Sisu Builders, LLC was formed in 2011 by Josh Jipson upon his return to Lakeside, Wisconsin, the place of his upbringing. Previously to returning Josh accumulated ten years of residential and commercial construction experience in Minneapolis, Grand Marais (where Josh owned and ran Arrowhead Construction Company), and McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

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Sisu Builders offers a broad array of residential and commercial construction services across northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, from Ashland on the east and Brainerd on the west to Minneapolis southward and Ontario northward.

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Sisu is a Finnish word with no exact English equivalent. Generally it translates thus: strength of will, spirit, and courage and endurance in the face of adversity. The formation of the company coincided with the death of Helen (Waara) Thornton, Josh's 100-percent Finnish grandmother, and the company name is a tribute to her sisu as well as a reminder of some of the characteristics Josh wants embodied in the company.

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Our Mission at Sisu:

• Practice our trade at the highest level, creating beautiful, durable results

• Minimize our negative impact on the natural world, both by our conduct and our product, and maximize our positive impact

• Successfully pursue a marriage of economy and quality, remembering that through the best work practices those two ideals are both served

• Maintain a relationship of goodwill and trust with our clients

• Provide a safe, comfortable work environment and a means of making a healthy living to our workers

• Constantly improve

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​Why choose Sisu? Sisu Builders pursues excellence. This pursuit requires both an adherence to effective traditional practices and the broadmindedness to incorporate new ideas, materials, and methods to the extent that they help achieve excellence. Unlike the majority of construction companies, Sisu is not bound by the status quo. Neither are we quick to throw any new fashionable idea into one of our projects. Our strategy is to take the best from the old, the best from the new, and be...the best