The People Behind the Truck

Meet the Hands Behind Handy Hands.

We're a family-run operation. The people you see here are the people helping customers, building projects, solving problems and keeping Handy Hands moving.

Owner & Founder

Brandon Nathan

Handy Hands wasn't something I planned to build into what it is today. I've always wanted to work for myself and run my own business, but I never imagined that putting an ad in the Peddler would eventually take us this far. One opportunity opened another door, and every time one opened, I took it. Six years later, Handy Hands has become something much bigger than I ever expected.

Construction is what I know, and rough carpentry, framing, decking and custom building are where I feel most at home. But what I love most isn't simply building something — it's watching a customer's face when a project is finished and an idea that existed in their head becomes something real.

Handy Hands is my baby. It's my everything. It's what keeps our bills paid and allows my family and me to live the American dream. Looking ahead, I want Handy Hands to become one of the best-known carpentry and home-improvement companies in the area while still giving a small repair the same attention as a major lake-home deck.

Office & Customer Coordination

Lucy Nathan

Lucy is the glue that holds Handy Hands together. While the guys are busy building, pricing, quoting and solving problems, Lucy is looking at the business from another perspective and making sure the things we might overlook don't get overlooked.

She's often the first voice a customer hears. She gathers the details about what they're wanting, finds out when they're available for us to see the project, talks with customers when Brandon can't, helps coordinate suppliers and keeps the schedule moving. She also helps with contracts, invoices and materials.

Customers constantly compliment Lucy on how nice she is and how good she is at her job. Brandon's response is usually, “That's her job!” 😂 — but he also knows how much the company depends on her. She's Mom, she's the glue, and somehow every time she says she's done, she still picks up the next phone call.

Construction • Plumbing • Fabrication • Bookkeeping

Phil Nathan

Phil is one of the people who keeps Handy Hands moving every day. Smart, dependable and mechanically gifted, he has a way of looking at a problem and figuring out how to make it work. On every job, Phil takes ownership of a big part of the physical work — from cutting and preparing lumber to fabrication, mechanical work, tools, plumbing and the unexpected problems that come with construction.

He's calm and quiet, but that doesn't mean he's standing around. He's usually already thinking through the next problem while his hands are working on the current one. His background as a production floor manager, his knowledge of tools and equipment, and 15 years as a volunteer firefighter all give Handy Hands another level of experience.

For Brandon, though, Phil is more than a skilled member of the crew. He's Dad. There have been plenty of days when a project, a problem or simply the weight of running a business gets to Brandon, and Phil is one of the people who helps push him through it. Having his dad beside him while they grow something they built together is something Brandon is deeply proud of.

Apprentice • The Next Generation

Brayden Nathan

At 16, Brayden is already convinced he's the CEO of Handy Hands. He'll be the first to explain how something should be done or tell Dad exactly how he'd do it if the business were his. And while we like to remind him that running a company is a little more complicated than having 50 employees and 25 Handy Hands trucks, every now and then he comes up with an idea that's actually pretty damn good.

Brayden is an extremely fast learner. After only a couple of deck builds, Brandon can reliably count on him to handle major portions of the work himself. If Brayden sees Dad doing something, he often already knows which tool is needed next and runs to get it without being asked. He knows what's expected of him, finishes his work and looks for the next thing to do.

He's energetic, stubborn and very much a 16-year-old — but he's also Brandon's son, and there probably isn't anything he's more proud of than watching the young man he's becoming. When teachers ask what he wants to do when he grows up, his answer is always the same: “Run Handy Hands.” Brandon hopes Brayden learns that hard work can turn an idea into something real and that someday he can carry the company forward.

Handy Hands Rescuing

Some things matter more than getting to the job on time.

Phil spent 15 years as a volunteer firefighter, and that instinct never really left him. On the way to work one day, he stopped to help when he came across a tractor-trailer that had overturned.

Helping people has always been part of who Phil is. The work we do matters, but so does the kind of person you are when nobody is paying you to help.

Handy Hands Rescuing Phil helping at an overturned tractor-trailer

Family business

Built with our hands. Built around our reputation.

Handy Hands started in 2020 after Brandon and his dad moved to Buchanan and took on the work of rebuilding a property with ten rental trailers. One Peddler ad later, the work took off.

“We show up. We do the work. We do it right.”
That's the standard the whole family works toward.