Originally published by Kristen Vitartas Real Producers Columbus Zachary Jarrell – November 2024
To say Mark Braunsdorf, owner of Compass Homes, has always been passionate about homebuilding is an understatement. The story goes that when he was three years old, he saw a blueprint on display at a local grocery store undergoing a remodel. Intrigued by what he saw, he asked his parents who made it and quickly decided that he would be an architect in the winter and a builder in the summer.
Fast forward through a childhood filled with Legos and helping neighbors fix things around their homes, Mark attended the College of Wooster, earning his degree in Theater with a specialization in Scene Design and Painting. After graduating, he began his career in homebuilding, first in his hometown of Rochester, New York, with Ryan Homes before ultimately relocating to Columbus to work first for M/I Homes’ Showcase division and then Joshua Homes.
His love of creating and building drove Mark to establish Compass Homes in Columbus, Ohio, in October 2000. As a luxury boutique custom home builder, Compass Homes focuses on building a small number of outstanding homes each year through a detailed design-build process and putting “more thought” into every step of building each unique home.
Mark and his closely knit team believe that thoughtful, intentional design can transform a home from ordinary to extraordinary, which is why their process is rooted in asking “why” and never settling for half-baked ideas. They also pay close attention to cost, “on the front end, not just the back end – our designs are constantly thought through with the cost in mind.”
At Compass, respect and honesty are at the core of their approach, helping uncover genuine needs and desires, through meaningful conversations with their clients. Their award-winning designers are trained to do more than present colors and materials, instead helping clients visualize how design elements contrast and fit into the larger space. With their expertise, they guide homeowners through difficult decisions, making them feel confident in every choice.
The Compass Homes tagline, More Thought Per Square Foot, is clearly more than just a tagline, but rather the company culture. Pamela Saloom, Director of Sales and Marketing, says, “It’s not just having a focus on being cost-effective but being thoughtful in everything we do.” She goes on to say, “The entire experience is completely elevated; it always comes back to thinking through each and every detail.”
While Compass Homes has received many awards from the BIA and Parade of Homes over the years, it is the passion of the entire team for the art of homebuilding that makes them different from others in the industry.
Mark credits his uncle who has since passed away with grounding him in how he runs his business. “Get involved in your industry, get your people involved – and not just locally,” he notes. “It’s important to always keep an eye open for opportunity because it will come in the strangest of ways. And always take the opportunity to learn everything that you can.”
Mark and his wife have been married for 18 years and have two children, a freshman and a junior in high school. Mark is an avid sailor and skier and likes to travel to Florida and Michigan.
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