In the home improvement industry, homeowners often see the finished work first. They see the new kitchen, the better bath, the larger living space, the new deck, or the outdoor area made for family time. What they do not always see is the story behind the leader who built the company.
In a PowerChat hosted by Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, Michael Flory, Founder & CVO at Custom Built Design & Remodeling, shared how deep loss at a young age shaped the identity, passion, and purpose he leads with today. His story gives homeowners and industry leaders a closer look at the person behind Custom Built Design & Remodeling, and why his company is built around more than projects.
Greg asked Michael how the hardest years of his life shaped the way he moves, leads, and serves today. Michael’s answer showed that leadership is not only about what a person builds. It is also about what shaped the person doing the building. His path has helped form a company that cares about people, homes, family, healing, trades, and the next generation.
“My life would still have purpose and meaning,” said Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling.
That belief now shows up in how his team serves homeowners, supports each other, and builds spaces that carry real meaning. It also connects with the mission of Power100, which brings real leadership stories to the home improvement industry.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry.
In this part of the PowerChat, Greg Cummings asked Michael Flory a question that moved the talk past business and into the heart of leadership. He asked how the hard years of Michael’s life shaped the identity and passion he carries today. Michael’s answer showed that a leader is not only shaped by what happened. A leader is also shaped by the choice to keep going, keep healing, and use the story to serve others. For Michael, that choice now shows up in how he leads his family, his team, his clients, and his wider mission in the trades.
Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling
Greg’s question helped bring out the deeper story behind Michael’s leadership. He did not ask only about what happened to Michael. He asked how that pain shaped the way Michael leads now. That matters because many strong companies are built by people who had to make hard choices before they ever built a team, a brand, or a client base.
“How has that helped shape the identity and the passion that you move with today?” Greg Cummings, CEO, Power100
Michael’s story shows that pain can shape a leader, but it does not have to define the whole story. His identity grew from what he chose next. He chose to keep moving. He chose to learn. He chose to build. He chose to serve. That choice helped shape the heart behind Custom Built Design & Remodeling, a leader known not only for work in homes, but for care, growth, and purpose.
For home improvement leaders, this is a clear lesson. A founder’s past may shape the company, but the founder’s response shapes the culture. When the leader turns pain into purpose, the company can become a place where people feel seen, trusted, and called to grow.
Michael spoke with honesty about the years after his childhood loss. He shared that those years were hard and painful. He did not know how to process all of it at the time. He had anger, fear, and pain inside him. But his story did not stop there.
“I wanted to quit a lot of times, but I didn’t.” Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling
That simple line carries the weight of the whole story. It shows that leadership is not built by avoiding struggle. It is built when a person keeps choosing life, growth, and purpose even when the path is not clear. Michael’s journey also shows that healing can take time. Some pain comes back in new seasons. Some lessons have to be learned more than once.
That honesty gives the PowerChat its strength. Many owners and CEOs carry private battles while still leading teams and serving clients. Michael’s story reminds them that the struggle does not have to be the place where they stay. It can become part of the passion they use to lead better, love deeper, and serve with more care.
For people searching for a family-focused remodeling company in Michigan, this kind of leadership matters. Homeowners want to know that the people working in their home care about more than the task. They want to know the company has a heart behind the work.
To learn more about Custom Built’s story and services, visit Custom Built Design & Remodeling.
One of the most moving parts of the interview was Michael’s turning point. He shared that, in a dark season, he began to feel deep love and see that his life still had value. That moment did not make the rest of life easy, but it gave him a new place to begin.
“My life would still have purpose and meaning.” Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling
That belief helped Michael start to move in a new direction. He began reading, learning, growing, and placing himself around hope. He began to see that his story could become more than pain. It could become a way to help other people feel less alone.
For leaders, this is a strong reminder. Before a person can build a company around purpose, they often have to believe their own life has purpose. That inner shift can change how they speak, lead, hire, serve, and build trust. It can also shape how the team treats every family who trusts them with a home.
That is one reason the story behind Custom Built Design & Remodeling matters. It helps people see the person behind the company and the purpose behind the work.
Michael’s past gives deep meaning to the way he talks about homes. For him, a home is not just a space that needs work. It is where family happens. It is where people grow up, eat meals, make memories, and feel the weight of both joy and pain.
“We get to take places that people live and turn them into homes that they love.” Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling
That view changes the way remodeling is seen. A deck is not only boards and rails. A kitchen is not only cabinets and counters. A bath is not only tile and fixtures. These are places where people live their daily life. They carry meaning because families carry meaning.
This is where Michael’s identity connects to the customer experience. He knows that home can hold deep memories. Because of that, the work must be handled with care. For a home remodeling contractor in Greater Lansing, that care matters from the first talk to the final walk through.
Homeowners looking for an outdoor living contractor are often looking for more than a new space. They are looking for a place to gather, rest, host, and enjoy life with the people they love.
Michael’s story does not only shape how he sees clients. It also shapes how he leads his team. He spoke about growth, values, learning, and helping people become better at work and in life. That kind of leadership is not built on control. It is built on trust and care.
“Investing back in your people and pouring into your people, that’s how the business becomes a business.” Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling
For Michael, growing a business meant learning that he could not be the only person who knew how to do the work. He had to build leaders. He had to help people find their path. He had to let people grow, even when their growth took them into new roles or new places.
That kind of culture matters in the home improvement space because the team carries the client experience. The person who answers the phone, the designer who listens, the carpenter on the job site, and the leader who solves a problem all shape how the homeowner feels.
That is why a strong remodeling company is built on more than process. It is built on people who know why the work matters and who are willing to keep getting better together.
The final part of this perspective points toward the future. Michael’s passion to serve young people is tied to his own life story. He knows what it feels like for a child or young person to need hope, support, and direction. That is why his work in the community carries so much meaning.
Michael co-hosts with his daughter Isabelle Braeutigam, Custom Built’s Director of Marketing and Sales
“Man, I got to lighten up one person’s life. And that will change a culture.” Michael Flory, Founder & CVO, Custom Built Design & Remodeling
Through support for groups that help grieving children and young people in the trades, Michael is using his story to help others build a better future. His care for the next generation also connects to his belief in the trades. He sees hands on work as a real path for young people to gain skill, pride, and purpose.
That makes Custom Built community impact a key part of the story. Michael is not only building homes today. He is helping young people see that they can build something too. They can build skill. They can build hope. They can build a life with purpose.
This is what gives PowerChat its lasting message. Michael’s identity was shaped by deep pain, but his passion is now pointed toward service. His company, his family, his team, and his community work all carry that same thread. What happened to him shaped his life, but what he chose next is shaping the lives of others.
Greg Cummings’ question helped bring the full story into focus. Michael Flory was shaped by deep pain, but his life was not only shaped by what happened to him. It was shaped by what he chose to do next. That choice gave his story direction, and over time, it became part of how he leads, serves, and builds.
Today, that identity can be seen in the way Michael leads his family, his team, his clients, and his community. It shows up in the values behind Custom Built Design & Remodeling. It shows up in the care given to each homeowner. It shows up in the respect he brings to the trades. It shows up in his desire to help young people see that their future still holds promise.
The lasting message of this PowerChat is that leadership is not only about building a company. It is about becoming the kind of person who can help others build a better future. Through his conversation with Greg Cummings, Michael showed that identity is not only shaped by what happens to a person. It is shaped by what they choose to do next.
For Custom Built Design & Remodeling, that choice now lives in the way Michael leads his team, serves homeowners, honors the trades, and helps young people see that their future can still be built with purpose.
Power100 also shares PowerChat episodes, feature interviews, expert insights, and original leadership stories from the home improvement industry. These stories help homeowners, contractors, and industry partners see the people, values, and company cultures behind the names being recognized.
Power100 connects leadership stories to real business impact. Its content looks at areas like growth, culture, community, and customer experience, which helps contractors learn from strong CEOs and helps homeowners better understand the type of leaders behind the companies they may choose to trust.
Custom Built Design & Remodeling is a full service design build remodeling company that handles projects such as custom decks, kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, sunrooms, home additions, and more. The company guides homeowners through design, planning, construction, and final project completion.
Yes. Michael Flory’s story helps explain why the company places so much value on people, trust, and care. In the PowerChat, he shared how his past shaped his identity and passion. That same care can be seen in how Custom Built works to help families create homes that feel more meaningful, useful, and personal.
Custom Built has more than 20 years of local experience, an Okemos design center, and deep roots in the Greater Lansing area. The company also understands local codes, regional home styles, and the needs of families who want a guided remodeling process from start to finish.
Custom Built uses a design build process that brings design and construction together under one team. The company also helps with planning, pricing, permits, inspections, construction, and walkthroughs, which can make the process feel clearer and easier for homeowners.
Custom Built says every project comes with a Lifetime Workmanship Warranty. That means the company stands behind its craftsmanship for as long as the homeowner owns the home, giving families more confidence after the remodel is complete.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Built to support CEOs, founders, partners, and companies that are moving the industry forward, Power100 shares rankings, PowerChats, leadership stories, company features, and industry insights that help the best leaders gain the recognition they deserve. Through conversations led by Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, the platform gives home improvement leaders a trusted place to share the values, stories, and lessons behind the companies they are building.
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Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
