Rick is a structural timber expert, preservationist, master carpenter, and journey worker timber framer.
Speaker & Consultant
Expert Knowledge
One of 20 registered Journey Worker Timber Framers in North America, and one of only a half dozen Union Journeymen Timber Framers in the U.S.; Rick is an expert in the methods and tooling used by European builders who settled the Midwest from the 1600s through the 1800s.
He has learned from and worked with some of the greatest master builders, trades wo/men, and building historians in both the U.S. and Europe. Rick’s voracious appetite for history, his mastery of traditional tooling, and experience as a builder “in today’s world” provides a unique perspective that bridges many disciplines.
Beginnings
Instilled with a lifelong passion for building, Rick has been a student of the trades since his early teens. He received a BS in Forest Science from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana and served in the USMCR as a combat engineer- studying engineering and building science.
Rick’s interest in timber framing was sparked in the 1990s when the small scale, mixed crop farmsteads that had been the heart and soul of the midwest were being consolidated into giant mono crop farms. He saw heritage timber frame barns being burned and bulldozed so that they could be replaced with metal buildings. Reflecting on the roles the barns had played in both in local agriculture and the economy, he was motivated to recapture the loss. Rick began his business in 1995, with little more than a saw and a pick-up truck.
Current
Today Rick travels the world to share his experience and passion for timber framing. He writes for trade journals, presents at conferences, leads workshops and timber framing raisings, consults, and teaches timber framing and restoration methods. Rick is an active member, and former president, of the Timber Framers Guild, and served an integral role in the formation of the Journey Worker/Apprenticeship Program (the first non-union federally recognized professional timber framing training program). He now supports the program as a teacher and facilitator.
Consultant & Timber Expert
Speaker & Educator
Historian & Farmer
Registered Journey Worker Timber Framer
Selected Speaking Engagements
Finnish Handcrafters Association; Finland 2019
Turku Museum; Finland 2019
International Conference on Structural Health Assessment of Timber Structures; Portugal 2019
Scientific and Research Forum: Systematic Approach to
Conservation of Wooden Architecture Monuments; Kizhi State Open-air Museum of Wooden
Architecture and Ethnography; Russia 2019
The United Kingdom Carpenters Fellowship; UK & Wales 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017
Timber Framers Guild of North America Conference 2004-2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
Gathering of the Green, Davenport, IA 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
College of the Building Arts; SC 2013, 2014 – 2016, 2018
Indiana Landmarks, Barn Again!; IN 2012-2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
AIA Training: Buchanan County Historical Society; IA 2015
Henderson County Soil & Water Conservation District; IL 2015
Garfield Farm Museum; IL 2015
AIA Mass Timber Training: Studio Gang; IL 2015
Serosun Farms; IL 2015
AIA Group; Chicago, IL 2005, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Traditional Building Arts Conference; Creuse, France 2014
Geometrical Building Design Intensive; IL 2014
Notre Dame University, College of Architecture; IN 2012–2014
Michigan Barn Preservation Network; MI 2010, 2013, 2014
Stephenson County Convention and Visitors Bureau; IL 2013
Kansas Barn Alliance; KS 2011, 2013
Congres du Compangone; Besancon, France 2013
Historic Madison; IN 2013
“Rick is one of the most engaging and passionate speakers in this industry. From his wealth of historical and technical knowledge to his years of stories, he is able to captivate any audience he presents in front of.”
— Randy Churchill
Professional Associations & Certificates
Director, BOD, Timber Framers Guild 2015-2017
President, Board of Directors, Timber Framers Guild 2009
Vice President, Board of Directors, Timber Framers Guild 2008
Treasurer, Board of Directors, Timber Framers Guild 2007
Member, Timber Frame Journey Worker/Apprenticeship Program 2010– present
Timber Framers Guild 1998– present
Timber Frame Business Council 2000– 2016
Illinois Barn Alliance 2000– present
National Barn Alliance 2000– present
Michigan Barn Alliance 2000– present
Kansas Barn Alliance 2000– present
Minnesota Barn Alliance 2000– present
Illinois Forestry Association 2000– present
Illinois Walnut Council 2000– present
Certified Timber Buyer 2003– present
Society of American Foresters 1994– present
“True conservation is in understanding that we will inevitably use the resources on this planet and so we should be focused on building things that last 1000+ years instead of 30-40 like most modern approaches today.”
“I believe that what we build now has a lasting effect on generations to come. I’m here to help carry the knowledge I have forward and create a better future for our children.”
