A Profile of Virginia’s Premier Luxury Design-Build Firm
There’s a moment in the story of every great company when a choice is made — not about what to build, but about who gets to share in what was built. For BOWA Design Build, that moment arrived recently. And in making it, co-founders Larry Weinberg and Josh Baker said something loudly and clearly to their team and to the world: this company belongs to the people who make it great.
That decision — to transition BOWA into an employee-owned firm and simultaneously adopt Benefit Corporation status — is the latest chapter in one of the most remarkable business stories in Northern Virginia. But to understand why it matters, you have to go back to where the story begins.
Two Friends, $10,000, and a Dream
BOWA was founded in 1988 by Larry Weinberg and Josh Baker, who became friends while attending the University of Virginia. After a short time in the corporate world — as an accountant and chemist, respectively — the two began planning to set out on their own. Recognizing the untapped growth in the construction market in the DC area, they relocated to Northern Virginia to work as laborers and carpenters on remodeling crews in the summer of 1987. The following January, they launched BOWA with a $5,000 investment from each. By the end of their very first year, they had hired four employees, completed 27 contracts, and earned nearly $310,000 in revenue.
Not bad for two guys who started out swinging hammers.
What set BOWA apart from the beginning wasn’t just craftsmanship — it was a recognition, earned the hard way through years of client feedback, that the experience of remodeling mattered just as much as the finished result. With an understanding that the client’s overall experience is just as important as the finished project, the team went about revamping their infrastructure, processes, and policies to support their client-first approach. That philosophy — total accountability from architecture through construction and beyond — became the backbone of everything BOWA would build over the next four decades.
A Historic Transition: Owned by Everyone Who Earns It
In one of the most meaningful decisions in BOWA’s 37-year history, Larry and Josh recently formalized something that had been true in spirit for years: BOWA became an employee-owned luxury design-build remodeling firm, establishing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) alongside direct employee share ownership.
“From the beginning, BOWA was built by people who think and act like owners,” said Larry Weinberg, Co-Founder and CEO. “Establishing employee ownership simply aligns the structure of the company with the way we already operate. If our only goal were financial return, there were other paths available. We chose this one because it protects our independence and reinforces our responsibility to our clients, our partners, and our community.”
Weinberg continues to serve as CEO, alongside President David Brandt and the full leadership team. Alongside the ESOP, BOWA adopted Benefit Corporation status, legally formalizing its responsibility to employees, clients, partners, community, and the environment alongside financial performance. In other words, BOWA isn’t just accountable to a balance sheet anymore — it’s accountable to people, places, and purpose.
“We believe business can be both profitable and principled,” Weinberg said. Few firms in the remodeling industry — or any industry — can say the same and mean it as completely.
The Team: Depth, Experience, and Genuine Excellence
BOWA’s team includes trained design professionals, the area’s leading green building expert, the former chapter president of NARI, Vice Presidents of Production with 35-plus years of experience, and Project Supervisors who have been with BOWA for more than 30 years — nearly 100 employees committed to delivering heroic customer service every day.
David Brandt has been with BOWA since 1989 and an owner since 2001, bringing more than 30 years of experience in financial and administrative operations. Jim Thomas joined in 1988, rising through project management to become Chief Knowledge Officer — overseeing human resources, information technology, and the training and development of BOWA’s people. Lauren Magee, AIA, serves as Vice President of Architecture and Design, leading the firm’s architectural vision with a thoughtful, hands-on approach. Colin Sonnenday, Executive Vice President of CDB Production, brings 25-plus years of residential remodeling experience in the DMV area, with several of his projects published in Architectural Digest, Fine Homebuilding, and Home and Design Magazine.
Behind every BOWA project is also a remarkable design staff. Kelli Blaisdell brings a fine arts background and years spent designing congressional offices on Capitol Hill and historic homes in Virginia’s Hunt Country — a unique combination of polish and practicality that shows in every space she touches.
Services: From First Conversation to a Lifetime of Support
BOWA’s service offering is genuinely comprehensive, covering every phase of the luxury residential remodeling process under one roof. Their specialties include kitchen renovations, primary suite transformations, whole-house and whole-condo remodels, home additions, basement renovations, outdoor living spaces, pool house design and construction, historic preservation, and custom home builds.
What makes BOWA’s model distinct is the design-build approach — a single, accountable team handling architecture, design, and construction as one seamless process. No finger-pointing between a separate architect and contractor. No budget surprises caused by incomplete drawings. Just one team, one contract, and one clear line of accountability from the first sketch to the final walkthrough. BOWA delivers the most value to clients looking to do larger-scale, luxury renovations — projects that are more complicated in nature and would benefit from full-time, on-site project management. This investment in peace of mind typically makes sense for projects of $200,000 or more.
And the commitment doesn’t end at move-in. BOWA offers a lifetime customer service support program — returning calls, honoring warranties, and remaining a resource for their clients long after the tools are packed away. Today, 80–90% of BOWA’s projects come from returning clients and referrals, a number that speaks more powerfully than any award ever could.
Notable Work: Where Vision Meets Craft
Over nearly four decades, BOWA has completed hundreds of projects across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC — and several stand out as particularly stunning examples of what the firm does at its best.
A McLean Family Renovation saw BOWA transform a dated Northern Virginia home into a light-filled, family-focused masterpiece — opening up the main living areas, redesigning the kitchen to become the true heart of the home, and adding a gracious outdoor living space that expanded the family’s daily life into the landscape.
A Great Falls Whole-House Remodel involved a dramatic reconfiguration of a traditional colonial, adding space above and behind the existing footprint while maintaining the home’s architectural character. The result was a home that felt newly built from the inside out.
A Washington, DC Condo Renovation demonstrated BOWA’s versatility — proving that the same level of precision, design intelligence, and project management that goes into a suburban estate can be brought equally to a high-rise condominium, where logistics and building coordination add enormous complexity.
An historic 1910 McLean Landmark was in disrepair and needed a whole-house renovation — a project that required BOWA’s team to honor the home’s century-old bones while bringing it fully into the 21st century, a balance that demands both historical sensitivity and modern construction expertise.
Awards: 270 Reasons to Believe the Hype
The accolades BOWA has earned across its history are staggering in both number and prestige. BOWA has been honored with more than 270 awards for business, design, and construction excellence, including being named National Remodeler of the Year by Professional Remodeler magazine, Best Remodeling Firm by Bethesda Magazine, and Largest Whole House Remodeler by Qualified Remodeler magazine.
The firm has also been honored as a Best Place to Work, and its project portfolio regularly appears in national shelter publications. It is, by any measure, one of the most decorated remodeling firms in the country.
What Clients Are Saying
BOWA’s most powerful credentials aren’t hanging on the wall — they’re written by the people who’ve lived in homes BOWA helped transform. Consistently, 95% of clients rate BOWA a 9 or 10 when asked whether they would recommend the company, citing BOWA’s budget guarantee, schedule guarantee, and warranty program as key reasons for their loyalty.
Here, in the words of clients themselves, is the clearest picture of what working with BOWA is really like:
“BOWA just finished our family room addition and while we knew we were in good hands, we were blown away by what they created. The craftsmanship is impeccable and the whole team was top notch.”
“From the first meeting, to the design phase, to construction, and the final walk-through — everything was handled with the utmost professionalism. Our project came in on time and on budget. I cannot recommend BOWA highly enough.”
“We’ve remodeled before. We’ve never experienced anything like BOWA. It genuinely felt like they cared as much about our home as we do.”
The Verdict
BOWA Design Build is the rare company that has earned its reputation through 37 years of consistent, principled, extraordinary work. From that original $10,000 bet between two friends with a vision to a nearly 100-person employee-owned Benefit Corporation — the arc of BOWA’s story is one of integrity compounding over time.
If you’re ready to transform your home and want a team that will treat it — and you — with the care it deserves, BOWA is the answer.
7900 Westpark Drive
McLean, VA 22102
201 East Washington Street
Middleburg, VA 20117
(703) 734-9050
Serving Greater Washington, DC | Virginia, Maryland & DC
Sources
This article was written with the assistance of AI
