About Us
With More than 50 Years Of Experience...
...as a leading Design Build Firm, Modern Builders takes great pride in overseeing every aspect of your project. This philosophy allows us to serve as your resource and answer any questions you have throughout the project, whether they are related to design, architecture, or the construction process as a whole. As a single-source firm, we're accountable for all the management of all costs, scheduling and performance related to your project.
An Experienced Team
Modern Builders features a team of design and construction experts with decades of combined experience that will be put to work for you.
Get to Know Our Team of Professionals.
Rick Stensland, President
Rick is a 1970 graduate of Waverly High School and served in the United States Army from 1972-1974. He began working at Modern Builders as a general laborer in 1967 and assumed the position of office manager and estimator in 1979. In 1982, Rick became Vice-President in charge of sales. He began performing the duties of executive officer and assumed full responsibility for sales in 1989. In 1991, he became President and CEO.
Marty Leary, VP of Sales
Marty graduated in 1999 from Wartburg College and joined Modern Builders in 2008 from American Buildings Company. Marty brings the knowledge learned in the metal building world to help diagnose and correct existing building problems as well as master planning new additions. He enjoys working with clients from very diverse industries to establish budgets to achieve their building goals. Marty is heavily involved in the Cedar Valley community and owns numerous businesses in the surrounding communities.
Robert J. Stensland, AIA, Vice President & Principal Architect
Robert earned his undergraduate degree in Architecture from Iowa State University in 1987 and completed his master’s program in Architecture in December of 1993. He started at Modern Builders in June 1990 as Estimator and Designer and was promoted to Vice-President (Design) of Modern Builders and Corporate Secretary in 1991. Robert is a licensed architect and holds credentials in over 40 states/provinces across the US and Canada.
Joel Foster, Project Manager
Joel started at Modern Builders in May 2023. Joel has six years of fieldwork experience in architectural sheet metal and stucco, and he taught carpentry for five years. Joel has his master’s degree and graduates from Upper Iowa University in 1990. Joel brings a lot of knowledge to the company after working as a foreman for six years and teaching carpentry to high school students in Colorado. Joel enjoys spending his free time with his kids, fishing, and renovating his home.
Joel Foster, Project Manager
Jackson Little has been working at Modern Builders since 2021. He has over 5 years of construction experience and almost 2 years of Project Management experience. Jackson graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Construction Management. In Jackson's free time he enjoys duck hunting, boating on the river, and snowboarding.
