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Don Cleaver in August of 2011 standing beside a fireplace he built
"When
a major job such as ours is completed, and we
consider you a friend, not a supplier of
services or adversary, says a great deal about
the kind of person you are." -Bob and Ruth
McEntee
Don Cleaver in about 1995 standing beside a two
story fireplace he built
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About Donald
"Don" Cleaver
Donald Cleaver
is the owner and operator of the New Jersey building
company, Cleaver Construction. Donald Cleaver has an
array of experience in various building industry fields
in addition to a very large amount of on-the-site
experience in the industry. He started his company in
Toms River in 1989 at the age of 34. Since then, Don has
been making literally hundreds of dream projects become
a reality.
Don first moved to Toms River at the age of nine in 1964
from West New York, New Jersey, making him a resident of
Toms River for 47 years and a lifelong New Jersey
resident. During this period of time, Toms River was
beginning to be developed into the large town it is
today. Don credits the start of his interest in building
to be him watching the town being developed and him
thinking to himself that he wants to be a part of doing
what he saw as something amazing as a child.
Education and Employment
Don’s interest in building would soon be further
developed when he attended Toms River Vocational School
from 1971 to 1973 where he graduated in 1973 with a
certification in Building Trades. Concurrently, Don
graduated from Toms River High School South in 1973.
Upon graduation, Don quickly became employed in 1973 by
a large corporation, Crestwood Village, in Whiting, NJ. Don believes that it was his work at Crestwood
Village was where he gained most of his knowledge about
the building industry. In 1974,
Crestwood Village - which was renamed Union Valley
Corporation a few years later - paid for Don to attend Ocean County
College to study Civil Engineering courses.
After only eight years
at Union Valley Corporation, Don rose to the rank of
director of quality control – with the position also
known as director of warranty service – in 1981 at only
the age of 26 where he oversaw a workforce of about
forty four people
and managed a budget of three million dollars yearly.
While director of quality control, Don’s
responsibilities included performing inspections of all
construction projects that were closing and training
inspectors on policies, procedures, and methods of
inspections to meet quality control expectations prior
to the closing of the home.
In 1985, Don rose to the rank of Project
Management Assistant at Union Valley Corporation where his
responsibilities included supervision of contracts,
blueprint and plan interpretation, supervision of
construction sites, locating subcontractors, and working
directly with architects and engineers.
In 1986, Don left his position at Union Valley
Corporation to join the construction team at Yacenda
Enterprises in East Hanover, NJ where his position was project manager and
his responsibilities were managing all construction
projects. At Yacenda Enterprises, Don supervised
contracts and bid proposals, oversaw blueprint designs,
performed plan interpretation, performed construction of
condominiums and commercial sites, and performed
numerous other responsibilities. Three years after
joining Yacenda Enterprises, in 1989, at the age of 35,
Don left Yacenda Enterprises to start Cleaver
Construction.
Skills
Above all, Don believes that his most prominent skills
as owner and operator of Cleaver Construction are his
ability to look at a plan and visualize how it will be
built and his ability to greatly enhance a basic design.
Beyond that, as indicated throughout this website, Don is a skilled
carpenter in various fields and is skilled in various
construction fields.
Personal Life
On a personal level, Don has always been a motivated and
eager person. He purchased his first home at the age of
20 and he purchased his second home at the age of 24
both during his employment at Crestwood Village. Working
for Union Valley Corporation, at the age of 26, Don
built and led the construction of his home which he
still has today. Being a resident of Toms
River for 47 years, Don, along with his wife of 38 years, Barbara, have raised four children in Toms River. Don also has four grandchildren.
Learn more about Cleaver
Construction!
Learn how the construction process works!
Schedule to meet Donald Cleaver now! |
