Our Team: Behind the Build

Shawn Bakker

Meet Shawn, Owner and Founder of Bakker Construction, where high-end renovation and the Design-Build process are not just about craftsmanship but about bringing each client's unique vision to life. His dedication to excellence has become synonymous with the elegance and bespoke quality of the homes on the Monterey Peninsula.

Shawn was born and raised in Golden, Colorado, and as a 4th generation builder, grew up watching and learning on family jobsites. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Psychology from Regis University in Denver, where he met his wife Amanda. Shawn co-founded ReVolve Construction in Colorado in the early 2000s and relocated with Amanda to the Monterey Peninsula in 2007.

Shawn founded Bakker Construction in 2008, and with relentless dedication, grew his vision from a small home-run business to the large award-winning firm it is today.  In 2023, they celebrated 15 years of serving the Monterey Peninsula community with their client-centered, quality-driven, community-invested approach to the Design Build industry.

Amanda Bakker

Meet Amanda, co-owner of Bakker Construction and wife to Shawn Bakker. Amanda met Shawn while at Regis University in Denver, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and Spanish. Shawn and Amanda were married in San Juan Bautista, CA in 2000, but started their life in Colorado.

In 2007, the Bakkers felt the call to relocate to Monterey County, where Amanda was born and raised, to grow their family and business. Amanda's lineage in Monterey County gives her deep roots as a 4th generation native and descendant of William E.P. Hartnell. 

Amanda embodies the spirit of community and family, a foundation upon which they've built their business. She brings to Bakker Construction her 21 years of experience in executive leadership in the nonprofit world, and 17 years of staging and coordinating photo shoots to put a beautiful book end on our remarkable projects. Together with Shawn and their three children, Olivia, Wyatt and Tatum, and her incredible service dog Copper, and Yorkie, Scout, the Bakkers love the San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors, exploring the great outdoors and road tripping across the country.

Chanelle Simpson

Meet Chanelle Simpson, co-owner of Bakker Construction. Chanelle is a Monterey County native who has always had a passion for style and design. She first joined the Bakker Construction team as a part-time Office Assistant in 2017, where she fell in love with design and honed her skill and fueled her desire to be more involved in the process and execution of quality projects. Chanelle soon moved into the role of Design and Development Coordinator in 2019, where her creative influence and eye for detail can be seen throughout the Builds page on the Bakker Construction website and in the homes of trusted clients.

In 2022, Chanelle was promoted to General Manager, and entrusted to not only oversee the Design and Development Process at Bakker but to ensure that her design visions were brought to life through the lens of Production.  After years of seeing her own design visions—and those of the Architects and Designers who collaborate with Bakker—come to life, Chanelle’s leadership within the team became evident and the Bakkers invited her to join them in ownership of Bakker Construction in 2023.

Chanelle takes pride in hearing and understanding her clients, building relationships and trust, and partnering with them to turn their houses into homes they love to live in. She is most motivated by seeing how happy a client is at the end of a project as they move into their home and invite our team back to enjoy the space with them. She and her husband Kaleb live in Monterey County with their Pit Bull, Bella, and cat, Harvey. In her free time, Chanelle loves working out in her home gym, hosting dinner parties for friends, and riding motorcycles with her husband.

Our Team

  • Production Manager

    When it comes time to bring our clients’ design visions to life, they can count on our Production Manager, Tyler, to lead the way—coordinating and directing our carpenters and subcontractors in the field. Tyler has only been with the Bakker team for the last year, but brings 18 solid years of both residential and commercial construction industry experience to the table. He shares that his favorite things about his job are finding solutions to problems and crossing things off his to-do list. That’s how we get things done around here!

    Tyler is a transplant to Monterey County from Battle Ground, WA, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration. Aside from keeping our jobs running smoothly and efficiently, Tyler also enjoys working on his own home and cars and frequents Lowe’s on the weekends. His next personal goal is to finish the interior of his own home remodel. He loves hanging out with his lovely wife and their dog, Tucker, and even admits to also having 3 cats!

  • Office Manager

    The Bakker team is so thankful for the creativity and talent of our Office Manager, Brianna, who describes herself as ambitious, optimistic, and approachable—and we agree! Brianna has grown so much in the last year at Bakker.  Brianna’s talent and infectious personality are truly gifts to our team and our clients alike. 

    Brianna grew up in Los Banos, CA and recently attended California State University at Monterey Bay, where she studied Psychology. Although her early childhood ambitions of becoming a vet didn’t become a reality, she still loves animals, is a big supporter of the SPCA for Monterey County. Brianna is also recently engaged, and she and her fiancé have two sweet cats!

  • Design Manager

    Say hello to Martin, Bakker Construction’s resident Design Manager! He hails from the Bay Area, attending De La Salle High School and then the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in San Francisco. When asked about his work, Martin says: “I am motivated by the variety of tasks at hand and moving through the twists and turns of variables in order to achieve the end result.” He also explains that his favorite part of his job is being part of a team, which he had missed in 30 years of owning his own company.  

    Martin is persevering, determined, and focused, hoping to continue working on being the best version of himself and feeling like a valuable asset to his community. He loves car shows, garden tinkering, restoration projects, travel, and art, and is passionate about the Special Olympics and the SPCA! Martin has three Havanese dogs—Pablo, Bennie, and Bruno—and says his favorite author is even Architectural Digest! 

  • Project Designer and Developer

    Najat is a gifted and talented addition to the team here at Bakker Construction, bringing years of experience as an Architectural and Interior Designer to the table. Najat hails from across the pond, where she grew up in London, UK and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. She has a keen eye for design and what she most enjoys is getting do something she loves every day, that also helps others by transforming spaces and changing lives. Najat describes herself as creative, determined and spo ntaneous, and we know she has incredible vision that will serve our Design - Build Clients well here on the Central Coast!

    Najat loves her family deeply, and says she most admires her mother, whose belief in her always gave her the courage and inspiration to pursue her dreams. In her free time, she loves spending time with her kids, traveling, long walks, working out and spa days — and she would love to learn how to play tennis. (Especially since when she was a child, she wanted to be a tennis player when she grew up!)

  • Project Designer and Developer

    Tessa is a whimsical, optimistic, and resourceful Project Designer and Developer here at Bakker. She is from Palo Alto originally and attended PALY and later Chaminade University of Honolulu for her BFA in Interior Design. Tessa is motivated by the thrill of a design coming together, likening it to solving a Rubik's cube. She greatly admires her mother, who both worked and went to school full-time while Tessa was growing up, getting her PHD the year before Tessa graduated college! Tessa would love to have an art studio fully set up in the next year, and one day learn to fly small airplanes.  

    Tessa loves painting, pottery, gardening, hiking, picnics, swimming, and so much more! She wanted to be either a mermaid or a teacher growing up. Tessa likes listening to Goldford, Janelle Monae, The Beeches, and Ella Fitzgerald, and watches Survivor, Gilmore, Girls, and New Girl! She proudly supports any cause that pushes for the humane treatment of animals and care for the environment, including The Gentle Barn Sanctuary and the Project for Awesome.  

  • Project Designer and Developer

    Toni is a Napa native that now serves as one of our Project Designers! She attended Chico State for college and recently moved to Monterey at the beginning of 2025. When asked about her job, Toni shared the following: “I still can’t believe I get to do this every day. I am constantly gathering inspiration from clients, trends, or even just fun things around me and it’s cool to look at the entire world as art. I’m also incredibly honored to collaborate with such an amazing team. It’s incredible to see what happens when so many creative minds come together.” Toni’s passion for creativity and problem solving started at a young age, when she wanted to be a fashion designer.  

    One of Toni’s favorite humans is her grandpa, who she admires and is constantly inspired by. She is the proud mom of a bull terrier named Eevee, who she says, “is the light of my life.” Toni loves antique shopping, watching waves at the beach, graphic design, Sublime, Gilmore Girls, and an iced mocha from Phoebes Café. She is also a big supporter of Alaina’s Voice Foundation, which has a very special place in her heart! 

  • Superintendent

    John brings a wealth of knowledge and 20 years of industry experience to our team, in the role of Superintendent. He is a Salinas Valley native and Salinas High alum, and is truly motivated by the production process, saying, “Seeing things come together in an efficient way is quite a thing to be a part of. It’s incredible to hear from happy families when they see their ideas come to life.” He says he enjoys the team aspect here at Bakker and finds it very cool to have the support of people he works with. On top of being a team leader here at Bakker, John is a budding writer and has goals of writing more short stories and starting to learn Spanish this year. He has also become quite invested in golf as of late, with the goal of being able to play and enjoy it on his upcoming trip to Scotland.  

    John and his wife Cecie love to travel, whether up and down the California Coast or around the country. Their love is their Huskie-mix “Blue,” and they also share a passion for animal rescue and fostering and support many local animal shelters and rescues with their time and resources. 

  • Superintendent

    Jarrod brings tremendous knowledge to the Bakker Construction team with nearly 25 year of hands-on experience in the construction industry. He is a Monterey County native, who grew up in Pacific Grove and attended PG High School before venturing to Monterey Peninsula College and then into the construction field at 20 years old. Jarrod is very excited to be a part of our team here at Bakker and bring his problem-solving mindset to our projects. He says, “It is a pet peeve of mine when others think that they are out of options to fix a problem. There is always another option to get where you intend to go.” He also adds that his favorite things about his job are being outdoors and working with lots of different types of humans. Jarrod is a devoted husband and father, who enjoys supporting his kids in whatever sport or activity they are attending, whether it’s baseball, softball, karate or football. He also loves the outdoors, is an avid fisherman, and enjoys riding his dirt bike or snowboarding in his spare time. It’s fitting that his favorite place to vacation is “anywhere tropical, or a place I can go fishing.” Did we mention he has lots and lots of pet fish at home? Welcome to the team, Jarrod, we are so happy you are here!

  • Estimator

    Meet Mike, our Estimator! Mike grew up between Atlanta and Upstate New York and enjoys having a hand in “taming the chaotic nature of construction.” He finds purpose and altruism at the core of what drives him professionally. Mike believes that “learning, listening, and staying openminded is how we grow,” which explains his pet peeve of willful misunderstanding. On Sunday mornings you can typically find Mike mentally unpacking his week while cleaning his workshop. 

    As a kid, Mike wanted to be a history teacher! He likes woodworking, longboarding, inshore sportfishing, crème brulé, the Tampa Bay Rays, and Imagine Dragons. Mike is the proud owner of Mr. Bohannon the English Bulldog, Thena the rescue Shepard, and Legless Lynda the three-legged chinchilla rescue. A cause he supports is Autism Acceptance. Someone Mike greatly admires is Abraham Lincoln, who he says, “was bold and decisive while maintaining a deep sense of purpose, even in the face of intense criticism and controversy.” Welcome to the team, Mike! 

  • Lead Carpenter

  • Carpenter

    Say hello to Ryan! Ryan is a Carpenter here at Bakker Construction and a Monterey High School alum. He grew up in Seaside, CA and wanted to be a firefighter when he was younger. When asked what motivates him the most at work, Ryan said “my kids.” His favorite part of his job is the work environment. Ryan loves hanging out with his family and is a proud dad for both his kids and his dog named Train.  

    Ryan is a big sports fan and can often be found watching football and cheering for the Tennessee Titans. He describes himself as handsome, funny, and honest. Someone Ryan greatly admires is his grandmother, who he considered the nicest person he’d known and taught him a lot. Ryan is also a big supporter of Locks of Love. Welcome, Ryan! 

  • Lead Carpenter

    Josh is a great addition to our Bakker team, joining us as Lead Carpenter. He’s motivated by a strong love of building custom homes and considers working with wood his favorite part of the job. Josh grew up in the Salinas Valley and is an alum of North Salinas High School. He stays connected to his community by supporting organizations like Salinas PAL. A true handyman at heart, he loves to work on his classic cars and even wanted to be a professional BMX rider growing up.  

    Looking to the future, Josh has a goal of buying himself a new truck this year and would love to learn AutoCAD software. A weekend well-spent for Josh includes time spent in Toro Park, giving his cars some attention, and cheering on the New England Patriots. Ultimately, he would describe himself as creative, fast, and reliable, and we’re happy to have him on this team! 

  • Carpenter

    Helping to fill out our passionate Carpenters team is Marco, who grew up in Greenfield, CA and is a Greenfield High School alum. He enjoys all the teamwork this job entails and is proud to get to work with such great people. One of Marco’s biggest role models is his “Gramom.” Growing up, he dreamed of riding horses in Texas, and that remains his favorite place to go on vacation. For this year, he has set a goal for himself of being both a better person and carpenter.  

    When he has time to spare, Marco loves to play soccer, go hunting, listen to LINKIN PARK, and watch Liverpool play. He is a proud dad to two dogs, a German Shepherd and an Australian Shepherd. 

  • Production Intern

    Brenden is a student at Colorado State University and joins us this summer as a Production Intern! He grew up in Pacific Grove, wanting to be a police officer as a kid. He admires his parents for being hardworking and honest people, and would describe himself as outgoing and loyal. Brenden is motivated by learning new skills at work and has enjoyed meeting new people in this role. His goal for the year is to complete his internship and continue doing well in his classes!

    When he isn’t working or doing school, Brenden loves to play golf and snowboard! He can often be found at the golf course and is hoping to keep getting better at it. Brenden likes cheering for the Giants, listening to Alan Jackson, and vacationing at Donner Lake. A cause he cares about is the Wounded Warrior Project. Welcome to the team, Brenden! We're glad to have you here this summer.

  • Bookkeeper & Office Administrator

    Heather joins the Bakker team as a bookkeeper and office administrator. She is well versed in the area, having grown up in Alameda, CA and attending several schools in the Bay Area and on the Monterey Peninsula over the years. Heather calls “the team” the thing she loves most about her job and describes her biggest motivator at work as the “good energy and a common goal for success of the business.” Heather describes herself as caring, energetic, and fun—and even wanted to be a Rockette when she was growing up! 

    Heather enjoys jogging, reading, and just spending time with the people she loves. She thinks it would be amazing to be bilingual one day and hopes to set a routine of doing something for herself once a week this year. She is the proud mom of Monty and Allie, aunt of Giacomo, and is a supporter of any cause that helps children! 

  • Intern

    We like to keep things feeling like family around here, and that is especially true with Olivia joining the team this summer as an intern. She grew up watching her parents, Shawn and Amanda, build Bakker Construction from the ground up, and is now double majoring in Business and Spanish while in the Torrey Honors program at Biola University in La Mirada, CA. Olivia has a bright future ahead of her in whatever path she chooses, and is looking forward to shadowing and learning from many team members, from Design to Sales to Marketing to Accounting. She’s especially excited about learning how to use design software, acquiring new skills, and getting to spend time with the fun and amazing people on our team.  

    Olivia also hopes to enjoy her summer break by adding in lots of time outside, whether going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, taking some road trips and loving on the family dogs, a Yorkie named Scout and Red Fox Lab named Copper. She is an avid reader, even when not in school, and hopes to fit reading for fun around her summer classes. Olivia is looking forward to a big PNW camping trip this summer, where she’ll get to spend time hiking and discussing with friends, getting class credit for it too! 

  • CTO (Certified Treat Oficionado)

    Mr. Scout is hands - down the favorite member of our Bakker Team. This handsome and spunky 10 - lb Yorkshire Terrier is a regular greeter at our office and is always willing to give design input.

    He’s also a fan of sporting our Bakker - gear around town and helping our Marketing team with promotion. His work has earned him lots of recognition, and he showcases great class by accepting awards in the form of treats instead of trophies.