Omaha contractor influenced and supported by Dan Hecox
Sarah Thelen of S. Thelen Construction LLC is a jack-of-all-trades in Omaha, Neb. She specializes in interior home remodeling, from bathrooms to kitchens to installing handrail systems. She started as a trim carpenter for new homes, and worked at that for about seven years. From there, she “started looking at the tile guys and was like, ‘Hey, I kind of want to give that a try.’”
She chose to carve her own path, rather than take the subcontractor route. She took tile classes in Omaha and asked a lot of questions of tile installer friends. Thelen has been a small business owner for six years, running her home remodeling business on her own, and recently hiring help for the technological end of business operations.
Thelen does everything from design to finished product. She is adept at handling GC responsibilities, since she has an associate degree in building construction. However, she also has a reliable network of people that she recommends when it comes to plumbing, electric, and other trades.
Drawn to NTCA by Dan Hecox
Thelen has been a member of the NTCA since 2019. She became a member because of one of her mentors, Dan Hecox – who was a huge influence in the Omaha area – and to Thelen personally. He urged her to become an NTCA member to learn more, and to get her Certified Tile Installer (CTI) credential from the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF).
Unfortunately, Hecox passed away in 2020. Thelen attended the golf tournament held in his memory, and won the drawing for a free chance to take the CTI test. She passed the exam on her first try; she is CTI #1848. She said, laughing, “Even from the grave that dude still somehow got me to take my test and pass it.”
Thelen appreciates the network of people and resources that NTCA provides, and since she installs wood flooring as well, plans to obtain her International Certified Flooring Installer (CFI) certification.
“I want to become really good, and get certified in what I can just to make myself that much better,” she said.
Starting out as a woman in the trades was not all “rainbows and butterflies.” She was not welcomed by a lot of people, but the people who hired her when she started in carpentry welcomed her. They stood behind her because she did good work. Eventually, people got used to her being there, and accepted her.
An inviting community
New construction was a challenge for Thelen, but the tile community in Omaha was warm and inviting. She entered the field guarded and ready to defend herself, and she was greeted with a friendly, “Hey how are you?” She was shocked by the kindness of the tile installers in her area; however, often some tile contractors assume that she sells tile instead of installing it. She said, “I’ve come up with some pretty bad jokes to make them think about it when they ask me what tile I sell.” She also combats this misperception by telling her truth and clarifying what she offers.
Thelen is a member of NTCA Women in Tile (NTCAWomenInTile.com). She tries to help out where she can, because she would love to see more knowledgeable women who can answer questions for the tile community, such as Dawn Suiter of Strong Work Renovations, Jaime Karsky of Meadowlark Tile and Tracey Daniel of The Tile Lady.
The greatest satisfaction she gets from tile is the look from her customers when she finishes the project. The look, she described as the “f*ck yeah” look. She said, “That’s what keeps me going from job to job is that ‘F*ck yeah, this is mine’.”
Amanda Mourelatos
Amanda Mourelatos, daughter of John Mourelatos, Owner of Mourelatos Tile Pro, is a senior at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., where she is majoring in journalism with a communications minor.
