Established in 1996, Bob Krekelberg has provided hands-on ownership of HomeSmith Custom Built-ins for 12 years.

HomeSmith began with Bob's dream of business ownership, combining his artistic talents with his mastery of the wood medium. Always having been the "neighborhood guy" who could fix just about anything, Bob honed his carpentry skills working in housing construction in the north suburbs of Chicago IL.  During this same time, he attended various art schools specializing in drawing, sculpture, painting and design.  Wood is now one of the many mediums through which Bob expresses his passion for art.

Bob served for over 22 years in the military, first as a Staff Sargent in the Air Force in the civil engineering field as a heavy equipment operator.  Following his four year enlistment, he attended eight years of college and graduate school, receiving a Bachelors in Ministry and a Master of Divinity.  He was ordained by the Evangelical Covenant Church into the Ordered Clergy in 1987.  In 1988, he and his wife, Anne, also an ordained minister, were commissioned as U.S. Navy officers/chaplains.  Both are now retired from active duty.

Anne was recently certified as an interior decorator. Bob and Anne are merging their art interests into a combined focus on residential interiors.