Our Story
The Team
Bill Harrison
Ted Harrison
Tree Edge Designs was born through a serious life event and God’s timing. My wife and I grew up in families that were always on the go; so, naturally, we took on the same lifestyle. Days were filled with cutting grass, working long hours in the general contracting world, playing/coaching sports, or keeping up with our social lives. It seemed like there was never an open weekend on our calendar.
Throughout the constant hustle, my wife and I spent a year and a half trying to get pregnant without success. Doctors presented us with IVF as our “last option”. However, we decided we weren’t quite ready to go that route.
A combination of prayer and acupuncture allowed Steph to get pregnant in February of 2024. After a completely normal and uneventful pregnancy, complications were experienced during the delivery and our son, Abe, was born via emergency C-Section. As Abe was brought to the nursery for monitoring of a low heart rate, the nurses worked to draw Steph’s blood - this is where the crazy chain of events began. Her blood refused to clot leading to excessive bleeding. She was rushed back into the operating room, and then transferred to the ICU. Steph experienced acute kidney failure amongst many other things due to her body’s shock response.
Our family spent 11 days in the hospital following Abe’s delivery. As the medical team worked to diagnose Steph’s condition, I took a long hard look at life. I realized how nothing else in the physical world matters more than my family. I knew I needed to make a change in order to spend as much time with them as possible.
I had a million thoughts buzzing around in my head – I landed on custom cabinetry and woodworking. My dad already had most of the tools and equipment needed in the shop. I could make my own hours, spend more time with my family and build a legacy to pass on to Abe and his future siblings. As we settled into our new lifestyle, I began creating Tree Edge Designs. There were several long weeks and late nights involved in completing my first several jobs while still working full time. The risk of owning and operating a business was scary for our family. In March of 2025, I quit my general contracting job and took a job closer to the shop and home. Fast forward to September, we realized that it was time to take the plunge into the entrepreneurial world. It took a lot of time and patience, but about 9 months after its start, Tree Edge Designs became a full-time custom cabinetry and woodworking business.
Bill was born and raised on the outskirts of Augusta, MO. Through his early years he worked for his family’s landscaping and horticulture business. Through high school and into community college he started to work for a local custom home builder. Bill always had an interest in drafting, so he took a job with a drafting company. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he would rather be out building homes than lettering title blocks.
Through the years Bill became a partner of Jim Reed Construction and built multiple custom homes around the St. Charles and Franklin County area. The homes they built were all hand nailed together (that’s right, no nail guns) and had Bill and Jimmy’s expert touch on every scope. They dabbled in a little bit of everything from the standard framing to roofing, openings, electric, cabinets/casework, painting, flooring, siding, etc.
As Bill moved away from the day-to-day construction world, he continued cutting grass. In the last 5 years you had a really good chance seeing Bill in a 2010 model chevy pulling a trailer of mowers or on a zero-turn mower with a straw hat on if you drove. As the seasons changed and the grass quit growing, Bill moved his expertise into the shop. Through the cold winter months he would work on different woodworking or cabinet projects that he picked up from his customers. He slowly started to a collect the basic tools need complete custom cabinets and built ins.
Ted or “Teddy” was born and raised in a tight knit neighborhood just outside of Augusta, MO. In his early years, he spent most of his summer days playing with the neighbor kids and his summer nights under the lights of a baseball field. It seemed like Teddy was always building something, be it a fort or trail in the woods near his home. This is where his passion for construction started. Through high school, Teddy worked a few different jobs from spraying foam insulation to working as a floor staff manager at a wedding venue. He attended Missouri State University where he graduated with his bachelor's degree in construction management. Teddy made several connections through his years at Missouri State allowing him to travel the country while working. He worked in Florida, North Carolina, Indiana, Maryland, Rhode Island, Missouri, and a few other states.
During his time in commercial construction, Teddy worked as a project superintendent. In this position, he learned the sequence and logistics of building a variety of properties. It taught him how to think on his feet and be as proactive as possible which are skills necessary to run a small business. The most rewarding skill he learned during his time as a superintendent was how to be a leader and work as a team. Soft skills usually came easy to him, but they were refined as he solved problems through tight schedules and budgets on a variety of projects.
As the seasons of life change, you can find Teddy playing intramural sports and spending the evenings and weekends with family and friends. Golf and volleyball have become his favorite sports to play.