Family matters at Blackdog Builders in Park City
The father-daughter duo make family part of their ethos
Winter/Spring 21-22
Written By: Meredith Kluever | Images: Gillian Hunter
Blackdog Builders (BDB) owner Todd Evans has deep roots in Park City. His great-grandfather was a miner and Swedish immigrant who ultimately settled in Park City with Todd’s grandmother, a first-generation Parkite.
After a brief hiatus away, Todd’s father moved the family back to Park City in the late ’70s.
After graduating from The University of Utah, Todd and two fraternity brothers started Boardwalk Remodeling in Salt Lake City. The trio worked together for about 18 years, but Todd eventually sold his shares to a partner and started BDB in April 2005. The family’s beloved black lab, Susie, inspired the company name and logo before passing at the age of 14. “Nobody can replace Susie. A lot of the guys are encouraged to bring their dogs to the office so that I can get my dog fix,” says Todd.
But Todd and Susie aren’t the only family members with a hand (or a paw) in the family business. Todd’s daughter, Amanda Evans, oversees marketing, sales, and design at BDB. The Park City native has been working with her dad on and off since she was 16 years old, and over the years the father-daughter duo has fine-tuned both their work and familial relationship.
“Now that I’ve been doing this for over 15 years, I feel like we’ve figured it out,” says Amanda. “It can be tough for sure, separating dad and boss. I think we do a really great job of it; we make a great team, and we also have a lot of fun.”
“She’s always my daughter, no matter what,” Todd chimes in. “I don’t feel that we ever get sick of each other. We are pretty darn good at working and being a family.”
Todd and Amanda’s individual personalities help make the relationship great — they are the yin to the other’s yang. Todd is methodical and empathetic, while Amanda brings energy and vigor. That energy is key as the increase in tourism and influx of Park City transplants continues to bring about more work. Home renovations account for a sweeping majority of BDB’s business, however they also complete custom new builds and commercial build outs.
To help clients save money on expansions or additions, Todd adopts a European mindset, pushing people to redesign the space whenever possible. He likes to rework the flow and efficiency of an area rather than simply adding on more square feet. This way, the client can be more budget and eco-conscious, while BDB can focus on repurposing or donating materials to keep them out of the dump.
From small projects and single-room remodels to new builds and overhaul design, construction, and landscaping, BDB makes creating a dream space as easy as possible. With around 40 employees — many of them long-standing team members — BDB knows the importance of teamwork … and family.
“We try to maintain a family atmosphere. We have a Blackdog philosophy where we mentor one another, work together as a team, treat people with respect, have honesty, have integrity,” says Todd. “Our clients, our subcontractors, and the city inspectors or the county inspectors — everybody that we work with we treat as part of the family.”
