Mason Hearn, left, of design firm HomeMasons, has just acquired Autumn Hunter Design from founder Steffanie Atkins, right. (Photo by Rebecca Costanzo)
A local architectural design and home improvement company is taking on a few more craftsmen (and women) with its latest acquisition.
HomeMasons announced last week that it has acquired local handywoman and custom woodworking company Autumn Hunter Design.
The deal closed on Oct. 15. Terms are not being disclosed.
HomeMasons was founded as McGuire/Hearn, Inc. in 1993, and later became McGuire, Hearn & Toms, before cofounder Mason Hearn became the sole owner in 2003. The company does a variety of design, handyman and remodeling services across Richmond-area homes, from kitchen and bathroom design and remodeling to porch and deck builds to a host of handyman repairs and installations.
The company has been based out of its office at 286 River Road West since its founding over 30 years ago.
Autumn Hunter Design was a “Covid baby” for founder Steffanie Atkins, who told BizSense she founded the company in 2020. Prior to being a handywoman, Atkins spent her career working in radio, most recently as an on-air personality for Classic Rock 96.5.
But stuck at home during the pandemic, she began working on home improvement projects in her own, newly purchased house. After posting photos of her handiwork to Instagram and Facebook, Atkins said she gained traction through working on friends’ homes, and decided to create her own business.
“Within a couple of months, I quit my job, and I was off to the races,” Atkins said. “We really specialize in the woodworking and the handywoman side of everything.”
Atkins grew the business from there, hiring several employees and working on projects throughout the region. Her work has ranged from “hanging curtains to full bathroom renovations,” she said.
While having mostly been known for its design work, HomeMasons has had a small handyman division for around 20 years, Hearn said. Hearn said that HomeMasons’ handyman projects can range anywhere from roughly $300 to into the six figures. HomeMasons has had around 85 handyman customers per year, with some of those being multiple jobs. Hearn said he set out to expand his ranks to help keep up with demand.
“We recently went on a look, really, for a dedicated handyman manager, and happened during that … to get introduced to Steffanie,” Hearn said.
Hearn said that after his and Atkins’ chat, the two began to realize they had some overlap in what they were looking for in the next stages of their respective businesses. For Hearn, that was some extra help, and for Atkins, that was some weight off her shoulders.
“Not only did I own (Autumn Hunter Design), but I was also doing all of the estimates, and during the day I was in the field doing all of the jobs. It was twelve-, fourteen-, sixteen-, eighteen-hour days on a regular basis, seven days a week,” Atkins said.
“(Our) conversation evolved into, ‘maybe we ought to team up,’” Hearn added.
Atkins added that she’s previously turned down multiple offers to buy Autumn Hunter Design, citing that a love of her customers and the business has kept her going. But, with HomeMasons’ background in handyman work and its desire to grow its services there, she felt that it was the right fit to sell to.
“I have a team behind me,” she said. “If there is a question, comment, concern, I have a group of other people here that are just as capable to help me through a problem or process.”
Conversations between Hearn and Atkins began in the summer before the deal ultimately closed in October.
Atkins has joined HomeMasons as the company’s new handyman services manager, and has brought her team with her, adding three employees to the HomeMasons ranks, bringing the company to 11 employees total.
HomeMasons is also currently hiring for additional handyman roles.
Atkins said that while Autumn Hunter Design is now owned by HomeMasons and she and her team are HomeMasons’ employees, the Autumn Hunter website and name on social media will be kept around for roughly a year to facilitate the transition for customers.
And with some more hands in tow, Hearn said he’s excited to turn the volume up on his company’s handyman work, while also keeping current customers’ needs front of mind.
“We do have fairly aggressive plans to scale,” he said. But only if we can do it in the way where we continue to take care of people.”
