Written By: Molly Kordares
Jake Lewendal grew up on job sites. He was 12 when he first started sweeping up after his father’s builds. By 14, his favorite hustle was collecting copper wire cutoffs and selling them to Pacific Steel for extra spending money. And by the time he started college, he and his dad were building houses side by side. Still, when Lewendal looked around at the traditional construction landscape, he says he always felt a disconnect.
The modern mindset of a next-generation Montana builder
“I remember thinking, there must be a better way,” Lewendal recalls. He saw an industry dominated by the old guard: gruff management, lots of yelling, and exhausting hours that pulled people away from their families. “I just kept thinking, this is supposed to be fun. But it usually wasn’t.”
In 2020, Lewendal decided to build that better way. He launched Momentum Construction Group in Bozeman with a simple goal: to build exceptional homes while prioritizing the humans behind the projects.
“YOU DO NOT GET TO WORK HERE UNLESS YOU TREAT EVERY PROJECT LIKE YOU’RE BUILDING IT FOR YOUR OWN FAMILY. FULL STOP.”
Today, Momentum Construction Group represents the next generation of Mountain West builders. Most of the close-knit, 12-person team comes from construction families, combining old-school trades with a modern perspective.
“Quality is the price of admission, not the pitch,” Lewendal says. “Everyone at this level can build a good house. What they can’t all do is make the process worth the client’s time and investment. That’s culture. That’s client experience. That’s our actual differentiator.”
Momentum operates with an ethos that feels more like a modern tech company, offering benefits like unlimited PTO, flexible schedules, and a workplace centered around trust.
“Culture isn’t just a buzzword for us; it’s our operating system,” Lewendal explains. “If you build an environment where people actually enjoy coming to work, the precision and quality of the homes we are building follow naturally.”
That progressive mindset extends beyond company culture. The company recently launched MomentumAI, a software platform that uses artificial intelligence to streamline estimates, takeoffs, and operational workflows for contractors.
Lewendal says it’s the only trade software on the market built directly by an active general contractor. Momentum is currently raising investment capital and plans to launch a standalone app version soon.
“We want to make everyone’s life better across the entire trade landscape,” he says.
Care is a key concept at Momentum. That’s because, for this team, building a custom home isn’t just a transaction; it’s an alignment of vision between owner and builder. “I joke that it’s a short-term marriage,” Lewendal says. “You have to like who you’re hanging out with for the next two to three years, and you better be able to communicate with them.”
Momentum may be flexible and progressive, but there is one company rule that applies to everyone.
“You do not get to work here unless you treat every project like you’re building it for your own family,” Lewendal says. “Full stop.”
“THERE’S ALMOST NO TRIM THROUGHOUT THE CABINS.EVERY SEAM AND JOINT IS FULLY EXPOSED, SO IT HAD TO BE PERFECT THE FIRST TIME —THERE WAS ZERO ROOM FOR ERROR.”
A philosophy is only as strong as the structures it produces, and two recent Big Sky projects capture the dual forces driving the company: technical precision and deep, personal trust.
ONE & ONLY GUEST CABINS
In 2023, Momentum was contracted to build six freestanding luxury guest cabins for One&Only Moonlight Basin in Big Sky—a project built around precision. Designed by world-renowned architecture firm Olson Kundig, the sleek, minimalist cabins demanded uncompromising execution at every stage.
“There’s almost no trim throughout the cabins,” Lewendal explains. “Every seam and joint is fully exposed, so it had to be perfect the first time—there was zero room for error.”
Each connection required surgical execution. Trim transitions were not an option. The fireplaces had metal-to-plaster connections without molding or stone overlays. Some of the most intricate junctions called for wood, metal, countertops, and plaster all converging seamlessly.
“THEY’RE SOMEHOW BOTH MODERN AND WARM AT THE SAME TIME. BUT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THAT, WE HAD TO BE SPOT ON WITH EVERY SINGLE DETAIL.”
“Design-wise, those cabins are some of the coolest cabins I’ve ever seen,” Lewendal says. “They’re somehow both modern and warm at the same time. But in order to achieve that, we had to be spot on with every single detail.”
The One&Only project marked a major turning point for Momentum. Taking on six luxury cabins designed by a firm like Olson Kundig meant stepping into a whole new weight class. Momentum had to meet rigorous commercial requirements and meticulous backend paperwork. Instead of slowing them down, that discipline forced Momentum to refine its entire operation.
That project is what pushed Momentum into a category of its own: boutique in relationship, commercial in execution. Clients get direct access to the people building their homes, backed by the operational discipline of a firm built to handle anything.
LAZY G RANCH
When Momentum was brought in to renovate Lazy G Ranch, a classic log home in Big Sky’s Moonlight Basin, the team modernized the residence while honoring its roots. Focusing heavily on the guest wing, kitchen, and primary suite, Momentum introduced marble, gold fixtures, and custom rift-sawn white oak cabinetry alongside the existing hardwood floors. The result was a warm, modern update that elevated the ranch’s character with clean, contemporary lines.
“THERE ARE TWO PIECES OF THE BUSINESS: THE HOUSE AND THE RELATIONSHIP. AND THERE’S ART IN BOTH OF THOSE.”
But the home wasn’t the only thing that changed over the course of the project. Momentum earned something you can’t shortcut: the owner’s trust. “He was very cautious at first and had seen several neighbors go through bad building experiences,” Lewendal explains. “And being cautious makes sense. There are millions of dollars at stake on these projects. But that’s exactly why we start building the relationship long before a single wall goes up.” Within just a few weeks of working together, that distance dissolved. As the owner watched the team handle his home with genuine care, the relationship shifted from cautious client to real partner.
Whenever unexpected issues surfaced behind the log walls, Momentum made sure the owner never felt blindsided. “We’d bring him options, not problems,” Lewendal says. “The goal was never to just flag an issue—it was to walk in with a path forward already mapped out. People trust a process when they can see it. What breaks that trust is being left in the dark.”
Ask Lewendal what drives him, and he’ll tell you it’s projects like the Lazy G Ranch.
“There are two pieces of the business: the house and the relationship,” he explains. “And there’s art in both of those.”
Lewendal will always relish how it feels to stand inside a completed home, knowing his team brought it to life. But he is equally in love with mastering the human dynamics between client and team.
Ultimately, Momentum measures their success by the feeling a completed home leaves behind.
“I want someone to be able to walk into the house we worked on and compare it to one down the street,” Lewendal says. “They don’t have to know anything about building—but I want them to walk in and just feel the difference.”
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