HELPING CUSTOMERS BUILD THEIR DREAM IS WHAT TIMBERPEG PACIFIC INDEPENDENT REPRESENTATIVE TERRY BELLEW IS ALL ABOUT.
When Terry Bellew (shown with wife Sheilah above) set out to build a vacation home in 1985, the TIMBERPEG® design he found in Country Living was just what he was looking for. What he also discovered as he got his home under way was that the Riverside, California, area needed the services of a Timberpeg Pacific Independent Representative – a position for which Terry was uniquely qualified given his background in home sales and design.
A Timberpeg Pacific Independent Representative since 1989, Terry has received awards including a Service Award for tenure and an Outstanding Sales Achievement Award. Most recently, he was honored as the 2004 Dealer of the Year at the Timberpeg Pacific Regional Meeting in Reno, Nevada. Although his recognition is well-deserved, the praise that Terry most enjoys is that of his customers, who say simply, “We love Terry.”
Terry Bellew, who represents both San Bernardino and Riverside counties for Timberpeg®, lives by a simple credo that may explain his customers’ deep regard for his work: Follow the project through until they move in.
As Terry explains it, “It’s fun helping people realize their dream in one of your houses. I love to see a project through to the end.”
| “He’s a good listener and great at balancing the customer’s needs and wants with their budget,” says Borges. |
One of those projects is the “public house” for Colonial Chesterfield at Riley's Farm. Located in Oak Glen, a small, apple-growing area in Southern California, Riley’s Farm is a working apple orchard and living history farm. Dedicated to the continued appreciation of 18th-century American history and culture, Riley’s Farm welcomes thousands of guests every year for re-creations of the American Revolution and additional educational tours focused on the farm life and cultural traditions of the 18th century.
The Riley family regularly ushers guests into the colonial experience in a five-hour banquet in the public area of the Timberpeg® timber frame home that Terry designed. The authentic post and beam re-creation of a colonial home also serves as a residence for the Rileys.
In 2003, Terry shipped a Timberpeg® barn to the Rileys for use as a cider shed. This year, the Rileys are adding on to their original Timberpeg® home with an addition that Terry designed, which will allow their dining hall seating to increase from 45 to 100.
The farm has appeared on the History Channel and in the film Amistad, as well as in many other film and television productions. On selected weekends throughout the year, the Rileys offer “farm-stay” weekends, when families can experience the life of an 18th- or 19th-century American farmer.
Terry points out that the Timberpeg® post and beam design was “exactly right for the era.” The Rileys, in turn, are “very pleased.”
“We love Terry,” says Mary Riley. “He made it so easy. He helped extensively with the first part of the house. In fact, he helped with everything.”
Marty Borges, president of Timberpeg Pacific, understands why customers value Terry’s skills so highly. “He’s a good listener and great at balancing the customer’s needs and wants with their budget,” says Borges. “Terry sincerely tries to make sure customers get what they want.”
Borges also points out that Terry is a great example of what Timberpeg® looks for nationally in an Independent Representative. “Terry’s independent, but he is a member of our team who we can always count on to have an interesting project or a couple of designs in the works. He’s a good planner, well organized, and able to plan designs to fit a budget. Terry also knows how to bring professionals around a project to make it come together.”
Perhaps it’s Terry’s ability to bring people together that accounts for what Borges calls one of Terry’s top qualities. Building a Timberpeg® home seems to create a bond, and Terry remains on great terms with both his current and past customers – all of whom make their homes available to him to show prospective Timberpeg® customers.
At Timberpeg® open home events, not only do his past customers come to see Terry’s latest work, they also want to gather and meet the newest members of their fraternity. “When it’s over, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear they all went out to dinner,” says Borges. “Terry’s got a great rapport with his customers.” 
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