Built on Craft. Driven by People.
Butte Construction is a Chico-based general contractor built on old-school craftsmanship, modern professionalism, and a genuine commitment to the people and places we build for. We're experts at what we do, and we're good people to do it with.
Four Generations. One Standard.
In 1938, Jack Starnes started a roofing and insulation company out of Chico. He wasn’t trying to build a legacy. He was just trying to do good work. He did. And then his kids did. And then their kids did.
Human Problems in the Construction Industry
Nick wasn't the kid who dreamed of building things. What pulls him in are complex problems that need energy to come unstuck — and when you look closely, most problems in construction are human problems.
From Chico to the Bay Area and back
After studying Construction Management at Chico State, Nick spent years in the Bay Area running large public works projects. The technical education was real. But the relationships were transactional — one job, then gone.
Coming home to start a family meant coming home to a different kind of business — one where relationships are measured in years, not contracts.
Distill, Don't Copy
When Nick founded Butte Construction, the goal was to distill everything he'd watched work and fail, and build something genuinely better from it.
We exist to empower people and give them opportunities that stretch them — clients and employees alike. When we find the right people, the ones who share our values and are willing to work hard, we link arms.
That's what we were built on. That's what we keep building on.
— Nick Starnes, Founder
Good Work Starts With Good People
Butte Construction is only as good as the people who show up every day. That’s why we’ve built a team of experienced superintendents, project managers, and tradespeople who don’t just know what they’re doing, they care about doing it well. These are the people you’ll actually work with. And we think you’re going to like them.
Relationship-based
Projects are built on people, not paperwork.
Hard work
No substitute, no shortcut.
Growth minded
Always trying to be better than today.
Can-do attitude
Show up ready to solve it.
Our values cut both ways. We hold ourselves to them, and we look for them in the clients we partner with.
Field Team
Dewey Engle
Superintendent
Ray Stowie
Superintendent
Josef Madamba
Project Engineer
Micah Roberts
Foreman
Humberto Aneda
Assistant Superintendent
AJ Buss
Assistant Superintendent
Office Team
Wendy Tuato'o
Project Manager
Shelby Bryan
Project Manager
Nick Carney
Estimator
Brayden Arnovick
Junior Estimator
Isabel Ortiz
HR Assistant Manager
Aura Aragon
Compliance Specialist
Leadership Team
Nick Starnes
Owner & Visionary
Sierra Brodleit
Chief Operating Officer
Kason Strickland
Controller
Celina Layton
Human Resources Director
