Today we’d like to introduce you to Reauna and Mark Lopez. They and their team shared their story with us below:
After years of dreaming, and guessing, and questioning…Mark took the jump and left his corporate job in 2018 in pursuit of chasing a vision where he would be in control of the ethics and operations of his own company. Growing up with his father and grandfather as builders, Mark always felt that this line of work was embedded in his blood. That’s when Five Walnut Construction was developed. During our first year, it was Mark’s desire to grow organically, solely through word of mouth and referrals. During year two, Mark’s wife, Reauna, left her full-time job at Long Beach City College to continue growing Five Walnut Construction alongside Mark, assisting with marketing and operations.
Almost 5 years later, Five Walnut has developed a solid team with an aligned mission, and a portfolio — and an IG account, a Tik Tok account (ha), and a website. And most importantly, we continuously have the honor of working with our clients on building super cool projects. There’s an emotional fulfillment and a crazy sense of pride in watching your clients’ homes and businesses transform into something that only started as a vision and dream. It’s cool — if you can dream it, we can build it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is starting a business ever smooth? Lol. We definitely hit some bumps along the way as this was our first time as business owners. There was a sharp learning curve as far as getting started…what kind of insurance do we need, how do we get a corporation started, how do we handle accounting? These are just a few of the many items we had to figure out, and we leaned on other business owners for advice. Our CPA became our best friend.
Building our core team took time. We imagined that if we built a team with our values and a healthy culture in mind, everything would work out fine. We still believe this…but it takes time to build trust and relationships, especially in the growing phases when you’re trying to breathe underwater.
As husband and wife, we also had to figure out how to work together while staying happily married. I think we got that part figured out, but it’s definitely a balancing act and we had to set some major boundaries. For example, not talking about work during date night or when we’re spending quality time with our kids.
As you know, we’re big fans of Five Walnut Construction. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We created Five Walnut with the intention of building a construction company that is honest, reliable, personable, accessible, and completely legit at building. We strive to be everything we would want in a contractor for our own home.
We specialize in full home renovations and commercial projects. We’re known for staying on budget from the original estimate, and not going back to the client with upcharges. We understand that our clients are making a huge investment with their renovation, and we do not like to surprise them with additional costs in the middle of the construction process.
We do not take shortcuts, and we use quality materials…we take building very seriously, and we want every structure to be solid, well-built, strong, and beautiful.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Mark: I have these really clear memories of my Dad picking up my Mom over his shoulder and spinning her around in circles. She would scream hysterically while also trying not to laugh. My dad would just keep spinning. She would scream, “Joe! No really Joe I can’t take it!” Ha! I can see my sisters’ and my parents’ faces all filled with wide smiles and joy and excitement.
Reauna: I have so many, but I have a lot of great memories camping with my family, and spending time with cousins at my grandparents’ house. For some reason, we loved creating circus acts for our family to watch.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fivewalnut.com
- Instagram: @fivewalnutconstruction
Image Credits
Charlotte Lea Photography Jill Weller Photography Design and Styling: Heather KW
