Meet The Builder

Mike and Vanessa – Owners

Mike and Vanessa met in 1989 at Dancemakers. Mike was taking Country & Western lessons and Vanessa was taking Ball Room Dance. Mike noticed Vanessa and soon decided to take ball room dance lessons too. They began a relationship and were married in 1992.

Mike was an assistant golf professional out of college prior to becoming a 25% partner in a home building company. After a few years, Mike became a 50% partner and went on to start his own company in 1989. Vanessa is a graduate of LSU and in addition to home building, works for Old Republic Title as a Marketing Representative.

Separately they have served on many committees and advisory boards. Some of these are: Board of Directors for Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association, Home & Garden Expo Committee, Habitat for Humanity, The Children’s Center in Bethany, Professional Mortgage Women and more. Mike was elected Home Builder of the Year for the Metro Area in 1993 and Vanessa had the same honor in 1998 and 2011. Mike also served as the President of Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association in 1997. Vanessa was elected Woman of the Year for the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association in 1999 and was Associate of the Year twice at COHBA.

Mike has an excellent reputation in home design, construction and warranty. Entering their homes in various Parade of Homes competitions through the years, Vanessa and Mike have won awards for Most Innovative Design, Best of Show, Runner-Up Best of Show, Best Kitchen, Best Master Bedroom, Best Master Bath, Best Landscaping and Best Décor. On occasion, they enjoy researching and then building a different style, like Art Deco, Mediterranean, Country French, Contemporary, etc.

Together they have built over 1300 homes.

Brett – Builder

Beginning in 2012, Brett Shadix joined Mike and Vanessa at Blue Ribbon to learn the business. Brett spent thirteen years working in the grocery industry in the Information Technology field. He brings the technical background that is almost required in today’s technology driven society. With his management, organizational, and project planning experience, Brett has incorporated several key systems and processes into our business. These processes have helped Blue Ribbon procure additional construction credit, manage more annual sales and closings, purchase at better prices, and help perform overall more consistently in building and warranty through efficient scheduling and documentation. He loves helping to make the buying/building process a special one for our families.

Rob Whitaker – Builder

Rob was first introduced to cabinetry and millwork in high school. He learned to enjoy it and received many awards throughout his high school and college career. At age 19, he became lead fabricator and head installer of a cultured marble and solid surface countertop company in California. Not long after, his family moved to Oklahoma for an opportunity at Edmond Marble. It was at that time that he met Vanessa and Mike and started installing their countertops at what was then, Shadix Homes. While working at Edmond Marble, he began to remodel homes in his personal time. It wasn’t long before an opportunity came along to purchase Edmond Marble and he ran it until 2010. After Edmond Marble, again remodeling was calling his name and kept him busy until 2013. At that time he began working full time with Blue Ribbon helping with punch out, final detail, and warranty. Rob loves to create and build and was looking to grow further; therefore, he started building homes for Blue Ribbon in Jan 2017.

Conrad – Builder

Conrad was raised on a farm/ranch in Southern Oklahoma. Among many other life lessons, he learned the value of a hard day’s work and the rewards such work can provide. In his adult life he pursued a career in sales, only to find it lacked the feeling of completion most days. The following quote had some impact on how he chose to move forward in life: “If your only motivation is to keep from getting fired, you’re doing the wrong thing.”

Going back to his roots, he chose a job in construction – a job where you could see what you had completed at the end of every day. Through that job, he learned the process of home construction from dirt work through to trim carpentry. This hands-on manual labor prepared him for the job he has today; scheduling, supervising, and quality checking all stages of the home building process with Blue Ribbon. Conrad is a valuable member of the team and daily helps the process be the best Blue Ribbon can offer to clients.

David H – Builder

As a kid growing up in northern Oklahoma, David was always around a jobsite, whether to help his father and uncle build a home from the foundation up or simply aiding in the remodeling of homes. It didn’t take David long to figure out that he wanted to do something else for a living! He began working in the Information Technology world, but deep down he knew he was a builder at heart. When given the opportunity, he looked forward to getting back into building business. His building experience and IT background makes David a great addition to the Blue Ribbon team.

Vickie Hildebrand – Builder

Vickie graduated from OU with a Bachelor’s in business management. When she was a little girl her dad started in home building. She remembers her childhood as a “hands on” training ground for what she does now. She learned how to lay stone, sod, clean, and more. She started homebuilding in 1989 for a large builder and then 10 years later in 1999 went on to start her own company. In June of 2018 she joined the team of Blue Ribbon Construction. She is married to her husband Gary and she has 3 stepdaughters and 2 “perfect” granddaughters.

David Macias – Builder

David started out as a painter and trim carpenter for Blue Ribbon many years ago. David’s responsibilities have steadily increased over the last few years into his current role of overseeing our north Metro Area homes. His wife, Michelle, joined the team in April 2019. David has always been around the construction industry, as his uncle was a builder, and David got “volunteered” to help him out when he was a kid. That experience has helped to make him a valued builder and someone our company is happy to work alongside. He and Michelle work together to make the building experience the best it can be for our clients.

Melissa Fontaine – Accounting

Melissa is from a small town in southern Oklahoma called Waurika. She moved to Edmond to attend college at UCO, and loved the area and decided to stay after graduation. She began working with Blue Ribbon over 6 years ago. She works in the accounting department and also helps to close out the homes once they have been sold. Her favorite floor plan is our Malheur Floor Plan.

Melissa Heusel – Accounting Analyst

Melissa Heusel joined the Blue Ribbon team as an Accounting Analyst in November 2020. In her role, she performs a wide array of accounting tasks that allow us to keep track of expenses and forecast future performance. Her goal is to make significant contributions to the team to ensure Blue Ribbon is delivering the best-in-class homes for our clients. Before joining the Blue Ribbon team, Melissa spent 16 years working in various roles within the energy sector. She spent 13 years at Chesapeake Energy where she focused on data analytics with positions held in Accounting, Internal Audit and Operations. Melissa also gained experience in Project Management at Marathon Oil Company from 2017 – 2020.

A graduate of Ohio University, Melissa and her husband Sean reside with their children, Brody, and Brooke, in Oklahoma City.

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