Chris Risher, Principal Growing up in the building industry, and working alongside his father in the garage building furniture, Chris knew construction was his passion. After graduating from The University of Texas (BS, Finance), he jumped head first into the home building industry. Working for two of the largest national home builders, Chris rapidly gained a tremendous amount of experience. He moved quickly through the ranks – first, managing on-site construction of hundreds of homes, then planning large scale master planned communities, securing entitlement rights through various jurisdictional entities, and putting development teams together for award-winning projects.
Chris left the hustle and bustle of production building to partner with some of Austin’s most recognized developers. Together, they have built some of the best infill communities in Austin and pride themselves in the little details that make their projects so successful. Cutting edge projects such as Chestnut Commons, Macmora Cottages, and Gabardine have all been recognized for their contributions to the community. Infill tear downs and renovations have also kept Chris busy throughout the years.
In his spare time, Chris is a skilled craftsman – building his own furniture, cabinets, and even his own homes. In an effort to stay deeply involved in the real estate community, Chris is a past board member of the Real Estate Council of Austin and currently serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors for Austin’s National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Chris is a National Association of the Remodeling Industry Certified Remodeler.
Jeremy Martin, Principal Jeremy, a third generation builder, is a graduate of The University of Texas (BS, Engineering with High Honors). Having spent time at Fortune 500 giants like IBM and Intel, Jeremy combined his corporate experience with his love of building and launched his home building career in 2001.
Although he started pacing job sites at four years old, at the heels of his father and grandfather, he started in earnest building infill housing in several East and South Austin neighborhoods. Prior to RisherMartin, he built a diverse home building and renovation firm that constructed a range of products from affordable cottages to luxury homes in some of Austin’s most exclusive communities. He has built production homes in the suburbs, Tuscan inspired golf course mansions, and Austin Energy rated green homes in the city center.
Jeremy has done everything from trimming homes to managing on-site construction, interfacing with architects and designers, and managing sales, marketing and financial operations. He uses his long-standing relationships with trusted suppliers and subcontractors to ensure that RisherMartin clients have access to the highest quality and most well-run crews available.
Jeremy has engaged heavily in continuing education and certification. He is a Certified Graduate Builder, Certified Green Professional and, recently, attained the highest certification offered by the National Association of Home Builders – Graduate Master Builder. Additionally, Jeremy is a licensed Realtor in the State of Texas, former Chairman of the Austin Area Remodelers Council, and a past member of the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin Board of Directors. Jeremy is a frequent contributor to Qualified Remodeler magazine and was recognized as a “Rising Star” of the industry by the National Association of Home Builders. Jeremy was recently named one of Professional Builder magazine’s “40 Under 40″ builders.
James Golden, Project Manager
James graduated from Texas Tech University with a BA in English and a BS in Exercise and Sports Sciences. James spent the last six years as a field project manager for one of the largest home builders in America. He honed his construction and customer service skills by delivering over 400 homes to satisfied owners. James brings a high level of personal pride and accountability to our project management team. With a sharp focus on schedule, budget and quality control, James works diligently with our suppliers and subcontractors to execute highly complex renovation and custom home projects on behalf of our clients.
Cole Hayden, Project Manager
Cole graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Kinesiology. He spent the following years working his way through the ranks of a local Austin semi-custom builder and a large regional builder. During Cole’s time as a Construction Superintendent, he won several building and customer service awards for his great attention to detail and organization skills.
In addition to construction field management, Cole also held roles in purchasing, where he managed all subcontractors, vendors and material suppliers. Having experience in both field management and purchasing, Cole is able to use his knowledge to take a broad view of the entire project from start to finish. Cole brings a wealth of talent in building practices to lead our subcontractors and vendors to provide a great project experience for our clients.
Samantha Ramsey, Accounting & Office Manager
Sam graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas State University with a BA in Political Science. During the 82nd Legislative Session, she worked for the Texas House of Representatives and the House Committee on State Affairs. Following the session, Sam joined a local residential and commercial construction management company where she gained experience in purchasing and back office operations. Sam brings accounting and office management experience from her earlier small business ventures to RisherMartin, where she is responsible for day-to-day operations.
Michael Hutchison, Estimating & Purchasing Manager
Michael graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BA in Government. He quickly realized that home building was his true calling and spent the following years working as a construction manager for one of the largest home builders in America. Wanting to further hone his skills, Michael moved to California where he obtained his general contractor’s license and gained experience building custom homes.
Michael soon made his way back to Austin where he spent nearly five years in purchasing, estimating and product development for a local home builder. He took this opportunity to further develop extensive experience in all aspects of operations management, product design and development, budget analysis and control, estimating, purchasing and contract negotiation. Michael’s extensive field and office experience allow him to view each project from various perspectives making him a great asset for our clients.