Our Team

	Wade Freitag, Owner Wade’s love of older homes led him to get a degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Oregon in 1985. His 27 years of experience include design of restaurants, retail spaces, museum exhibits and theater set lighting and design. Since founding Craftsman Design in 1995, Wade has won numerous awards for the design and renovation of older homes in Portland. Married with one daughter, Wade enjoys travel, hiking in the Cascades and bird watching.
	Ivy Zupancic, Designer Besides a bachelor of fine arts in interior design, Ivy brings to the team experience in designing kitchens, baths and custom furniture, as well as in painting custom canvases and murals. She likes the idea of enhancing the history and character of existing Portland homes rather than building new construction, and the deeper sense of ownership and community that comes with preservation. In her spare time, she paints, travels, explores the outdoors and coaches a high school dance team.
	Suzanne Cathey, Production Manager Suzanne has previously worked as a carpenter for 11 years, including as a small remodeling business partner, and more recently worked for 19 years as a project manager for one of our much larger competitors. Growing up in a 100-year-old home imparted Suzanne with an enthusiasm for older homes; how she came to love creating a cohesive team and superior customer service, we can’t say but we appreciate it. When she’s not making clients happy, she’s recharging in her country home, trail riding or camping with her horses and her dog, Lady Bug.
	Alice Duff, Office Manager Owner of a 1923 Craftsman bungalow on the National Register of Historic Places, Alice shares with us and many of our clients a feeling of stewardship. Historic preservation is important to her, and she’s proud to be part of a company that’s playing a part in saving historic Portland. Alice is also vice chairperson of the Gresham Historic Resources Council Advisory Committee and beloved guardian of two cats.
	Ari Freitag, File Clerk Admittedly, we’re kind of partial to this employee. Although she doesn’t yet plan to be an architect, Ari has designs on a major in art and biology when she enters college next year. In the meantime, she enjoys photographing old buildings and collecting cameras, both vices picked up from her dad. She also loves music, painting, travel, rock climbing, reading, biking and the outdoors.
	Jeff Boeck, CLC, Certified Lead Carpenter Growing up with a father and grandfather who were building contractors, are we surprised that Jeff was a lead carpenter in his first job out of high school? Craftsman Design benefits from his 30 years experience, which included his own business in home building and light commercial construction. He loves the wide variety of tasks and challenges posed by remodeling older homes. Married for 27 years, with two daughters and a stepson, Jeff enjoys windsurfing, mountain biking and motorcycles.
	Justin Kritzer, Lead Carpenter Justin believes that there is something inherently satisfying in working on projects that are historically built to last. That makes him a perfect fit for the Craftsman Design team. Having done a significant amount of renovation work in Portland and in other cities, Justin loves Portland in particular for the people and the sense of community. During his time off Justin enjoys golfing, hiking and camping.
	Jay McKnight, Lead Carpenter Jay came to Portland from Kansas City, Missouri. He joined our team because of our focus on the preservation of historic homes and because he likes the look and feel of craftsman work. When not lending his decade of talents to the company or to his own house, Jay might be enjoying some golf, guitar, skateboarding, or dogs.
	Hector Garcia, Carpenter With 15 years of construction experience, Hector’s skills go well beyond general carpentry. From welding to foundation work, and from finish work to painting, Hector likes challenges and the satisfaction of a job well done. Married with a beautiful baby daughter, Hector is a former amateur bike rider and bodybuilder.
	Jay Collins, Carpenter Jay has enjoyed building things for as long as he can remember. He is experienced in residential remodeling, and continues his education towards a degree in construction. Jay likes the idea of working for a design-build company where the focus is on quality. Jay is a snowboarder and a golfer, and also enjoys camping and backpacking.
	Jonah Ferber, CLC, Certified Lead Carpenter Jonah’s love of carpentry started at a young age while working with his father in Newport. Aspiring to become a teacher, Jonah now splits his time between college classes and working with Craftsman Design. Jonah has a 2-year old daughter and enjoys skateboarding.