Who We Are
Arete is an ancient Greek word meaning excellence or virtue. The arete of something is the highest quality state it can reach. Using arete as a principle for life means that you are focused on the quality of everything you do and experience.
We are a collective of carpenters and builders who strive for mastery in our craft. We look to get 1% better every day, with every project, and with every client interaction. We bring our best effort to everything we do and relish every moment of the process.
Jason Brooks
Founder - Managing Partner
Jason spent five years in the US Marine Corps where he served as a master helicopter mechanic and Aerial Gunner during the Iraq War. After the Marines, Jason attended undergraduate and graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin and The LBJ School of Public Affairs (also at UT Austin).
After graduate school, Jason worked as a Presidential Management Fellow before moving to the private sector where he worked for three years in software product management for SunPower Corporation. Disenchanted with the traditional American dream of climbing the corporate ladder and getting rich, Jason left the corporate world in 2017 to help his wife, Mallory, run their family trail racing business, Spectrum Trail Racing.
With time liberated from the corporate death march, Jason and Mallory started renovating their Austin, TX home in 2017. Jason has been honing his carpentry and home remodeling craft ever since.
Jason now lives in Buena Vista, CO with his wife and son where he owns and operates Arete Builders, serves as the Assistant High School Cross Country coach under his wife Mallory, and volunteers for Chaffee Country Search and Rescue North.
“I believe our environmental context is an important positive contribution to every person’s mental and physical health, and I want to help people create everyday spaces that contribute to a positive living environment.”
- Jason Brooks