MOMENTUM BUILDERS: ABOUT US

Momentum Builders are proud to be residential contractors in the Finger Lakes Region who value quality construction, outstanding customer service, and making excellent use of the physical environment that surrounds us.

Founded in 2005 by Anthony (AJ) Browne and Shaun Whistler,  each having an educational and professional background in creating sustainable environments, Momentum Builders aim to be recognized as the premier green building company in Ithaca, New York, and its surrounding communities.

We are relationship driven.  We want you to be delighted with your finished project. And we work with the conscious intention to develop clients for life.

We want you to think of us first whenever you have a new building project!

Anthony (AJ) Browne, Co-owner of Momentum Builders, LLC

AJ earned a Bachelor of Environmental Resource and Forest Engineering from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York.

He began his career in environmental and civil engineering and accrued experience with remediation projects and water diversification management design.

AJ’s goal in founding Momentum Builders was to be on the forefront of the environmental field while being able to have a more immediate impact upon individuals and the way they choose to live.

AJ’s business focus is to interact with clients to understand and implement their project vision, while contributing to community goals of sustainability and conserving resources.

He enjoys spending time outdoors camping and boating with his wife Jessica and their daughter Jezabelle.

Shaun Whistler, Co-owner of Momentum Builders, LLC

Shaun attended the New York State Ranger School in Wanakena, New York and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry  in Syracuse, New York,  to earn an Associate Degree in Forest Technology and Bachelor of Science in Resources Management, respectively.

He worked as an arborist and a forest manager before taking on a 5-year apprenticeship with a master framer and carpenter in Seattle, Washington, building large, high end custom homes.

Shaun loves working carpentry and problem solving to achieve cutting edge, high quality solutions for green, sustainable building opportunities.  His other interests include being outdoors with his dog Djembe, his best friend and companion, as well as sitting around playing banjo with friends.

Shaun believes in the individual’s personal role in creative sustainability, and is passionate about working with others towards a greener world, starting with Ithaca, New York.

Julie Kitson comes from a family of builders, and her cooperative spirit and skills contribute greatly to the Momentum team. She graduated from Earlham College with a degree in Physics, worked in and left the lab life in pursuit of hands-on work with tangible results.

Her interest in building started with a passion for learning all about trees and plant identification. First she started collecting wood from old barns and houses about to be torn down. After cleaning them up in a shop and identifying the wood species, she began turning the wood into window sills, tables, and countertops, leaving wild edges and a non-traditional look. 

In 2005, Julie started a small building company with a  shop which provided wood milling, using receyled materials in a number of unique applications, mostly cabinetry and counter tops.  She  worked on non-traditional houses including log homes, straw bales and timber frame houses. 

Julie joined Momentum Builders in the summer of 2008.  She was drawn to the Company because of their  shared passion and excitement about building, and because she appreciates the spirit of cooperation that Shaun and AJ engender in every aspect of their business.

Julie is a Tompkins County resident and the mother of two children.

Chris Wike graduated from SUNY ESF in Syracuse with a BS in Environmental Forest Biology, and has been working as a timber framer ever since.  Chris apprenticed at Goshen Timber Frames in Franklin, North Carolina, and then worked for Methods and Materials Timber Frame Company in Gilbertsville, PA for four years. During that time, he was able to develop his skills as a framer under the tutelage of multiple well-accomplished timber framers.  He built decks, additions, whole houses, barns, reclaimed barns, and commercial structures, becoming the shop foreman.  From there, Chris then worked as a journeyman timber framer in southeastern PA, working on projects from simple pergolas to complex roof systems.

Chris's first solo barn reclamation brought him back to the Finger Lakes region.  In that project, he took down, relocated, refurbished, and then raised an 1870 Central New York barn on the Seneca wine trail. He loves the idea of reusing and putting life back into a hundred-plus year-old building.

Chris then joined Momentum Builders.  As a member of the Timber Framers Guild, he values the traditional aspects of timber framing.   He says, "From the tools used, to the methods employed and the inherent simplistic nature of the craft, I love that intensely complex structures can be derived from executing simplistic tasks.  I want to blend aspects of timber framing with conventional framing in an effort to better my knowledge of the entire building process, and make the craft accessible to more people. I dislike the homogeny of the housing industry, and feel that homes should reflect the inhabitants, and the surrounding environments with as little impact as necessary."

Chris enjoys woodworking, all things that grow, his soon-to-be wife, Beth, and last but certainly not least, his three four-legged friends.