Casey Flood of Fortville stands in a timber frame construction project he has been working on. The carpenter owns Steadfast Construction Services.
Maribeth Vaughn | Daily Reporter
Editor’s note: The Daily Reporter will feature our “Neighbors” each month, whether it be someone with an interesting hobby or profession, or a nonprofit group making a difference in our community. Here, we featureFortville resident Casey Flood, a carpenter, timber framer and owner of Steadfast Construction Services. If you know a person or a group that you’d like to see featured in Neighbors, email [email protected].
Daily Reporter: How did you get interested in carpentry?
Casey Flood: As a boy I always enjoyed working with my hands and felt a great sense of accomplishment when I was building anything. Before I was able to drive, I would take scrap boards from an old chicken coop or the old barn that sat on our property and make rustic furniture, gardening benches and more. Once I got my driver’s license, I had an opportunity to go to work for a local builder where we worked on constructing pole barns, houses, and did some remodel work. I can remember one summer day we set trusses on a large pole barn. At the end of the day, I looked back at what we had completed and envisioned how the farmer would utilize that structure and how the barn would be standing there for generations. I think it was at that moment I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the construction industry.
DR: Can you share about your journey into learning the trade?
CF: When I graduated high school, I continued to work for the local builder for one summer, then I joined the Union Carpenters Apprenticeship program and landed a job as a “pre-apprentice” carpenter with The Hagerman Group, a general contractor in Fishers. The apprenticeship program offered on the job training, great pay, benefits, and most importantly an associated degree. After completing the apprenticeship program and achieving an associated degree from Ivy Tech, I enrolled at IUPUI in the Construction Engineering and Management Program. While I worked to complete my degree at IUPUI, Hagerman allowed me to transition from my carpenter role to a management role in the company. Four years later, I walked across the stage to receive my bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Construction Management. I am so thankful for all the experience I gained by working in the field with extremely talented carpenters and then moving into the office and working side by side with extremely savvy project managers on some very high-end commercial projects.
In 2021, the world seemed to turn upside-down, and I felt called to leave the corporate environment and build my own construction company where I could freely live out my faith in Jesus Christ and fully apply Biblical principles to the business world. Steadfast Construction Services was born, and the Lord has continually provided beyond my wildest dreams. Every opportunity I have had and everything I have achieved is only because of God’s grace and mercy in my life. Steadfast Construction exists to glorify God, provide construction services with the utmost quality and integrity, serve the community, and care for the employees and families associated with the company.
DR: What is timber framing?
CF: Traditional timber framing is a unique building method that Steadfast offers to the clients we serve. Many of the old homes and barns in Hancock County are traditionally timber framed. This means that the structure is constructed using heavy timbers that are intricately joined together utilizing mortise and tenon joinery (primarily) and then the joints are fastened with wooden pegs. The art of timber framing was lost (or nearly lost) when construction lumber (like 2x4s, 2x6s) became readily available because of the advent of the sawmill and train lines to ship the product. Before this, families would harvest the trees on their property, hew them into a square shape with axes, and join them together to create the frame of their home or barn. Timber framing is the embodiment of the word “steadfast.” The structures are strong, beautiful, and typically built with future generations in mind.
DR: What is your favorite aspect of your profession?
CF: Developing relationships with the people of our community by bringing their projects to life. Our hope is that we not only provide a superior product, but we also positively impact the lives of our clients personally.
For more on Steadfast, call 317-503-1689, email [email protected] or visit facebook.com/CertainlySteadfast.
