06/05/2026
Every great company has an origin story. For Van Cleave Construction, Remodeling, and Design, that story doesn't begin in a fancy office or with a business degree — it begins with a lawn mower, a woodshop, and a young man who simply refused to stop building.
Erich Van Cleave's entrepreneurial spirit showed up early. At 14, he was mowing lawns around the neighborhood. In high school, a job at Payless Cashways home improvement store sparked a deep fascination with the construction industry — one that never left him. A woodworking class his senior year sealed the deal. He found himself skipping other classes just to stay in the shop, turning lumber on a lathe and discovering a passion that would shape the next thirty years of his life.
What followed was a decade of bold swings, hard lessons, and relentless pursuit. A furniture shop called Splinters Wood Shoppe. A specialty hardwood business. A cross-country move to Connecticut chasing a furniture making school in Boston, with a wife, two small children, and a truck full of tools. Nine months later, humbled and homesick, the family returned to St. Joseph. Erich went back to work, paid his dues, and kept building — this time, slowly and intentionally.
The real turning point came quietly. While working weekend shifts at Johnson Controls, Erich spent his weekdays doing side work with a friend — siding, windows, decks, and fences. The demand was there. The passion was there. And in June of 2006, with three kids at home and more determination than capital, Van Cleave Construction was officially founded.
The early years were exhilarating. Jobs were selling fast, the team grew to seven by 2008 — and then the housing crisis hit. By winter of that year, Erich was the only one left. Rather than walk away, he rebuilt. Slowly, deliberately, and with a much deeper understanding of what it takes to not just survive, but to last.
Over the years, the company evolved from siding and windows into full-scale residential design build remodeling. The name grew to reflect that — Van Cleave Construction, Remodeling, and Design. In 2019, Erich joined Remodelers Advantage, a move that transformed him from contractor to true business owner, giving him the tools and community to grow and scale in ways he hadn't before.
Twenty years later, the team has grown to nineteen strong, the work speaks for itself, and the foundation — built on grit, craftsmanship, and an unwavering refusal to settle — has never been more solid.
