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Meet Our Team: CMS Homes, LLC

CMS Homes, LLC, has a caring team that’s passionate about helping new construction homeowners design and build the home of their dreams. Get to know our team here and be sure to say hello when you see us in the community!

Get to Know Us

Your Semi-Custom Home Building Team

Thank you for getting acquainted with us. You’ll find our team has a lot in common — mostly that we all love to be part of the home-building process, help people live their dreams, and have deep roots in the area. We look forward to getting to know you and being of assistance with your home-building project.

Dale Black

Owner, President

Dale is a founding owner and runs the business operations. He started his career in real estate development and approached Jeff Sheets, who worked for a home builder, expressing an interest in starting a home building company … CMS Homes, LLC, was borne in 2003. Since then, Dale has done it all from mowing the grass and putting out signs to building the website, hiring employees, and drawing architectural blueprints. He says his many roles have “definitely shaped the way I run the company” and one of his favorite parts of the job is watching employees grow and thrive. In his free time, Dale enjoys golfing, playing the piano, listening to podcasts, and the peacefulness of watching the birds and squirrels in his yard.

Jeff Sheets

Owner, Director of Development

Jeff is a founding owner and Director of Development. He started his career in real estate development with the largest home builder in the region, learning the ropes and gaining vision. When Dale approached him about partnering in their own home building company, it was an easy decision, and CMS Homes, LLC, began. Since 2003, Jeff has helped create 20 beautiful CMS communities that retain the rural feeling of the area.

Dan Dwyer

Director of Operations

As Director of Operations, Dan oversees the day-to-day operations of the company, including sales, service, closings, and more. Construction project managers also report to Dan. He has been with CMS Homes for seven years, starting as an assistant project manager (construction manager/superintendent), then after 6 months, becoming a full-time project manager for about 5 years before achieving his current role.

Dan says he enjoys working with everyone on the CMS team, getting out in the field and looking at potential developments, their current developments, and all their homes under construction. When asked why homebuyers should consider building with CMS Homes, he replied, “Every home built with CMS is a semi-custom home. We don’t deny any plan options or modifications. Our clients are always surprised to learn how much they can do with our base-model plans.” When he’s not at work, Dan enjoys all outdoor activities (hunting and fishing) and spending time with his wife and two children. Dan is also a long-time Saint Louis Blues fan. Go Blues!

Kevin Kruser

Sales Manager

Kevin is CMS Homes’ sales manager for large lot communities and offsite builds. He received a technical drafting degree and began his career in real estate, physically moving houses that were going to be torn down because of commercial expansion. He has also flipped homes for years and built three homes for his family. You could say home building is a passion! In 2017, when his wife was relocated, Kevin reached out to Dale and the rest is history. When asked what he likes most about his job, his answer goes hand in hand with why new construction homeowners love CMS Homes, “We build a superior product and prioritize customer satisfaction. We build great homes at a great value.” After hours, Kevin spends time on his farm. He loves to hunt and fish with friends and family and has even gone fishing with a few CMS customers who’ve become friends.

Sonya Ellison

Bookkeeper

Sonya has been with CMS Homes since 2004. She came to CMS Homes, LLC, after working with Dale at some of his other companies. Currently, she pays the bills, generates payroll, coordinates with the insurance company for all types of insurance including healthcare, and closes out the books at the end of each month, which — when they balance as they should — is the favorite part of her role. Sonya has also been a callback coordinator and the person in charge of several Homeowner’s Associations for their communities. She loves how efficiently their homes are built and that homeowners get to move in within their allotted timeframe. In her free time, Sonya enjoys vacationing, F1 racing, and playing games with family and friends.

Michael Sheets

Superintendent & Supervisor Field Coordinator

Michael, who is the “M” in CMS, has been with the company for 18 years. He is a carpenter by trade and does a little bit of everything, including helping customers by meeting them on-site for initial lot evaluations and showing them how their homes will look on their lot. Michael started his carpentry career in high school, as a summer laborer, then, after graduation, became a union carpenter building CMS houses. Years later, he became a CMS superintendent and was recently promoted to Supervisor/Field Coordinator. One of the things he likes most about CMS is working with experienced, professional people. They all take pride in what they build and work to exceed buyers’ expectations, ensuring they are pleased during and after building their homes. In his spare time, Michael likes to travel and do anything outdoors — hike, hunt, and fish.

Travis Key

Sales Manager at Orchard Grove

Beyond sales, Travis, who has been with CMS since 2020, helps take customers’ ideas and style and integrate them into their semi-custom homes. His love for building new homes started when he started working in construction at 16 years of age, then attended college for architecture, and worked as a union carpenter. After completing a project in Webster Groves as a superintendent of a multi-family building, he had the choice of working out of state or finding a job closer to home. Travis lived in Troy and knew CMS built quality homes, so it seemed like a natural fit. He started as a construction project manager in charge of the contractors and craftsmen building their homes, along with tracking budgets and meeting with customers throughout the building process. Travis explains, “I enjoy the customization of our homes. Bringing ideas to reality is the best part of my job. We care. All the tradesmen and management team strive to do our job to the best of our ability. It’s not just a job to our contractors; you can see the care they put into each project.” When not helping CMS customers, Travis plays ice hockey, kayaks, and camps with his family. He also likes to build and create new spaces in his home, which is a constant work in progress.

Emily Wilson

Closing Coordinator, Missouri Notary Public

For several years, Emily has been helping CMS clients coordinate their projects, financing, paperwork, and the closing process. Her prior experience as a transaction coordinator for a real estate broker originally led Emily to CMS so she could work closer to home and be there for her three kids’ soccer schedules and games, four to five days a week. Emily says she loves working with the CMS team, “I feel my best interests are always looked after and my team is here for me, as much as we are for our customers.”

Jacob Wilson

Service Coordinator

In addition to being CMS Homes’ Service Coordinator, Jacob’s specialty is cabinet repairs and touch-ups, caulking, and other home repairs. He started working for CMS in 2018 as a clean-up laborer, then moved to help the punch laborer, and then assisted the head laborer. Each of these jobs expanded his knowledge of how CMS builds homes and the construction industry. Jacob’s favorite part of the job is helping new homeowners and getting to know them. When asked why a potential home buyer should choose CMS, he said, “People should choose CMS Homes because we care about each customer as an individual and work hard to make sure everyone has a positive, memorable experience building their home.” Jacob is also a student at St. Charles Community College and enjoys learning new things.

Nick Dirnberger

Project Manager

Nick helps manage the home-building process for CMS. As a Project Manager, he loves helping people’s dreams come true. Nick’s 18 years of homebuilding experience as a union framer and remodeler of homes from start to finish helps him guide homeowners through the process with ease and stay on top of what the contractors are working on, at times proactively troubleshooting. In addition to helping people build their dreams, Nick enjoys working with the CMS team, and says with sheer honesty, “We go above and beyond what other builders will do for their customers and offer a great product.” In his off-duty hours, Nick spends time with family and hunts the creatures of the outdoors.

Rich Hackmann

Project Manager

As a Project Manager, Rich oversees the building of customers’ new homes, assuring the process goes well for everyone. Prior to working with CMS, Rich owned and operated Richard Hackmann Construction (since 1990), where he was also a contractor for CMS Homes. When he retired from carpentry, he joined CMS in a project oversight capacity because he loves helping people build their dream homes and feels he brings unique experience to each project — experience that’s beneficial to the customers. When asked what he loves about CMS, he said, “Our commitment to quality and service. We make sure everything is completely right for our new homeowners.” In his spare time, Rich likes to do woodworking, deer-shed hunting, and spend time with his grandkids.

Nathan Kramer

Project Manager

As a Project Manager, Nathan oversees the build of customers’ homes from start to finish and regularly communicates with them along the way. He’s been helping people build homes for over 20 years and says, “It’s a great feeling to build someone’s home for them just the way they want it and know they’ll create lots of memories with their families in that home.” 

Nathan was thrilled to join CMS Homes in November 2023 — for years he wanted to be part of the team because they offer the perfect combination of giving homebuyers the best experience while knowing how to turn out a top-quality home. He says, “Our small-town roots and values mean we don’t treat people like numbers. Each homebuyer is unique and given the personal service and respect they deserve.” 

When Nathan is not helping CMS customers, he is attending his kids’ sporting events, vacationing in Mexico with his wife, and being a self-proclaimed car geek (thanks to the Dukes of Hazard and Knight Rider TV shows!). He buys a couple of neglected cars every year, cleans them up, and sells them. He shares, “I’m probably close to fixing up around 75 cars and trucks since age 16.”

Sherrie Verhaeghe

New Home Sales Assistant

As a New Home Sales Assistant with a caring, compassionate nature, Sherrie not only helps customers view model homes, but she also helps them select interior and exterior materials and shares ideas to help them customize their home designs to their desires, paying attention to the details that matter. Having been with CMS Homes for five years, she credits her listening skills and enjoyment of being in service to others as part of why she loves her career. Her other reasons mirror what the rest of the team feels – working with a fantastic CMs team and providing beautiful custom – not cookie-cutter – homes to new homeowners. In her free time, Sherrie appreciates spending time with family, loves dogs and horses, and being outdoors.

Lona Montgomery

New Home Sales Assistant

As a New Home Sales Assistant, Lona helps buyers who want to build a semi-custom home choose the home plan that best fits their style and assists them with customizing that plan to get everything they want and need. Her experience as a real estate agent has provided an understanding of what buyers want and the frustrations that come with trying to find ‘the perfect home’ in today’s market. “Speaking from experience, we do a great job of making the home-building process straightforward with as little stress as possible. My husband and I built our first home together in 2023 with CMS, and we were amazed at how smoothly the whole process went and we got the home of our dreams.”

When Lona was asked to join CMS Homes in December of 2023, she was thrilled. She says, “CMS Homes has perfected the process of new home building with the best quality and process around, making it easy for clients. Also, all of the employees seem to have a great eye for detail, whether it’s in the design room or out on the construction site. I am proud to be part of such a caring and talented team.”

In addition to her time spent with CMS clients, she works part-time in healthcare, carrying on a 33-year legacy. She also enjoys gardening and loves to be at home, relaxing with her husband and boys.

Our Team is Happy to Provide You with a Free No-Obligation Estimate to Build Your Semi-Custom Home

If you are looking for the perfect semi-custom home in the greater Troy and Wentzville areas of Missouri, look no further. CMS Homes builds magnificent new homes in lovely communities near you with an easy building process and caring staff to ensure quality construction and customer satisfaction. Contact sales today for more information and a free estimate.