Meet Our Team

Our founder, Randy Gillen, was tutored by a third-generation German custom-home builder, who was renowned throughout the industry as a master craftsman. Drawing from more than 35 years of experience in all facets of construction, Randy is now recognized as an artisan in his own right.

In his youth, Randy spent time in Colorado visiting family, and embraced the small-town that he found here. In the mid-‘80s, he found Colorado State University to be a good fit for his education, so came to Fort Collins. In 1988, he started in the construction industry as a project manager before launching Big Horn Custom Builders in 1996.

Randy holds residential and commercial licenses in Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Severance, and Windsor, along with Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties.

Today, Randy applies this hard-earned knowledge at each step of the building process. He’s there at the first conversation with a customer, straps on a toolbelt during construction, and oversees the finishing touches. He is passionate about building a quality product.

An outdoor enthusiast, when he’s not on the job site, you can find him fly fishing or mountaineering.

Todd has been with Big Horn Custom Builders as a project manager – and Randy’s right-hand man – since 2006. Randy hired him not only for his incredible craftsmanship and attention to detail, but for his small-town values and strong moral compass; he is a thoroughly humble, quality person. Our homeowners appreciate him and some even bring him cookies!

Joe grew up on a buffalo farm in Nebraska. After college, he started out as a handyman, but wanted to be more involved in construction. For several years, he was a commercial construction superintendent, but then decided he’d rather work for a custom home builder who was more focused on quality than production. Randy says Joe is the perfect complement to Todd, that he knows how to get things done, and never complains.

Melissa has been doing bookkeeping and accounting for over 35 years, since she was a teenager working in her dad’s motorcycle shop. With her banking and construction background, she’s helped streamline the accounting part of the construction process for Big Horn since 2010, and she’s our go-to person for all things financial.

Big Horn Custom Builders works with multiple lenders who can meet your needs, including lot loans, construction loans, and construction-to-permanent loans. If it would be helpful, Melissa will learn about your situation and would be happy to refer you to lenders – or private investors – who would best fit your unique situation.

She prides herself on building relationships. In her free time you can find her working out, hanging with her husband at local breweries or attending Colorado Ballet performances.

Kimberly has worked with Melissa since 2017 and is in charge of daily bookkeeping operations and client relations.

She enjoys reading, watching the Colorado Avalanche and getting out on the golf course or on her stand up paddle board.

While Kelsey also runs her own company, she serves as our interior designer. We appreciate her sense of style and ability to capture what our clients want for the look and feel of their home.

Kelsey grew up with a dad who owned an electrical business and a mom who had a background in architecture. She’s been able to see the happiness that comes to people who finally get what they want out of a space, and her passion for interior design started there.

Her main goal is to help you make your dream become reality. She’ll combine leading-edge interior spaces with sensible structural design. She thoroughly enjoys working with clients and wants to see your vision come to life while being budget conscious. From contemporary to industrial – and everything in-between – she will work with you to come up with a functional design that will bring that happiness she’s seen so many times before.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts/Interior Design – with an emphasis in green design – from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2011. Her time away from work largely revolves around spending time with her family, running kids around to baseball games or watching some kind of baseball!