Board & Staff
Brandon Burgess
PRESIDENT/STATE DIRECTOR
Brandon is the Co-Owner of Landmark Construction and Development. Landmark specializes in the design, development and construction of commercial projects. Their projects primarily include Hospitality, Multi-family, Class A Office Space, Medical, Industrial, Worship and Recreational facilities.
Brandon has over 14 years of experience in commercial construction. He has completed 100+ commercial projects, 2,500,000+ SF, spanning the entire East coast and as far West as Texas. He is the current non-restricted license holder for Landmark Construction and Development.
Brandon has lived in the Lake Oconee area for the last 9 years with his wife Emily and two daughters, Finley and Molly. Brandon and his family love calling the LakeOconee area home.
Jason Green
VICE PRESIDENT
Jason is the Co-Owner of Evergreen Homes & Development. Evergreen is a custom home building company with more than 20 years experience in construction that specializes in building new luxury homes at Lake Oconee.Evergreen approaches each project with an unwavering commitment to building quality homes for the enjoyment of our clients.
Jason attended Georgia Southern University, where he received a Bachelor of Business Management degree with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. First working as a project manager for a commercial construction company before entering the world of residential construction here at the lake community. Jason is a lifetime resident of Putnam County and lives on a family farm in Putnam County with his wife Megan and two children, Jase (8) and Charlotte (6).
Blake Culberson
TREASURER/SECRETARY
Blake is the Owner of Empire South Construction. Empire South Construction is a residential building company focusing on custom and speculative projects, primarily in Greene and Putnam counties.
Blake graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Business Management before moving back to Atlanta, where he began his career in building. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Blake has developed a passion for luxury craftsmanship and unique construction. He is mindful of the exact needs of his clients while also developing efficient budgets and schedules, offering a stress-free experience. When developing speculative homes, he is thoughtful about the design, making each one feel custom and unique.
Blake and his family relocated to the Lake Oconee area in 2020. Blake and his wife, Ashley, have three daughters: Aubrey, Mary Taylor and Alden.
Jason Latimer
PAST PRESIDENT
Jason Latimer is co-owner of SERVPRO of Baldwin, Putnam and Jones Counties and SERVPRO of Monroe, Madison & Monticello.
Jason has been in the insurance restoration business for the past 19 years. Over the last 13 years as owner of SERVPRO, Jason has overseen hundreds of Water, Fire and Mold damage restoration projects in the lake area. His staff is capable of handling any size disaster from start to finish.
Jason graduated from Georgia College in May 1997 with a BBA in General Business.
Jason lives in Milledgeville on Lake Sinclair with his wife, Jody and their three children, Brayden (21), Addie(17) and Brooks (17). Jody has been a high school Spanish teacher at John Milledge Academy for the last 26 years.
Susan Kent
ASSOCIATE VICE-PRESIDENT (1 YEAR)
Susan had been involved in her husband’s property investment business for 19 years, but when they moved to Greensboro in 2019, she was ready for a new challenge. Susan joined the team at Artisan Custom Closets, where she loves being a part of the design process and spending time in the field with builders and their clients. As a Senior Design Consultant, Susan’s projects range from multi-structure new construction to condo remodels, giving her the enjoyment of working through all kinds of design needs and interests.
After graduating from Purdue, Susan married Jeff and joined him in his hometown of Shelbyville, IN. When Jeff became able to work remotely, they relocated to Greensboro with their two daughters. Caroline is a student at UGA, and Willa is a student at Georgia Tech.
Jake Meyer
BUILDER DIRECTOR (2024 & 2025)
Jacob (Jake) Meyer is the co-owner of Meyer Contracting Inc., a family business specializing in custom homes and remodeling based in the lake area since 1989. Born and raised in Greensboro, Jake has been an integral part of the company since 2002, bringing a unique blend of skills and experiences to the construction industry.
Jake pursued his passion for music at Northern Arizona University, where he graduated with a degree in the field. Following his academic pursuits, he embarked on a transformative journey with the Peace Corps, dedicating two years to working on water and sanitation projects in Zambia. This experience not only broadened his perspective but also instilled a strong sense of community service.
At home, Jake is a devoted family man. He shares his life with his wife, Katherine, and their two daughters, Ella (18) and Claire (14). Their family life serves as a foundation for his commitment to community and business excellence.
Jake has been actively involved in the Lake Area Business Association (LOABA), contributing significantly to its growth and development. He has served in various leadership roles within LOABA, including treasurer/secretary, vice president, and president, showcasing his dedication to fostering a thriving local business community.
Beyond his business and community engagements, Jake maintains a connection to his musical roots. His background in music not only enriches his personal life but also adds a creative dimension to his approach in the construction industry.
As co-owner of Meyer Contracting Inc., Jake continues to uphold the legacy of the family business, combining a strong work ethic with a passion for community service and a diverse set of experiences that uniquely contribute to the success and character of Meyer Contracting Inc.
Dan Jones
BUILDER DIRECTOR (2024 & 2025)
Dan Jones is co-owner with brother Bobby Jones of Jones & Jones Premier Builders, Inc.
Dan has been involved in construction for 35+ years in various fields ranging from apartment developments, restaurants and other light commercial projects to luxury custom homes.
Jones & Jones was incorporated in 2000 and excels in the quality custom home market, but also does large and small remodeling, as well as light commercial projects. Jones &Jones won the 2010 Builder of the Year award for homes over 7,000 square feet, as well as Lake Oconee Living Magazine’s Builder of the Year for 2010 and 2011. Jones & Jones was also awarded the first-ever HBAG BEAM Award in 2012 for its commitment to the local building industry.
Dan graduatedfrom Georgia Tech with a B.S. in Building Construction in 1987 andreceived an MBA in Finance and Real Estate from Wharton Business School in 1996.
Dan lives in Madisonand hastwo sons–Bobby, lives in Maineand Denham, lives inAthens.He has served in numerous positions within LOABA and is looking forward to continuing his involvement within LOABA.
Cooper Patton
BUILDER DIRECTOR (2025 & 2026)
Cooper’s introduction to the construction world began early when he walked job sites with his dad before eventually joining him in the family’s grading and excavation business. This early exposure sparked a passion for construction and laid the foundation for his expertise in the field. After obtaining his B.S. In Construction Management, he went into grading and development. In 2022, Cooper became a Construction Leader with Brown Haven Homes in Hiawassee, GA, where he honed his skills in every phase of the residential building process, taking projects from “trees to keys.”
Recently, he relocated to Greensboro, GA, with his wife, Katie, and their newborn daughter, Hayden, to spearhead the development of Brown Haven Homes’ newest design studio. Cooper isexcited to lead the office, build a strong team, and continue delivering exceptional homes forclients.
Beyond his professional life, Cooper enjoys spending time with his family and friends, watching Georgia football, and engaging in any activity that takes him outdoors. He also has a passion for cooking and loves experimenting in the kitchen.
Gary Pierotti
BUILDER DIRECTOR (2025 & 2026)
Gary Pierotti and his wife, Nancy, own and operate Lakeside Custom Builders LLC dba Camden Homes. Nancy and I moved to Reynolds Lake Oconee in 1994.
Camden Homes is a residential custom home construction company. This was a natural decision and passion as I grew up working in my father’s construction business during high school and college summers. We assist our clients in designing and building custom homes to the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship. Additionally, we are proud to be in a select group of builders authorized to build homes featured in the Reynolds Signature Home Collection.
Our success in our home building business has given us many new opportunities. I am a member of the Governance Board for the Greene County High School College and Career Academy. I have served as President twice of the Lake OconeeHome Builders Association.
Jim Strickland
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR (2024 & 2025)
Jim Strickland serves as Market President for BankSouth’s Greene County offices. He has worked at BankSouth since 2011, spending most of his years in builder finance. Jim was born and raised in Greene County, where his roots run deep, and his family’s long history is tied to Lake Country. Jim graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Management in 1997. He graduated from The Barrett School of Banking in Memphis, TN and serves on their Banking School Board. Jim is also a Greene County Chamber of Commerce board member in North East, GA. Public Safety Training Center and the Lake Oconee Area Builders Association. Jim lives in Madison with his wife, Ellen and their four children, Carolyn (19), Mary Cate (17), Davis (15) and Amanda (13), who attend Morgan County Middle and High School.
Jody Page
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR (2024 & 2025)
Jody Page was born and raised in Dublin, GA. Jody started in the building business in 1981, working at a lumber supply store in Vidalia, GA. Since then, he has worked in all phases of the building business industry.
Jody moved to the Lake area in 1999 and has worked in the lake area building industry for over 25 years. He has worked with many of the lake area builders and homeowners during his time as a lumber salesperson.
For the past 15 years, Jody has been employed with Harbin Lumber Company, where he enjoys working with the lake area builders on all their projects. Jody is the General Manager of Harbin Lumber Company in Eatonton, GA. He has a lot of background and knowledge of this industry. Jody looks forward to serving in his new role with the Lake Oconee Area Builders Association and its surrounding communities.
Pat Kozma
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR (2024 & 2026)
Patrick (Pat) Kozma moved to the Greensboro community in the fall of 2019 with his wife, Portia of 33 years. They have a 22-year-old daughter, Peyton. Pat is the construction manager for Habitat for Humanity, working on their new development in Union Point. Pat comes to Habitat with 29 years in theresidential building products having a knowledge in products such as windows, vinyl siding, gutters andmasonry products. Pat is a member of Lake Oconee Church where he leads a weekly small group. In his spare time, Pat enjoys competing in triathlons, golfing and deer hunting.
Christy Kimbrough
MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN (2 YEAR)
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS CHAIRMAN (2023 & 2024)
Christy Kimbrough is with Oconee Comfort Insulation and has been in the construction industry for more than 20 years. She has been an active member of the Builders Association for many years, including serving as Association Vice President as well as the following committees Membership, Blood Drive, Charitable Contributions, The Big Event and Golf Tournament committees. She was recognized as the Associate of the Year for the LOABA for 2009. Christy and her husband, Robert, are lifelong residents of Greene County.
Alan Deariso
BPAC TRUSTEE
Alan Deariso was reared in McDuffie County (Thomson), GA and is a 1989 graduate of Georgia Tech. He is Vice-President of Fowler-FlemisterConcrete, where he spends most of his time focused on quality control and making sure customers get a product that meets their needs. He is a past chairman of the Georgia Ready-Mixed Concrete Association. He is married to the lovely and gracious Diane HooperDeariso of Inverness, FL. They have two grown children, Foster and Jesse. Alan enjoys a good Maduro paired with a fine pale ale, reading, music, and long walks on the beach
Bo Echols
BIG EVENT CHAIRMAN
Bo Echols is a commercial account executive for Strawn & Co., Insurance (a partner of Oakbridge Insurance), where he focuses on helping construction and trade contractors grow by teaching them how to take control of their insurance spending. He has served on the board of the Lake Oconee Area Builder’s Association for two years as the Big Event chairman and strives to promote community connection and business awareness through his role.
He was born and raised in McDonough and graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in business. He and his wife, Caroline, and two children, Whit (5) and Miller (2), moved to Buckhead, GA, in the summer of 2023 to open a Strawn &Co. Insurance office location in Greensboro and allow his wife to continue her teaching career at Gatewood Schools. Bo is also an active board member of the Greene-Putnam Counties Rotary Club. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, tennis, service projects and coaching youth sports.
Kelli Fowler
LAKE VEGAS CHAIRMAN
Kelli Fowler is a VP/Senior Mortgage Banker for BankSouthMortgage. Kellimoved to Georgia in 1994 after graduating from college and has since called it her home. She has been a resident of Lake Oconee for 20 years with her husband, Jerry. Kelli has over 20 years of mortgage experience and prides herself on her commitment to her business and her community. Kelli returns to LOABA as Lake Vegas Chairman for 2024-2025. Kelli previously served on the LOABA Board for 6 years as Marketing Chairman and volunteered on the Big Event Committee for nine years. In addition to her service with LOABA, she is an affiliate member of the Lake Country Board of Realtors, serving as their Programs & Events Chairman for her 18th consecutive year. Kelli is looking forward to continuing in this role and growing the Lake Vegas event, serving on the board and networking with other industry leaders and sharing with others the value LOABA brings to their members and the community
Rick Buechler
GOLF TOURNAMENT
Rick Buechler has been building custom homes for over 35 years. He began his building career in Columbus, Ohio, where, for 15 years, he was General Manager and Senior Executive Vice President of a homebuilding company. He was involved in the development, marketing, construction and sales of custom homes in 32 communities throughout central Ohio, building over 7000 homes during this time. This experience led Rick, along with his wife Kim, to start Rick Buechler Custom Homes at Lake Oconee. They are celebrating their 21st year here at the lake. Together, they have built over homes within Reynolds Plantation and share a commitment to build the best–in quality, craftsmanship and style. Rick is looking forward to his involvement on the board of the Lake Oconee Area Builder’s Association and believes that the association is an excellent partner for education, communication and networking for all in the building industry around Lake Oconee.
Greig McCully
SPORTING CLAY
Greig has been in the Outdoor Cooking business since 2007 and has been an enthusiast for over 30 years. He has established himself as an expert in the safe construction, installation and appliances for the outside of the home. Greig and his business, Fireside, have extensive experience with gas logs, fire pits, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kitchens, and all outdoor appliances. His retail store in Augusta, GA, displays multiple outdoor kitchens, gas logs, outdoor heaters and all the most popular cooking tools, along with stand-alone grills and a lot more. Fireside offers cooking classes that always strive to offer customers better ways to use what they already own and a strong desire for people to walk away with new ideas and knowledge they can use to enjoy the outdoor cooking experience even more. Fireside has seen the completion of over 3,000 outdoor kitchens and taught over 130 cooking classes using the products it sells. Fireside designs, sells and builds outdoor kitchens, enjoying a strong working relationship with builders that desire access to a larger product line and CAD services for these projects. Greig and his wife Katherine “Kat” have enjoyed the Lake Oconee area since 2007. They have lived in the area for about 11 years part-time while residing full-time in nearby Augusta, GA. Having been a member of the Lake Oconee Area Builder’s Association 2010, Greig wanted to become a more involved member, looking to meet people in the area and expand his network of friends and customers while working to see the association become an even bigger success
Stephanie Kelly
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
FAIRWAY POA - TREASURER
Stephanie is with Metro Water Filter in Homebuilder Sales. She has been in the construction industry for 18 years. Stephanie began her career in the construction industry with her Dad, Dick Kreusch, a custom homebuilder in the Lake Oconee area. She spent eight of those years on the construction side and is in her 11th year with Metro Water Filter. She has been involved with LOABA all of those years, serving as Vice President, President along with leading or assisting many committees of the association. Stephanie’s position of Work Force Development for LOABA is one she enjoys as she exposes students to future career possibilities in the construction industry. She volunteers with Atlas, has served as a CASA and leads a local Bible study. Stephanie and Mike live in the Lake Oconee area.
Julie Wade
BLOOD DRIVE CHAIRMAN
Julie Wade is co-owner of Oconee Cabinets with her husband Ray. Oconee Cabinets was established in January of 1987 by her father and specializes in providing custom and manufactured cabinetry of all types to the lake area. They are committed to excellence in craftsmanship and customer service with a reputation of integrity, honesty and open communication with local builders and their clients for more than 35 years.
Julie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgia College in 1990 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing. She began her career at Reynolds Plantation as the Marketing Assistant then worked for Personna Medical, Wellington Leisure Products, Apple South and Century 21 gaining valuable experience in various fields. Julie joined the family business in 2001 after being involved in construction and real estate for more than 20 years.
Ray has been with the business for 30+ years after serving in the United States Navy. He oversees the daily operations of the shop. They have one daughter Laura who is a Pharmacist at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. They proudly reside in Putnam County and are committed to supporting the community and its continued growth.
Brett Mauldin
FRAN FAXON FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN
Brett is the Vice President of Marble Works. The company was founded and owned by his father, Larry Mauldin in June 1990. Brett has worked his way up through the ranks since age 11. He is married to Candice Mauldin. He attended high school locally, graduating from Gatewood. He later received a degree in Business Administration from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, where he proudly served as the captain of the Rugby Football Club.
Marble Works joined the association in November 1990. Brett became a second-generation associate board member, following in his father’s footsteps. He has three amazing children that are his greatest accomplishments.
Tim Pierson
BYLAWS/STRATEGIC PLAN
Allow me to introduce myself: I’m Tim Pierson, but you can call me the not-so-stuffy guy behind Blueprint Financial Strategies. Yep, that’s right—I'm the one who gets all giddy about helping small business owners in the trades craft a rock-solid financial future. Whether you're slinging wrenches as a master plumber or dazzling us with your sparky skills as a legendary electrician, I'm on a mission to ensure your hard-earned cash works just as tirelessly as you do. After all, we don’t just sweat it for funsies. Now, I've been part of the association for many years because, while others are dishing out the latest gossip over coffee and donuts, we're smashing through barriers in an industry that's as vital to our community's growth as caffeine is to Monday mornings. It’s like being part of a superhero league, minus the spandex, of course. Oh, and did I mention I'm also steering the ship for the strategic planning of 2025? Yeah, I’m thrilled to be involved and excited to throw the most epic forward-thinking brain party you can imagine. With your help, this is going to be an amazing and rewarding year!
Wendy Daniel
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Wendy Daniel has been employed by LOABA since April 2006. Wendy and her husband Derrick reside in Greene County with their children Delaney, Abby, Hayden and Ellie. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management with a Minor in Marketing from Georgia College & State University. As the EO, her main objective is to provide value to every member of LOABA through promoting, supporting, and educating members.