Employees

Oyvind Solvang has a broad background in construction, industry, and finance. He started Hillcrest in 2001 after having been involved in residential and commercial construction on a project basis through other business ventures. Before dedicating his full time to Hillcrest, Oyvind was for several years a principal at Milwaukee based investment firm Lubar & Company where his last project was the startup of Lake Express, the high-speed car ferry between Milwaukee and Muskegon, Michigan. Before Lubar & Company, Oyvind was general manager of two manufacturing companies. Oyvind has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah where he also obtained an NCAA skiing championship, and he has an MBA from Northwestern University. He has held a variety of board positions of private companies and is currently the board president of Central Cross-Country Skiing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing the sport in the Midwest.

Nakesha joined Hillcrest Builders in November 2021 with 10 years of experience in the financial industry, accommodated by a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Her well-rounded background in consumer lending, budgeting, financial evaluation, and customer service has allowed her to identify opportunities to help drive the future success of Hillcrest Builders.

Allison joined the Hillcrest Team in February of 2022. She obtained her Associate’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and continued to study Finance at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. With previous experience in customer service and small business management, she is able to apply her problem-solving and interpersonal skills in her daily duties, managing payables and receivables.

Chris is married with two kids, and lives in Sheboygan County. Was born in Hollywood, FL. Enjoys spending time with his family and sports.

Jim Kelly joined the Hillcrest team in 2005. Prior to working at Hillcrest, Jim worked for a custom home builder in the North suburbs of Illinois. He started his construction career working for a restoration contractor where he trained in plaster restoration and as a finish carpenter. Jim has taken many classes in the Dwelling Contractor curriculum. He is certified in lead painted window removal and replacement. Jim is also a Certified Construction Professional. Jim is an avid outdoorsman and fisherman. He and his family enjoy spending time at their place in Ontario, Canada.

Tim joined the Hillcrest Team in 2006 as the Director of Design. Previously working for a custom log home company and now has over 27 years of residential design and construction experience. His experience has helped him learn many parts of the business, making him a great resource to the Hillcrest Team. As a designer his attention to detail and broad experience gives him the knowledge to be creative within the structural aspects of design while being cost conscious. He strives to maintain a simple approach but effective in functionality and aesthetics. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with family, watching movies, gardening, traveling, and LEGO.

Heather is a creative who believes in the power of form and function interiors to transform daily life. She has a well-trained eye for quality, function, craftsmanship, and textiles. Each project speaks to the clients’ own interests and lifestyle. She prides herself on her attention to details.

Paul Apfelbach has been a self-employed developer of 5 condominium projects where he had responsibility for one hundred percent of land acquisition, development, construction, and sales from “farm to finish”. Additional experience includes construction of single-family homes and “whole house” restoration of many homes. Paul’s role at Hillcrest is to assist in budgeting and forecasting, land acquisition, rezoning and entitlement matters, condominium documentation, and project management of developments. Professionally Paul was a commercial loan officer for Bank One, a CPA for a large accounting firm and controller of Trammell Crow residential in Milwaukee, later becoming Mandel Group. In addition to CPA designation Paul has a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, is a Wisconsin real estate broker and serves as Vice Chairman of the Mequon Architectural Board and Landmarks Commission.