Hidden Gems: Meet Caleb Kangas of Third Space Design Build

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caleb Kangas

Hi Caleb, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started the company in 2011 after finishing graduate school at the University of Massachusetts where I completed my Masters in Business Administration (MBA). I was looking to leave corporate America and create a landscape company that would provide top notch service and integrity technology and best practices in everything we did. The first several years in business we focused on mowing and landscape maintenance work. Over the years we started to transition into more design build work and creating outdoor living spaces for our clients. At our 10 year anniversary we rebranded from Dynamic Earth Lawn & Landscape to Third Space Design Build. By this point we had moved exclusively into building outdoor living spaces and so the rebrand was a way for us to better tell our story and capture our new audience.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anyone that has started a small business knows there is no such thing as a smooth road. Each day, month, and year has its own challenges. In the first few years there were the challenges of working in the business and also on the business, it was not uncommon to work 50-60 hours each week out in the field just to stay caught up. Then nights and weekends would be spent on the estimates, invoicing, etc.

As we slowly started to build our team in the field that allowed me more time to grow the business and develop client relationships. When Covid hit we were left wondering if we would be allowed by the government to continue working, and fortunately we were. There was a lot of uncertainty during this time for me and my team. Little did we know that people being home for the next 18-24 months would be a big boost to our business. Being able to create beautiful outdoor spaces for our clients was amazing during this time, everyone was so grateful to have a space that was safe for them to be in. I think it was extra special because so many people were outside with friends, family, and neighbors building community, which is what we are all about here.

At the 11 year mark we had some really pivotal things happen. We had to let several of our field staff go for various performance based reasons and we had made two hires where we spent a lot of money on skilled people. We hired an Operations Manager and a new Field Foreman, both positions commanded a lot of money and training. But within 3-4 months both people had moved on to new companies. This really was a blow for us because we had spent several months training them, paying high wages and expecting our production to improve.

After that going through those people we kind of hit the reset button and looked at our goals and values as a company. We started bringing in people that aligned with those, even if they didn’t have the skill set we needed. We knew we could train the skills but we would have a harder time changing the character of the people. We wanted people we liked and that liked our clients. We now have an awesome team and I would not want to trade them for anything.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Third Space Design Build ?
The term “Third Space” refers to a social environment that is distinct from the two primary settings of home (“First Space”) and work (“Second Space”). In these third spaces, people can gather and interact in a relaxed and informal manner. The concept emphasizes the importance of these spaces for enhancing social connections.

That is why we are Third Space, we build spaces for people to connect with friends, family, and community. We love building front yard patios, pools that the neighbors will use, saunas and cold plunges that help with mental well-being.

The main thing that sets us apart is our people. We spend up to 2 weeks every year training our team on the industry best practices so that we can produce the highest level of work. We are also Unilock Authorized Contractors, ICPI Certified Paver Installers, and SRW Certified Retaining Wall installers. We take our education and doing things right seriously. If we mess something up we will fix it, we know we aren’t perfect but we can fix our mistakes when they happen.

When you work with Thirds Space you will get a job that is done correctly by people that care about you and your space.

Any outdoor living item we can design and build for you, from pools, fire features, outdoor kitchens, patios, and so much more. If you can dream it we can build it.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Kansas City is am amazing place. I have lived here 35+ years now. I love the Chiefs and Mahome’s, it’s been amazing to be a part of football history in this city. Kansas City is so easy to get around and has an amazing restaurant and coffee scene. I’m always looking for the next best place to grab a cup of Joe. A few of my favorites are Oddly Correct, Post Coffee, and Goat Hill.

The only thing I wish Kansas City had was some mountains. I love being in the mountains and so I wish we had some of those here.

Pricing:

• Our project typically range between $25,000 to $500,000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thirdspacekc.com
• Instagram: @ThirdSpaceKC
• Facebook: @ThirdSpaceKC