My story began in the woods and on the rivers of central Idaho. As the oldest son of a logger and a river guide I was born into a life of working hard, playing hard, and a deep love of the outdoors.

I learned to run a chainsaw by age 10, kayaked class V in my teens, and helped build my first timber frame in high school. I grew up in the log yard of my fathers business, Payette River Lumber and in the eddys, rapids, and surf waves of the Payette River. The sawmill manufactured high quality timber frame materials and I developed a love for working with wood at a young age. By the age of 20 I was promoted to mill yard manager and I’ve been covered in sawdust ever since! My timber frame background led to residential construction and over a decade of experience working for turn-key construction companies and custom home builders.

I moved to Wapiti, WY with my wife Makayla in 2021 and we built our first home here. From there we opened Big Creek Builders, LLC and have built our business around a love of this place and a love of going to work every day and creating beautiful structures that blend with the landscape. Even after 5 years of working outside in Wapiti I am still caught by surprise every single day by how beautiful this place is and how lucky I am to get to work here.

Please review my resume below for a more in depth look at the experiences that I have built Big Creek Builders upon.

Thank you,

Matt Ward

Resume:

2000 - 2010 and 2013-2015

Payette River Lumber, Garden Valley, ID

Payette River Lumber was a custom cut timber frame material manufacturer that was owned and operated by my father. I worked there for more than 10 years starting from age 13. I did everything from shoveling sawdust to becoming a certified lumber grader to cutting more than a million board feet of lumber on a Woodmizer sawmill. All before turning 18. In later years I was promoted to the position of Production Manager. I hired, fired, and managed a crew of as many as 20 employees. I oversaw every aspect of production of roughly 2 million board feet per year of high quality rough sawn timber and lumber product. I became a proficient operator of many varieties of logging, sawmilling, and excavation equipment. I personally expanded the business into resale of building materials that we didn't manufacture and through this learned to complete residential plan take-offs and accurate material lists for the purpose of bidding residential construction projects.

Also during this time I learned hands on construction techniques as the business expanded into the construction of timber frame barns and prefabricated big timber trusses that could be shipped and assembled on site.

Jailbreak Bail Bonds 2010-2015

Boise, ID

I opened this business in 2010 and by 2013 had grown it to the second largest bail bonds business in Idaho. During this time I learned invaluable skills in accounting and payroll, office and file management, real estate contracts, and business management. I sold the successful business and came back to construction.

Fair and Square Construction 2015-2019

Garden Valley, ID

During my time as an employee of Fair and Square I learned and developed skills in every aspect of residential new construction and remodeling. I built everything from 6000 square foot turn key custom homes to garden sheds. I managed crews of up to 7 employees, coordinated subcontractors, managed client relations, and oversaw many full builds.

Zelham Construction and CC Electric 2019-2020

Alpharetta, GA

During this time I worked as an apprentice electrician on residential new construction and large commercial remodels.

Dave Lindo Enterprises 2021-2022

Garden Valley, ID

Timber Framing and turn-key residential construction.

Curtis Hoyt Construction 2022 -2023

Residential turn-key construction.

Kelsey, CA

Storm King Construction 2024-2025

Cody, WY

Residential Construction.