— Jess Nall/Tribune-Courier || Young contractor Jesse Treas makes a 1920s home feel like new with some modern-day windows to go with its completely renovated interior.

Age – nothing but a number

Two young contractors start
successful business in Marshall County

By Jess Nall
Tribune-Courier News Reporter

MARSHALL COUNTY – Buried inside the plaster of hanging walls and etched in the wooden floors of homes around Marshall County is the sweat and hard work of two young men who have made contracting their career.

“We don’t just build houses,” said Logan Hanes, part owner of Hanes and Treas Building and Remodeling, “We are building homes.”

Hanes and Jesse Treas, both of Marshall County, have been exposed to construction since their diaper days and began building homes before their senior prom.

Ed Hanes, Logan’s father and former contractor, said, “In Logan’s case, blood lines run deep. The Hanes family goes back five generations of carpenters. The first toy I ever bought him was a rubber hammer, and he has loved construction ever since.

Logan and Jesse are able to do something that they both love. They enjoy going to work everyday, and that is a special gift.”

Ed said his son began raising walls at age 8 and was always inquisitive about his father’s work.
Ed laughed, “He would sit at my desk and ask me how do you do this or how do you do that. He’s been curious about construction his entire life.”

Hanes’ partner, Treas, is no stranger to construction, either. Both men excelled in carpentry throughout high school and won numerous awards in carpentry competitions on a regional and state level.

Hanes’ former carpentry teacher at Marshall County High School, Shane Darnall, said, “Logan was the perfect student. He always wanted to learn more than anyone could teach him. Some kids are gifted in math or English or some other subject, I feel like he was just gifted in [carpentry]. He was the best student I’ve had in 10 years of teaching. He was able to teach the class and myself things as well.”

While in high school, Treas built his first home with a partner at age 16 and then was the lead man for a crew for two and a half years.

During his teen years, Hanes was building cabinets and counter tops but then went straight to framing houses.

After Hanes gained experience from working under a contractor for a year, small jobs led to big jobs, which led to houses.

Four months ago, Hanes and Treas decided to combine the work they had lined up and started their own business, Hanes and Treas Building and Remodeling.

When the two young men decided to start their own construction company, they didn’t take any short cuts.

“They began their business right,” Ed Hanes said. “They went through extra steps and paid out of their own pockets to make sure they had liability and workers compensation. If either of them gets hurt on a job, the homeowner is never responsible for any accidents or delays. A lot of young business owners don’t take that step in order to cut costs.”

Treas and Hanes said they turn no business down, no matter how small the project.

Hanes said, “So many builders limit themselves to what projects they will and won’t do. We know there is so much to learn, and working so many different jobs gives us experience that we need.”

Rebecca Fortner, a client of Hanes and Treas Building and Remodeling, said, “Logan and Jesse are currently building my house and I have never met anyone so ambitious and hard working as the two of them.

It takes a special kind of person to be so responsible and gutsy as they are. They are young, but they have over 20 years of carpentry experience collectively between the two of them, and I don’t see failure as an option for these two guys.”

To ensure such success, Hanes and Treas are continuing their education at Murray State University by taking online classes in business, construction and engineering.

Hanes said, “It’s important for both Jesse and I to continue going to school because technology is constantly changing and we want to be the best that we can be at our jobs and that requires going to school and getting educated.”

Whether it’s replacing a window or building a house, Hanes and Treas rely on experience rather than age to guide their success. If Abraham Lincoln was right when he said, “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years,” the two young contractors are likely to find great success by betting on their knowledge and remembering that age is just another number.