Meet our staff
Steve Northway
Principal, CEO
Steve Northway is co-founder and CEO of Northway Construction. He has been in the construction industry since graduating with an accounting degree from West Virginia University in 1978. Steve moved to the Brainerd area upon graduation to co-found a construction company with his older brother. Over the next 25 years, Steve grew that business into one of central Minnesota’s largest construction companies. He served, often simultaneously, in many different capacities within the company, from laborer to project manager to salesman to marketing manager to president, CFO & CEO.
Steve retired in 2003 to pursue his growing interest in the field of building science, and embarked on a second career as CEO of Building Knowledge, Inc. (BKI), the building science/green building practices company chosen by the U.S. Green Building Council to develop the national LEED for Homes program. In 2008, Steve resigned as CEO of BKI to focus his full attention on Northway Construction. He retains an ownership interest in BKI.
Since 2006, Steve has directed his 30 years of experience and his passion for high-performance building into the exciting venture of building Northway Construction from the ground up.
Steve financed his college with a target-shooting scholarship, earning Honorable Mention All-American honors in 1978, and participated in the 1980 Olympic trials. He holds black belts in three martial arts. Steve attributes his success in the building industry in part to the focus and self-discipline developed in these endeavors. He and his wife, Lee Anne, have three daughters.
JJ Levenske
President, Project Manager
Northway Construction’s President, J.J. Levenske, is a seasoned estimator and project manager with 15 years of experience in commercial, industrial and residential construction. From conceptual estimating to detailed budgeting to ensuring that complex projects stay within budget and on time, he brings to his clients an enthusiastic commitment to delivering the highest levels of professionalism and customer service.
As a cost engineer for Faithful & Gould–Minneapolis in the late 1990s, J.J. conducted feasibility estimates, strategic capital estimates, cost planning, cost reporting, and analysis of value engineering for the technology, petrochemical, and food industries on projects ranging from $3 million to $300 million. He subsequently developed and managed a variety of systems for estimating, scheduling, resource management and cost tracking while holding project manager and construction manager positions in the Twin Cities and Brainerd areas, and served as project manager for a Nisswa-based construction firm from 2000 to early 2008.
J.J. earned his B.S. in Construction with a minor in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin–Stout and has completed MBA coursework at the University of St. Thomas. He has traveled extensively throughout the Western Hemisphere, and is a passionate waterfowl hunter. He and his wife, Kelli, and their two sons are avid skiers and golfers, and enjoy spending time on the water with friends and family.
Ed Northway II, LEED AP
Principal, Vice President
Ed Northway II grew up around the construction industry: his late father, Ed Sr., was one of the founders of one of central Minnesota’s largest construction companies. In 2005, following military and corporate careers, he returned to his Brainerd roots. Ed and his uncle, Steve Northway, became partners and formed Northway Construction in 2006.
Graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in mechanical engineering, Ed’s military career included service as electrical officer on a destroyer with deployments throughout northern Europe and the Middle East, and operations officer for a destroyer squadron. He was then posted to the joint Navy and Coast Guard command in San Francisco, performing strategic operational planning for various war scenarios.
Upon returning to civilian life, Ed accepted a position with Valspar Corporation in Chicago, where he supervised their largest latex production facility for two years. He was offered the opportunity to start up a new paint plant for Valspar in California, and subsequently managed their distribution center in Lake Forest, IL, before returning to Brainerd.
At Northway Construction, Ed wears multiple hats, with roles in human resources, project management, technology, marketing and more. He has been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental (LEED) Design Accredited Professional. Ed enjoys sailing, windsurfing, and waterskiing, and has both his real estate license and his pilot’s license. He is also a registered patent agent. He and his wife, Bridget, have a young daughter.
Wendy Jones
Principal, CFO
Wendy Jones, chief financial officer, has been with Northway Construction since its inception. She is responsible for all accounting, financial management, tax compliance and payroll; and is involved with human resources management. As financial manager, she plays a key role in ensuring that construction and subcontractor contracts align with the client’s needs in order to stay within budget for a win/win outcome.
Wendy earned her B.A. in Accounting from the College of St. Scholastica and is preparing to sit for the CPA exam. She is also pursuing an MBA from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. Before joining Northway Construction, Wendy was a regional consultant for BISYS (now Ascensus) Retirement Services, a financial services firm serving banks, credit unions and non-depository insurance companies. While at BISYS she performed financial management for her territory and consulted with her clients on financial and tax considerations.
Wendy grew up in Homer, Wisconsin, and now lives in the Brainerd area with her husband, Matt, and their two young daughters. She is active in her church and volunteers at her older daughter’s school. In addition to her B.A. in Accounting, she holds a B.A. in Sports Management and Marketing from Minnesota State University Mankato and in 2002 completed a marketing internship with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.
Bob Kummet
Principal, Senior Field Supervisor
Bob Kummet has been with Northway Construction since its founding. He’s an award-winning builder, recognized nationally and multiple times at the state level by The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) for the homes he’s crafted. At Northway Construction, Bob heads up the field staff, acting as liaison between the field and the office, and providing input for staffing decisions.
Born and raised in Little Falls, MN, Bob studied carpentry at St. Cloud Technical College, then worked in construction in the Rice/St. Cloud area from 1979 until Steve Northway hired him in 1984 as a foreman at his growing construction firm in Brainerd. Bob remained there until 2005. He was again recruited by Steve Northway in 2006 as a key player in the formation of Northway Construction.
With thirty years of building experience under his belt, Bob operates with equal ease as construction superintendent or foreman, depending on the size of the project. In those roles he interacts with homeowners on a daily basis, and he describes what he does, in large part, as “helping homeowners’ dreams come true.”
Bob and his wife, Doris, have a daughter in college. In his free time he enjoys snowmobiling, yard work and woodworking.
Chad Karas
Senior Project Manager
Project manager Chad Karas learned the construction business straight out of high school, working for a commercial construction company where his father had been a superintendent. That early training and experience led to a decision to go into business for himself, and for twelve years he operated KEC Construction, providing residential and commercial construction and remodeling at worksites at many locations around Minnesota.
As project manager at Northway Construction, Chad works directly with homeowners and coordinates workers, subcontractors and budgets – everything from A to Z, as he puts it. He holds pre-construction meetings with all subcontractors to make sure they fully understand Northway’s strict policy guidelines and expectations for quality, and before working with any subcontractor there’s an interview process in which Northway team members ascertain that the subcontractors are who they say they are and that they can deliver the quality the project demands.
A native of Cambridge, Minnesota, Chad is pleased to be settled in the Brainerd area after so many years of work-related travel, but still enjoys traveling for pleasure when time allows. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children.
Dan Stanifer
Project Manager
Dan Stanifer comes to Northway Construction with 26 years experience, and has been involved with all aspects of the industry. Starting out as an apprentice carpenter in a small town outside of Detroit, Michigan, Dan’s first job was with Bechtel Corporation, building the Enrico Fermi II nuclear power plant. He distinguished himself in that position by completing the 4 year apprenticeship program in 3 1/2 years. Dan then left Bechtel to form his own home building and remodeling company in Monroe, MI.
In the late 1980s Dan shifted his focus to the design and management side of the industry. Working with an architectural firm, he was involved with designing and overseeing projects ranging from a 120-unit housing project in San Francisco to conversion of a water-damaged apartment complex into townhomes and condos in Chicago. Upon moving to the Brainerd Lakes area in 1999, he worked as a CADD manager and oversaw methods and materials. During that time, Dan honed his skills in the building science arena and is following his passion for restoring houses that are not built correctly and constructing buildings to last more than a lifetime.
Dan enjoys time with his wife, Maria, and daughter taking care of their small hobby farm. He is also a founding partner in Lakes Area Brewery, a local boutique brewery.
Dennis Blosberg
Project Manager
Dennis Blosberg brings twenty years of construction industry experience to his position as project manager at Northway Construction. His background ranges from hands-on experience with carpentry, plumbing and electrical to management of large commercial projects and multi-million dollar executive homes.
Dennis began his career as a self-employed remodeler in Mankato, MN, while putting himself through college. He renovated occupied and unoccupied offices and rental homes, dealing successfully with both owners and tenants. From there, he managed commercial construction projects for companies in southwestern Minnesota and the Twin Cities area, including a wide variety of commercial projects for various property management companies, ranging in size from $5,000 to $1.4 million.
In the Brainerd Lakes area, Dennis has over eight years experience in project management for two prominent local builders. He has worked extensively in the high-end executive lake home market and has managed National Award winning projects. Dennis was also involved with commercial building, including a multi-million dollar facility for a non-profit company. At Northway Construction, Dennis combines building science principles with his depth of construction experience to build high quality structures to exceed his clients’ expectations.
Dennis and his wife, Jane, have a girl and a boy.