Some company names are created in branding meetings.
WillowTree started as a code word between a group of high school friends.
Long before Travis Franks and Jody Alumbaugh were building custom homes together, they were two kids growing up in Keller, Texas.
They met in fifth grade, played sports, and eventually found themselves on the same high school baseball team. Neither could have known then that a willow tree just beyond the outfield would give a future company its name.
It Started With a Willow Tree
During their senior year, Travis, Jody, and a small group of friends would get together at Jody’s family home in Keller.
There would be steaks, cards, and the kind of evenings that become part of a friendship without anyone thinking much about them at the time.
The problem was that they didn’t necessarily want the entire baseball team showing up.
During one game, the friends noticed a willow tree beyond the outfield and came up with a code.
“Willow tree” meant they were heading back to Jody’s house.
Soon, every get-together became a “Willow Tree night.”
The name became such an inside joke that the friends would talk about opening the Willow Tree Steakhouse someday if they ever made enough money.
The steakhouse never happened.
The name, however, stuck.
Different Paths, the Same Friendship
After high school, life took Travis and Jody in different directions.
Jody became a professional engineer, building a career in construction and design.
Travis went deeper into the construction world, gaining experience in homebuilding, construction management, residential land sales, and development.
They stayed in touch, but there wasn’t some grand plan waiting in the background for the two of them to start a company together.
That came later.
In the mid-2000s, Travis began taking on remodeling projects on the side. When it came time to put a name to the work, his friends suggested something familiar:
Willow Tree Remodeling.
The old high school code word had officially become a business name.
And Travis began giving Jody a hard time about leaving the engineering world to join him.
For years, Jody didn’t.
Until one day, he did.
The Phone Call That Changed Things
In 2012, Jody called Travis.
He was ready to seriously talk about going into business together.
What followed wasn’t glamorous. Travis started working through projections, estimating what it might look like to complete a certain number of remodeling projects each month and eventually grow into building homes.
They talked through the possibilities.
They looked at the numbers.
And ultimately, they decided to take the risk.
Both walked away from good-paying careers to build something of their own.
When it came time to choose a name for the new custom home company, they tried combinations of initials and other ideas.
But they kept coming back to the name that had followed them since high school.
WillowTree Custom Homes was founded in 2013.
Building Something That Would Last
Starting the company didn’t mean everything suddenly fell into place.
There were difficult years. There were lessons learned. There were moments when building a company required just as much perseverance as building the homes themselves.
But the business grew.
So did the team.
And over time, WillowTree became known for custom homes throughout Southlake, Westlake, Colleyville, Trophy Club, Keller, Roanoke, and other North Texas communities, eventually expanding into the Texas Hill Country and Fredericksburg.
What began with two friends became a company supported by professionals across construction, engineering, project management, field leadership, design, and skilled trades.
And while the homes have become larger and the projects more complex, some of the most important ideas behind WillowTree have remained surprisingly simple.
Do what you say you’re going to do.
Communicate clearly.
Ask instead of assuming.
Take care of the details.
Treat someone’s home like it matters.
Because it does.
More Than Travis and Jody
Travis is quick to point out that WillowTree isn’t meant to be a company about its founders.
Their friendship may explain where the name came from, but the WillowTree of today is much bigger than the two people who started it.
Every home depends on a team of people bringing different expertise to the table and holding themselves to the same standard.
That culture has become part of what Travis and Jody are most proud of building.
And more than a decade after taking the chance on WillowTree together, both remain involved in the homes that carry its name.
Maybe that’s fitting.
A company named after a place where friends gathered eventually became a company that builds places where families will gather for generations.
The Willow Tree Is Still Growing.
What started as a code word between friends became a remodeling company, then a custom home builder, and eventually the WillowTree team that exists today.
The story has changed quite a bit since those high school baseball games in Keller.
The name hasn’t.
And neither has the idea at the heart of it:
Build something worth gathering around.