MEET THE TEAM
Owner
Dan Kaufmann
Throughout his years at Virginia Tech, Dan Kaufmann spent his holidays and summer breaks learning and working in his father’s home building and renovation business. Dan’s extensive experience growing up in the building industry expanded further while working for several local builders. As our fearless leader, Dan stays in the field offering guidance and insight for every home build despite leading the organization from the highest level. Dan enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, especially when they make it out to the mountains camping. He enjoys golfing and whenever possible, just getting outdoors.
Owner
Scott O'Connell
Scott wears many hats to keep Clay Street running smoothly, though he primarily works behind the scenes ensuring paperwork is in order, securing financing, finding new building sites, handling business operations, and assisting with our commercial construction division. When not at work, Scott is busy with his wife and three children, shuttling between lacrosse, swim, dance, field hockey, and many other family events. The O'Connell family loves spending weekends at Smith Mountain Lake or traveling to new destinations. You might also find Scott cheering on the Hokies at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg or working on woodworking projects in his shop. If you build with Clay Street, you may even receive one of his handcrafted creations!
Business Manager
Matt O'Connell
Meet our Business Manager, Matt O’Connell. With his 20+ years of experience as VP of Marketing & Sales and the last 10 years as the VP of Employment Services for SOAR365, he helps keep Clay Street Builders running smoothly. When he’s not here, you can find him enjoying time being semi-retired; flying around Hanover in his favorite plane, a Cessna 172, or watching the Phillies play.
Project Manager
Derek Rachels
Derek oversees the jobs in the field from the ground to the finishing touches. He is versatile and has over the years become quite the tradesman, wanting to have the necessary experience in many trades as well as knowing a good quality finished product. Although he is known for his drywall skills, Derek has also been seen framing houses with Frank, our Project Manager, concrete work, and even a full-time father to twins.
Project Manager
Frank Sanske
Hailing all the way from California, Frank considers himself a Powhatan native at this point. He’s the most gifted craftsman among us, using his extensive knowledge to make sure every project is completed to the highest of standards. Few companies have an all around knowledge like Frank, we are certainly lucky to have him. We’re not sure if Frank has any hobbies that he does for himself because when he isn’t chasing his three children, you might catch him coaching little league or framing houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Project Manager
Fred Wolfrey
Fred has over 17 years of building experience with a combination commercial design build, municipal and government contracts, to residential production building. He takes pride in every job and focuses on the detail as if it is his own home. From the foundation to the roof, you name it, he can probably do it with his own two hands. When not at work, you can find Fred in the gym, or in the water with his spouse and chocolate lab, Tucker.