We are passionate about building homes the right way.
And we know service matters.
As the region’s premier boutique builder, New Urban Home Builders maintains a limited project portfolio in order to provide every client an elite level of personalized service.
Each staff member plays a critical role in supporting you, your design team, and our trusted trade professionals to ensure your project maximizes returns when it comes to investments of time, money and imagination.
We strive for clear and timely communication because we understand how important it is to you. It’s important to us, too. We’re not just building beautiful homes - we’re building relationships. Making our clients happy is everything.
Now… meet the team.
Scott Branc
Owner, Principal
scott@newurbanhomebuilders.com
National Association of Home Builders, Certified Graduate Builder (CGB)
National Association of Home Builders, Certified Green Professional (CGP)
National Association of Home Builders, 20 Club
Scott Branc is passionate about architecture and design. A former engineer, Scott entered the residential construction industry as a partner in a construction software startup. Energized by the challenges posed by building science and high performance construction, Scott refocused his talents, and in 2003, launched New Urban Home Builders LLC in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
At the onset of the 2008 downturn, Scott relocated the company to Austin, Texas. He was thrilled to find himself surrounded there by some of the nation’s most innovative architecture and building practices and served on the Board of Directors of the HBA of Greater Austin. In 2013, Scott returned to Grand Rapids on a mission to help support modern, innovative residential design in his home city.
Scott has since served on the Board of Directors of the HBA of Greater Grand Rapids (HBAGGR) and is past president of his NAHB 20 Club chapter. He currently sits on the Board of the Grand Rapids Art Museum, where New Urban is a corporate sponsor, and he enjoys volunteering alongside his staff at Habitat for Humanity workdays.
Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family.
Wayne Van Noord
Project Manager
wayne@newurbanhomebuilders.com
Wayne, like Scott, began in engineering, working as a process engineer at a local furniture manufacturer. And like Scott, driven by a passion for home building, he ultimately shifted gears, jumping into residential construction as a trim carpenter for a local high-end builder. After learning the trade, and figuring out how to use his engineering knowledge to produce high quality trim and cabinetry, Wayne started his own company, VNC Group. His crews provided framing, trim, siding and cabinetry for several local high-end builders (including New Urban). In 2022, Wayne officially joined our team as a project manager. He especially enjoys the camaraderie of the New Urban family, “where we take the homes we build seriously, but we have fun with each other, too.” Wayne’s experience and his affinity for detailed planning make him an asset on any project. In his spare time, he enjoys building spec homes and doing extensive renovations of his own homes, including the one at Miner Lake, where he now enjoys lake life with his wife, children and grandchildren.
Brandon Van Noord
Project Manager
brandon@newurbanhomebuilders.com
Brandon’s spent two decades working in construction and professes to have loved every minute of it. He started off young, working for his dad (yes, that Wayne Van Noord – see above) framing, siding, and trimming homes. His first foray out on his own was into commercial construction, where he gained supervisory experience as a foreman overseeing construction of gas stations and franchise restaurants. Brandon used this experience to start his own framing/trim company, providing his services to local residential builders, until a second back surgery forced him out of the field and into the office for good. He joined the team of a local production builder, working his way up from site supervisor to project manager. In 2021, he was thrilled to be offered his position at New Urban, where he could once again work on high-end homes alongside his dad. “I have a passion for construction,” Brandon says. “I love working with architects, designers, homeowners and the trades to make homeowners’ dreams and designs come to life.” In his leisure time, Brandon enjoys hanging out with his wife and four children at the lake, camping, and traveling to new places. He also enjoys ‘me time’ building projects in his barn.
Jake Wilgus
Site Supervisor
jake@newurbanhomebuilders.com
Jake’s construction journey began in his teenage years, when he worked as a roofing laborer during summer vacations—a job that taught him how important planning and hard work are to creating a beautiful final product. Jake graduated from Grand Valley State University with a degree in Finance and General Business. After college, he worked for an insulation company, learning the ins and outs of the thermal envelope and eventually leading install crews. When Jake joined the team at New Urban, he was tasked with a variety of key responsibilities, from assisting project managers at jobsites, to overseeing punch lists, and even creating marketing videos for social media. “I have nothing but great things to say about my colleagues, and the professionalism and expertise I am surrounded by on a daily basis,” Jake says. “My favorite part of my job is the excitement from clients at project milestones.” Outside of work, Jake enjoys hiking, fishing, and spending time with his family.
Alison Black
Office Manager
alison@newurbanhomebuilders.com
Alison has lived in a lot of places – Michigan (East, West, and Central), California, North Carolina, and North Dakota – and she loves working with clients who bring fresh ideas and different perspectives to the table. Alison studied Literature, Creative Writing, and Media Studies at Cal State Long Beach, and earned her MPA from Western Michigan University. She worked as a freelance reporter before being hired at Michigan State University’s WK Kellogg Biological Station, where she spent several years managing volunteers and overseeing communications and marketing for academics and outreach facilities. Alison’s background makes her a natural fit at New Urban, where she’s continually working to ensure we communicate effectively with clients, design partners and trades. She especially relishes her role designing enjoyable, personalized experiences for each client. An avid music fan, Alison spends her free time at concerts or just relaxing at home in front of music docs with her guitarist husband and their furry kids Rusty and Mabel.