Our Team
General Manager
Wesley Crocket, MAIO
Named as one of Pro Remodeler's 40 Under 40 for 2023, Wes has been helping grow Mahogany Builders for over a decade. Our resident tech guy, CFO, and HR director, Wes makes sure our employees and our bottom line remain happy and healthy.
Project Manager
Rob Murgas
When we say we’re Chicago’s finest design-build team, Rob is a big reason why. With over 20 years of experience in residential construction, he’s led projects ranging from modest interior renovations to large-scale additions and custom homes. Rob brings deep technical knowledge, steady leadership, and an unwavering commitment to quality on every job. His decades of experience remodeling Chicago homes give our clients a level of confidence and peace of mind that’s hard to match.
Sr. Designer
Caitlin Crocket, BFA
Caitlin brings a rare combination of talent, vision, and drive to every Mahogany Builders project. A graduate with honors from Chicago’s prestigious Harrington College of Design, she has become a trusted design partner for clients who often say they’d never work with anyone else. Her work - frequently featured in publications like CS Interiors - reflects both her keen eye for detail and her deep understanding of how people live in their homes. Caitlin’s passion for design, paired with her unwavering commitment to client care, makes her an essential part of the Mahogany experience.
Production Manager
Piotr Plewa
After 15 years as one of Mahogany Builders’ most skilled carpenters, Piotr now leads our production team with a sharp eye for detail, quality, and efficiency. As Production Manager, he oversees all field operations, ensuring that our crews are well-prepared, well-supported, and equipped to deliver a seamless remodeling experience. From managing jobsite logistics to mentoring our carpenters, Piotr plays a crucial role in keeping projects on track and up to our exacting standards.
Project Manager
Karol Czuchwicki
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Karol's rise at Mahogany Builders tells you everything you need to know about him. In just a few short years Karol has gone from one of our most skilled carpenters to lead carpenter to assistant project manager, and now project manager. Along the way he has shown a deep knowledge of remodeling, a sharp sense of organization, and a talent for keeping both clients and our construction team informed and at ease. His attitude and work ethic reflect the very best of our team's values. When he isn't running a project, Karol is an avid movie collector, a devoted basketball fan, and a serious sneaker enthusiast.
Business Development Manager
Diane Marinelli
Diane brings to Mahogany Builders nearly 20 years of experience in both commercial and residential construction. Her career has been shaped by two great passions: construction and the culinary arts. Diane spent a decade pursuing her love for food and hospitality, successfully launching and managing her own business, and growing another.
Now, Diane is excited to channel her entrepreneurial spirit and extensive construction expertise into helping our clients and partners achieve their goals.
Director of Sales
Cody Shipp
Cody brings a discerning eye and a calm, confident presence that clients immediately appreciate. An award-winning Realtor with a passion for design and construction, he offers a rare blend of market knowledge and project management expertise. At Mahogany Builders, Cody oversees renovations of all sizes - from kitchens and baths to full gut remodels and new builds - ensuring each project is executed with precision and care.
Designer
Alina Mazur
Alina discovered her love for art, architecture and design at a young age. Though her background is in management she made a career transition and graduated with a degree in interior design from Harper College. Alina draws her inspiration from her travels, nature, and architecture all around. Alina especially enjoys projects that push traditional boundaries and allow for creativity. When not designing, you will likely find her spending quality time with her family, cooking, reading or jogging. Her work ethic, professionalism, and design talent make her right at home on Chicago's finest design + build team.
Our Process
Virtual Consultations
Set an initial meeting with our team to discuss your project, our process, and how we can add value. A virtual consultation with one of our professional remodeling consultants is the first step in the process of transforming your home. Our team will assess your needs to determine if we're a good fit for your project and leave you with a plan for the next steps.
Keeping it Clean
Before the construction process begins, our team takes great measures to protect the spaces we won't be working on. This includes setting up floor-to-ceiling plastic dust barriers, multiple layers of floor protection, and negative air pressure generators with dust filters to ensure your home still feels like home even during a major remodeling project.
Pre-Construction Design
Beautiful homes start with beautiful design. During our pre-construction design process we'll gather information from you that we'll use to begin drafting and designing your new space. At the end of the design process we will deliver you a fully designed space including floor plans and elevations with a construction budget that meets your needs.
Project management is our job
For many of our clients, time is their most precious resource. You want a beautiful kitchen or bathroom but you don't have the time or energy to take on a second job, fielding questions from carpenters all day, then managing the project yourself when you get home from work. Many remodelers can create beautiful work. Few remodelers can create beautiful work and deliver an experience carefully designed to minimize the impact a major remodel can have on our clients' busy lives.
Our Story
Mahogany Builders was founded in 2000 by our President, Matt Lederer. When remodeling his own home, Matt found a lack of professionalism in Chicago's remodeling industry. He assembled a crew of skilled carpenters and remodeled kitchens and bathrooms for friends and family on the side until demand for his team's skill and professionalism made it clear he had an opportunity to turn his side business into his main business.
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Matt and Wes met in 2010 when Matt was in the middle of moving Mahogany Builders out of a rented office in Wrigleyville into its own space on the Southport Corridor. Wes was finishing his graduate degree and Matt was wearing every hat in the business. Wes took on roles that freed up Matt to focus on growing the business. And grow, it did.
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Our company expanded during the early-2010s, embracing the design + build model and expanding our services to offer high-end design as well as custom cabinetry.
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As Matt and Wes added members to the Mahogany team, they instilled the values that still guide us to this day:
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Deliver our clients the highest quality remodeling experience possible
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Value our clients’ time as highly as they do
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Design beautiful, unique spaces that are reflective of their owner
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Respect our clients’ homes as if they were our own
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Improve the lives of everyone we interact with: employees, clients, industry partners
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Be a place our employees are proud to work and never want to leave
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In 2016 Mahogany was named as one of Remodeling Magazine's Big 50, honoring the nation's 50 most innovative remodelers. Shortly after, we joined an organization that dramatically changed the trajectory of our company. Remodeler's Advantage is a select group of remodelers from across the country that meet twice yearly to discuss our industry, our challenges, and how to be a better remodeler and employer. The lessons we learn from our group members' successes and failures continue to shape our business for the better.
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One can easily speak for our entire team in saying that what we've built together at Mahogany Builders is the pride of our lives. We perpetuate a culture with an impact far greater than the sum of its parts, providing tremendous value to everyone we interact with. The sense of pride we have when we finish a beautiful job for a happy homeowner; the sense of joy when one of our team members gets married or starts a family, these things keep our fire lit and our focus sharp.
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We look forward to many more years serving Chicago homeowners and ensuring our company remains a source of pride for all concerned.
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Wesley Crocket
General Manager
Mahogany Builders
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