Our Story: How Schuber Mitchell Homes Began
No matter how old we get, birthdays often open the door for reflection on the past and plans for the future. Stories of the day we were born or things we enjoyed as children and goals that we hope to accomplish in the coming year. We just celebrated our 7th birthday at Schuber Mitchell Homes. So much has changed since our inception. Our families. Our community. Our company. Heck, our ownership has even changed. (We’re actually Schuber Mitchell Harris Homes, but what a mouthful!) Just like a child matures from an infant, celebrating milestones and accomplishments, we at Schuber Mitchell Homes have developed and evolved (sometimes painfully) into a residential systems builder serving two distinctly different markets in Missouri and Arkansas with nearly 50 employees, and on pace to build 300 homes this year. We praise the Lord for our success, we are excited to see what He has in store for our future, and we wanted to share with you the story of how it all started seven years ago.
If you’re a Joplin area native, you remember May 22, 2011, well. If not, you likely remember the painful images of destroyed neighborhoods and mourning families that circulated after an EF-5 tornado made its way through the heart of Joplin. Approximately 4,000 homes were destroyed in the tornado, displacing around 9,200 people. Many of these people found temporary housing through FEMA, but were in great need of a permanent home to continue to raise their families.
Outsiders almost immediately took advantage of the situation. Wealthy landowners and builders from out of town began running ads in the local newspaper to buy the land where affected families homes used to stand.
Dan Mitchell, a Joplin native, was volunteering as youth coach for Christ’s Church of Oronogo as well as operating The Bridge, a Christian recreation center for youth in Joplin. Daman Schuber, also a Joplin resident, owned American Ramp company, traveling all over the world to build skate parks for organizations and municipalities. Having served Bridge Ministries together, Daman on the Board of Directors and Dan as the Executive Director, Dan and Daman were well acquainted and though they felt a mutual and overwhelming conviction to bring relief to their hurting hometown, they hadn’t yet realized that it would be in tandem.
“Having a genuine compassion and concern and love for our community, we didn’t want just anyone to come in and rebuild. There’s a lot of brokenness and hurt on the land where families have not only lost their homes, but loved ones and neighbors.” - Dan Mitchell
In the weeks following the tornado, Daman and Dan separately reached out to a trusted mutual friend who served alongside them on the board at The Bridge - A West Texas homebuilder with heart and purpose, Rick Betenbough. The two were familiar with Betenbough Homes and were confident in Rick’s knowledge, expertise, and ability to bring relief to the area. They asked Betenbough Homes to come to Joplin.
Though he felt a powerful calling to aid in restoring the area, Rick knew that expansion wasn’t an option for Betenbough Homes with the growth they were experiencing in Texas at the time.
Rather, he responded with a visit to Southwest Missouri. He paired Dan and Daman, both previously unfamiliar to residential construction, and set them on a path to rebuild homes in Joplin themselves. Rick not only taught Daman and Dan the ropes of systems building, he gifted them processes, scouted land and even lent them money necessary to purchase it with zero interest.
“The Betenbough’s gave Schuber Mitchell Homes a generous start to our company and we would not be where we are today without their helping hand.” - Dan Mitchell
Schuber, Rick Betenbough and Dan Mitchell standing by the footing for the first ever Schuber Mitchell Home.
In regard to our history, 2013 was another significant year. A brief phone conversation with a local investor with property abutting a Schuber Mitchell neighborhood resulted in a relationship that would flourish and change the trajectory of the company. At the time, Joe Harris was in mergers and acquisitions for Leggett and Platt, a Fortune 500 company based out of Carthage, MO. With a passion for ministry, expertise in property management and acquisition, and many years of senior-level corporate experience, Joe seemed to be a perfect addition to the Schuber Mitchell leadership team. In 2015, the threesome was ready to enter into an official partnership. Joe hung up his corporate hat to invest in Schuber Mitchell Homes and devote his time to the daily operations of the company alongside Dan and Daman.
Joe Harris, Dan Mitchell and Daman Schuber at our 500th home.
We’ve since stretched our young legs, grown our team, tightened our processes and focused on building out entire neighborhoods while expanding into new areas and markets. We continue to mature and improve, building homes and relationships within the communities in which we serve. From day one our intent was to love people, serve people and provide something that was greatly needed - safe, quality homes for wonderful families like yours. We believe that God has blessed us immeasurably by giving us the knowledge and resources to start Schuber Mitchell Homes back in 2011, and out of that we are able to build beautiful, 4-sided brick homes with top of the line products and interior designs for families that truly deserve it. No matter how many birthdays we celebrate, we’ll always be thankful that people trust us to do that.
