We invite you to meet the team at Cornerstone Building, LLC, a close-knit group of experienced building professionals who warmly work with homeowners to design and build upscale custom homes with value. Homeowners appreciate our expertise and the ways that we actively listen and guide them. Our nucleus of high-quality tradesmen have longevity with Cornerstone, some as far back as when the first home was built.

Meet Cornerstone Owner, Tom Schroder,
Founder of Cornerstone Realty, Cornerstone Building and Cornerstone Building, LLC. Tom was raised on a farm in Livonia, Michigan on the southeast corner of 6 mile and Newburgh. His great-great grandfather, John Schroder built a centennial family farm house and his great grandfather, Albert Schroder and grandfather, John Schroder built a brick house on the south end of the farm at 14950 Newburgh, which still remains today.

Tom’s son Aaron was the 6th generation Schroder born in Livonia. The family land became the site of renowned Schroder’s Centennial Farm and Market in the 1960s. Today, it is a shopping area within walking distance of Laurel Park shopping area.

As a young farm boy, Tom tended to the corn, tomatoes, and melons while enjoying riding his mini-bike around the grounds. At an early age, his character emerged as he ensured that customers had good tomatoes at the bottom of the package as well as at the top. This young man worked hard, including hoeing the pepper patch, and learned the value of a dollar, and how to get by on a lean amount.

After graduating from Stevenson High School in 1973, Tom attended Schoolcraft College and studied construction. Two years later, he began selling homes with Century 21 and worked with builders’ models in the Lakes of Northville high-end subdivision, which he thoroughly enjoyed. This industry came naturally to him – he loved meeting customers, designing floor plans, and working with architects, builders, tradesmen, and suppliers.

In 1978, Tom acquired his real estate broker’s license so as to work with new homes, which is when he formed his first Cornerstone company. Tom’s wife, Jamie Schroder, is also a licensed broker, with 17 years experience, and assist Tom’s custom home buyers with the sale of their existing homes.

Meet Co-Owner Jim Witkowski
and key member of Cornerstone Building, LLC for nearly 20 years. As a young boy, Jim worked beside his dad helping family and friends repair their homes. He always enjoyed building things, and while in college worked for a commercial construction company, remodeling restaurants by running the jackhammer and working on carpentry and roofing.

After graduating from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Jim worked at Ford Motor Company trouble-shooting dealership computers. As construction strongly beckoned him, Jim became a carpenter, “swinging a hammer every day,” as he says. He built, renovated, and sold HUD homes and also worked for a builder as a superintendent, managing residential home building and construction.

In 1993, Jim joined Cornerstone Building as superintendent, and in 1996 became partner with owner Tom Schroder. This trusted member of the Cornerstone team manages every stage of the home building process from foundation to completion to customer service and warranty work, including acquiring building permits and approvals.

Meet Jack Schroder
who has worked closely with his son, Tom Schroder, since the very beginning of the Cornerstone history, over 30 years ago. Jack loves building homes, and bends over backwards to keep customers happy. Homeowners appreciate Jack’s positive attitude and efforts to go above-and-beyond to ensure that they are extremely satisfied.

Jack supports the company owners and tradesmen in their various building activities. Homeowners consider Jack the backbone of the business as he always aims to please. He can be found picking up items around their yard to helping them maintain their beautiful property.

Meet Aaron Schroder
Tom’s son, who earned his construction management degree from Eastern University while working with Cornerstone Building for a number of years. Today, he is an air traffic controller, and with his wife Melissa, together have three children, Holly, Jack, and little Luke who is the 7th generation Schroder in Michigan.