This Mother’s Day, I’ve been thinking about the kind of women who shape not just homes, but whole communities.

My mom is one of them. She has always had a gift for hospitality, the quiet, powerful kind that doesn’t draw attention to itself but leaves a lasting mark. She knows how to make people feel welcome. How to offer encouragement that sticks. How to bring warmth and intention to any space she’s in.

She also helped me fall in love with the Northwoods.

Long before The Lumber Exchange was an idea, she taught me how to notice the things that matter: the stillness of the lake while kayaking, the rhythm of the water, the joy of being together. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of camping with my mom, her twin sister, my cousins, and my brother, nights around the fire with s’mores and pudgy pies, stories echoing through the trees, and the comfort of falling asleep under the stars. She showed me that nature is something to be respected, protected, and shared. That it brings us closer to ourselves, to one another, and to something bigger.

Years later, I met Amanda. She is now my wife and my partner in The Lumber Exchange. From the beginning, I recognized something familiar in her. That same quiet strength. That same instinct to care for others, to make them feel seen and safe. She brings a deep sense of belonging wherever she goes, grounded in how she was raised just a few miles down the road on a family dairy farm near Bruce, WI. And as a mom to our boys, I see that same care show up every day in the way she listens, encourages, and creates space for them to grow into who they are.

Amanda has brought that same heart to The Lumber Exchange project in Hayward, WI.

From the earliest conversations, she has helped shape this project not just with intention, but with empathy. She has thought deeply about how it should feel to walk through the doors, to spend a day here, to feel supported in your work and welcome in your presence. Her influence is in the vision, the details, and the hope that this space will serve not just individuals, but an entire community.

As we prepare to break ground, I see both of them, my mom and Amanda, in this work. And not just them, but the influence of so many moms and mother figures who have shaped the way we live, gather, and build. The ones who lead with love. Who make space for others to grow. Who remind us that care is not an extra, it is the foundation.

This space is for them too.

A place that reflects what they have always known: that kindness matters, that connection matters, and that when we create space for each other, good things grow.

This place will be built on the kind of care they model every day. We hope it makes them proud.

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