Derek Malbrue

Construction and production leader with 10+ years of experience in residential and commercial remodeling, modular manufacturing, finish carpentry, and quality control. Leads crews, coordinates work across trades, reads construction drawings, and manages materials and schedules. Hands-on experience training employees, resolving production issues, and delivering finished work to quality and safety expectations.

Night Shift Crew Lead — Trim, Cabinet Installation and Punch/Wrap at AVA Modular (2024-02 – Present)

Lead night shift trim, cabinet installation, and punch/wrap work in modular manufacturing; direct 15–20 employees against production schedules and quality standards.

• Coordinate trim, plumbing, electrical, paint, and quality teams to resolve issues and move units through production.
• Supported night shift growth from approximately 14 to more than 70 employees through recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and training.
• Review blueprints and project documents in Bluebeam; conduct quality checks and coordinate punch-list corrections before units advance.
• Prioritize work, materials, and equipment; train employees on production processes, tools, quality requirements, and safe practices.
• Generated detailed nightly production reports to share with the day shift leadership to keep pass offs and operations running smooth.

Residential and Commercial Remodeling Subcontractor at Self-Employed (2020-01 – Present)

Manage residential and commercial projects, including full-home renovations, bathroom remodels, and cabinet, trim, door, and hardware installation.

• Plan schedules and materials, coordinate subcontractors, and communicate with customers and project partners to address issues and meet budgets.
• Lead demolition, reconstruction, and finish work on distressed properties; interpret drawings, measurements, and specifications.

Production and Shipping Manager at Jetset Interiors (2019-01 – 2019-09)

Managed production workflow, purchasing, shipping, inventory, and material availability for aircraft seating components.

• Maintained schedules and quality standards while coordinating finished-product deliveries to Recaro Aircraft Seating.
• Managed supplier relationships for leather, foam, hardware, and other production materials.

Driver and Shift Leader at Elite Construction Clean Up (2018-02 – 2018-12)

Led construction cleanup crews and coordinated vehicles, equipment, and job-site activities.

• Trained new employees and operated dump trucks, gooseneck trailers, and skid loaders with a focus on safe work.

Construction and Field-Service Roles at Strickland Construction, Applied Energy Innovations, Hibernian Plumbing, Professional Meters Inc., Squeegee Magic, Four Brothers Homes (2013 – 2017)

Held construction and field-service roles with multiple companies.

• Framing, remodeling, plumbing assistance, solar installation, estimating, inventory, equipment operation, customer service, and crew training.

Business Coursework in Business – Concordia University Saint Paul (2014 – 2015)

Business Coursework in Business – Minnesota State University–Mankato (2013 – 2014)