Design Team
Meet the Experienced Design Team at Freedom Design Kitchen & Bath:
Rusty Booth
Eli Dodgson
Dave Gilman
Rick Ickes
Lonny Levenson
Neil Rentz
Bill Staycheff
Bruce Vonderau
Our design team provides the same outstanding personalized service and attention to detail whether your remodel project is big or small.
Rusty Booth
Rusty is a 20-year veteran of the design industry. He was formally trained at Kent State University and the University of Akron in Clothing Textiles/Interior Design, specializing in the Psychology and Concepts of Color. Through his friendly, caring personality, Rusty guides you from the design phase, right through the construction phase and beyond treating you like family. His ultimate goal is to be invited back to your home.
Rusty is very active in the Hudson United Soccer Club, where he sits on the Soccer board while his son plays for both Hudson United and Everest Soccer Clubs. His daughter is just entering her freshman year at Kent State University.
Rusty@FreedomDesignllc.com
216-254-8236
Eli Dodgson
Eli Dodgson’s career in the home remodeling industry began with siding, windows, deck design & installation, drywall, woodworking and ceramic tile. For the past several years he specialized in cabinetry and countertop design and installation.
His background in the home remodeling industry has given him the experience necessary to assist you with your design needs for your kitchen, bath or any room in your home.
He is a life long resident of Summit County, a graduate of Stow Munroe Falls High School, attended Ohio State University and currently resides in Cuyahoga Falls.
Eli@FreedomDesignllc.com
330-256-8032
Dave Gilman
Dave Gilman has over 35 years experience in the building and remodeling industry. His knowledge in blue prints, computer design, field measures & job site layouts is an asset to our team.
He’s great with projects big and small, but really excels with large commercial projects.
DaveG@FreedomDesignllc.com
216-214-5020
Rick Ickes
Rick Ickes is a U.C.L.A grad and avid surfer, originally from L.A. Calif. He has brought the clean, simple designs from the west coast to Freedom Design Kitchen & Bath.
Rick is a schooled Chef. He owned his own restaurants and worked for the great Wolf Gang Puck. This helped him understand how important design function and balance is in a large kitchen and he is able to apply that knowledge on a smaller scale to your home kitchen.
Rick had a firm that designed the top restaurants in the L.A. area. Combining design, cooking and business skills, Rick and his wife opened L.A.'s top Kitchen & Home Furnishing design stores. He did movie sets and many kitchens seen on sitcoms. His wares were in Bon Appetite magazine and Gourmet Magazine. He also designed many celebrities’ homes. Rick also owned a gourmet frozen food company that private labeled foods for Trader Joe's Markets along with his own label; they shipped his treats nationwide. Rick made one of the first veggie burgers.
Now living in the Cleveland area designing for around fifteen years, he has quite a resume of happy customers of kitchens that he has designed and letters to show for it. He loves to hear his customers tell him that their friends think that their kitchen looks like it was three times what they paid for it. Designing ultra contemporary to traditional come natural to Rick.
Rick@FreedomDesignllc.com
440-667-5970
Lonny Levenson
Lonny Levenson is an award-winning kitchen designer. Well-schooled in interior space design through The Ohio State University's College of Industrial Design, Lonny balances his traditional principles with a penchant for breaking the rules. The result is spaces that are unique and visually pleasing yet fully functional.
His risk-taking has been commended several times with multiple Cleveland Choice and North Coast Building Industry awards.
Lonny is highly regarded for his ability to turn his clients' wish lists into reality by injecting elegance and personality into a space without sacrificing practicality.
Lonny@FreedomDesignllc.com
440-313-4325
Neil Rentz
Neil’s attention to detail is meticulous due in part to his finish carpentry background. Besides his vast referral business, he has worked with a variety of builders in your neighborhood, like Otero Homes featured in Canyon Woods in Bainbridge.
Neil grew up in Hollidaysburg Pennsylvania. He attended Thaddeus Stevens School of Technology studying Carpentry and Architectural Drafting. After graduating, he was a custom finish carpenter and supervisor for residential and commercial buildings. He has 20 years experience designing cabinetry for any room in the home giving the proper balance between practicality and aesthetics.
In his spare time he enjoys the outdoors, fly fishing and sports. He’s married with two children; Joshua and Mathew, both in the US Army. His wife Kathy is a Nursing Supervisor for the OB department at Hillcrest Hospital/Cleveland Clinic.
Neil@FreedomDesignllc.com
216-387-7250
Bill Staycheff
Bill has had the opportunity to excel in many positions in the 26 years he has been in the construction industry. Starting in 1984 as an outside salesman for Builders World he was charged to expand their operations in Summit County. Through his efforts he became the leading sales producer with annual sales consistently over a million dollars. He went on to become Vice President and then General Manager where he revamped a fledgling installation department into an award winning team of professionals.
He launched his own company, Freedom Design in June of 2002 aspiring to give Builders, Remodelers, and Consumers the finest products in the marketplace along with exceptional service that has been the trademark of his career. He opened a satellite showroom in Cuyahoga Falls in 2004 serving the needs of Summit County.
Bill is especially proud of the products Freedom Design has partnered with, such as KraftMaid, the largest cabinet company in the country that consistently wins JD Powers Best Buy award. Building a team of professionals to service the customer’s needs is one of his greatest accomplishments.
In his spare time, Bill is an avid golfer. Bill and his wife Cindy are residents of Silver Lake. Their son Mark runs the Top Shop division at Freedom Design and daughter Nicole attends The Ohio State University.
Bill@FreedomDesignllc.com
330-571-3513
Bruce Vonderau
Bruce has been designing award winning kitchens for some of Cleveland’s top builders and most reputable Remodelers for 17 years. He listens to his customers and turns their ideas into creative designs. He gives each kitchen he designs its own personality, due in part to his Art major. Bruce really enjoys thinking out of the box and creates new concepts with a very open mind. Expect the unexpected.
Bruce and his wife Missy have three children and live in Parma. In there spare time they enjoy the outdoors, camping, sports and spending time with the family.
Bruce@FreedomDesignllc.com
440-221-6258
