Big50: Fine Design

Orfield Remodeling Minneapolis

Design/build remodeling

26 years in business

2002 volume: $940,000

Staff: 3 office, 3 field

When he was 14, Wally Orfield (far right), following in his father’s footsteps, purchased a burned-out building in downtown St. Paul, Minn., and rehabbed it. After a stint at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture, Orfield struck out on his own, first as a condo developer, then as a design/build remodeler. “The strength of our company,” he says, “is in design: blending the old with the new, working out the myriad details.” Recent innovations include an in-house estimating system tied to supplier Scherer Bros. Lumber, which keeps estimates accurate by periodically downloading cost updates.

Photo: Adair Soderholm With an infusion of new blood into the business — namely his daughter as salesperson — Orfield says his plan is to grow in size and delegate functions to the point where the company can run itself.