Our Team
Our team members are diverse in their skill sets, but share a strong attention to detail and a history of professionalism. Whether it’s fine carpentry or pressure washing, licensed electrical work or caulking, our team has the skills and experience to meet your needs.
Each team member has been vetted and every employee has undergone a pre-employment background check. You can be assured that your home will be cared for by a respectful technician, and that your project will be done right the first time by trustworthy and skilled professionals.
Joann Infante
customer support specialist
Joann is the vital link between our customers and our busy team of field employees. She comes to House Specialties as a second career, after decades of work in medical laboratories. Our customers—and our team—value her focus on helping people and her ability to follow-through. If Joann doesn’t have the answer, she’ll get it.
Lightning Atkinson
business owner, senior field technician, licensed electrician
Lightning grew up flipping houses with his dad…before flipping was a word. His parents would buy a run-down house in the nicest neighborhood they could afford and spend their evenings and weekends fixing it up. They would sell the house a few years later and do it again. Lightning learned the basics of carpentry, plumbing, drywall, HVAC and electrical as a teenager. In the 25 years since then he has refined his skills and worked under a master electrician and at a carpentry company.
Lightning’s career journey before founding House Specialties is an eclectic set of professional experiences including audio/video installation, sound systems for live events, personal development, business coaching and strategic planning, podcast production, management, team development, operations implementation, and entrepreneurship.
Bill First
master carpenter
field technician
His unassuming personality doesn’t reveal the depth of skill and life experience Bill carries with him. Since 1998 he has designed and built custom wood furniture of the highest quality for discerning clients through his business WoodWorks. His meticulous attention to detail and artistic sense have made him a successful furniture designer. He owns a home in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago that is full of beautiful furniture and he teaches furniture building classes at the Evanston Art Center. Bill is also a sought after professor at Columbia College where he teaches furniture design and a variety of photography classes. His students comment on how much he has helped them—both on school-related projects and also in launching their careers. Bill brings his years of carpentry experience and attention to detail to every project he works on at House Specialties.
Paul Carey
field technician
Paul grew up around meticulous wood working, and from a young age was fascinated by all aspects of construction. He is an unabashed tool nut and loves having the right tool for the job. His diverse career journey includes professional broadcast audio, professional broadcast video, and photography. All these disciplines have formed his unique point of view and honed his attention to detail. Even while pursuing other professional interests, home repair has always held a special place in his heart. Paul strives to deliver the best possible results on any project, and our customers value Paul’s determination to not settle for good enough. His coworkers appreciate that he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and is always eager to help.
Moxley
shop dog
Moxley has been with House Specialties from the very beginning. He is in charge of eating saw dust and romping around the yard. When he’s not working, Mox can usually be found sitting at the feet of whomever will stand still long enough.