About Us

Hello, thanks for being interested in learning a little more.

My name is John May and I started Creekstone Designs almost two decades ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, fresh off the heels of living a dual life as a business consultant for one of the “Big 6” and doing design and remodels for clients. I was fortunate that my talent and passion helped me realize I was a designer/builder with a consulting problem…so I followed my expertise into founding Creekstone Designs, specializing in designing and installing residential remodels.

You could say I tried everything to avoid what I was good at…in high school I worked as a dishwasher but then gave all my other time interning for a remodeler to learn design and construction. In college, I was an art major, who realized he wanted to make a living, so I switched to Economics…and was regularly reprimanded for doing unapproved remodels of friends’ dorm rooms. Yes, you can put custom wainscoting, floating shelf systems and elaborate lighting schemes in a concrete block dorm but as I discovered with the help of the facilities staff, uninstalling all of it is a different story.

After college, I undertook an unassisted bicycle trip across the country and trek across Nepal before I started an incredible career with one of the top consulting firms in the country. I traveled all over on assignments, learning the good, the bad and ugly of business. The lifestyle was crazy and the business experience invaluable, but of course, I ended up working on clients and colleagues’ homes on the side, which lead me to building a business doing what I was really good at doing: design and remodeling.

A few things that helped along the way was a family of plumbers and a mother whose perseverance was like no other. She redefined impossible, by raising a baby and completing medical school on her own, as Dad was stationed abroad. Clearly “I can’t” was not in the family vocabulary.

Today, life if great, in between it all I am an avid fly fisherman and passionate trainer of professional ski instructors. I am a proud member of the PSIA-NW Technical Team and on the National Board of Directors for Professional Ski Instructors of America.

I am the biggest fan of my ridiculously amazing wife and daughter. Other than my wife’s questionable choice of a husband, she is the best, toughest, Eastern Oregon, social justice advocating, horse riding, get yourself up and dust yourself off cowgirl I could ever be blessed to be with….and the little one is right behind.

She has been a partner in our adventures in skiing (she coaches ski instructors as well), wading numerous fly-fishing rivers, retreating to an Alaska cabin each year, traveling, and our embarrassing pursuit as wanna-be foodies.

Thanks for taking the time to learn about me, I look forward to meeting you and seeing how Creekstone Designs can be of help.