natural one has shaped how I see places, and more importantly, the role they play in bringing people together.

That’s why The Lumber Exchange matters so much to me.

At its core, The Lumber Exchange celebrates Hayward’s past while welcoming the possibilities of its future. It’s a belief that big ideas don’t only happen in big cities. It’s a commitment to creating a beautiful, intentional space where remote workers, small business owners, nonprofits, and community leaders can connect, collaborate, and create. Just steps from quiet lakes, winding trails, and tall pines, the space will offer flexible work areas, private offices, conference rooms, and inviting places to gather, whether for quiet focus, a small meetup, or a larger community event. And yes, there’s always a good cup of coffee or espresso within reach. It’s designed to be a daily home base for the people building what’s next.

It’s also an effort to contribute to Main Street, to add energy, foot traffic, and new momentum to a business community we both admire and appreciate. The goal is not just to create something new, but to complement what already exists: the beloved shops, restaurants, bars, and small businesses that give this town its unique spirit. We hope The Lumber Exchange becomes part of that story, and part of that success.

Before construction begins this summer, Amanda and I are working with local craftspeople to reclaim materials from the existing building. These materials will find new life in other projects right here in the area, kept out of the landfill and placed back into use through the hands of people who care about this town as much as we do.

Together, we’ve spent the past few years diving deep into the history of this corner, visiting the Sawyer County Historical Society Museum and walking the streets of town with fresh eyes. From the past architecture of the iconic hotels like the Pion, Giblin, and Walker, to the spirit of the early Main Street era, we’ve drawn inspiration from Hayward’s past to help shape the future. The new brick building is designed to feel like it has always belonged here. Built with intention, using enduring materials and thoughtful details, we hope it becomes a structure the community is proud of, a legacy building that stands with the same quiet confidence as those that came before it.

For those who’ve been wondering what’s going on at the corner of Main and 63, now you know: something new is taking root. A space for thinkers, builders, dreamers... and you.

We’re proud to be a small part of it, and we can’t wait to welcome you in.

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