Rhonda Maas: president of Building Restoration Specialties appreciates the power of craftsmanship.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: /EXECUTIVE EDGE/

AS A CHILD, RHONDA MAAS WOULD run cattle on her family's Western Slope ranch homesteaded by her grandfather. There was no running water or electricity in the log cabin that was heated with a woodstove. She loved every moment of it.

"It was always beautiful in the summertime. It was a good, dirty time when we learned to chainsaw lumber, chop wood, ride horses and run cattle," said Maas, president of Building Restoration. Specialties Inc. in Denver. "In that cabin I came to appreciate the craftsmanship of our forefathers and seeing the hard work that went into building it --all without power tools."

Maas would go on to co-found Building Restoration Specialties in 1986 - a company that helped to fix or repair about 85 percent of old buildings in Lower Downtown. Her company recently completed restoration of the City and County Building, and cleaned and restored the sandstone structures in Denver's Civic Center.

"There are historic buildings everywhere, including old mining towns where structures need to be restored," said Maas, whose company has completed several hundred projects over 25 years and posts annual revenue in excess of $3 million. "It's a very rewarding experience to be part of our history and instill pride in all our workers."

When she started her business, Lower Downtown was a sea of vacancy with developers and architects eying old warehouses for Building Restoration to transform into lofts.

"We've grown through the tough times, and we continue to grow each year because restoration is our niche,' said Maas, whose company also does new construction projects such as the Skyline Park facilities in downtown Denver and the Cheesman Dam pump house in Deckers. "We can do new projects as well as old so it gives us more options."

Building Restoration Specialties, which employs 35, evaluates how the original craftsmen constructed a building a century ago and endeavors to replicate their techniques and materials. When it came to...