“HandyManuel” is actually myself, Curtis Manuel.

Born January 24, 1961, I was raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan by Jerry and Judy Manuel. I attended Loy Norrix High School and then Western Michigan University where I was graduated in 1984 with a BS in Printing Management. I met my wife, Beth (Freund), while attending WMU and we were married on June 7, 1986. Together, we have two children, Haley and Nathan.

HandyManuel is the culmination of a long journey through several careers. Getting somewhere has sometimes been fun, certainly exciting but riddled with difficult tasks. Although a seemly progression of jobs and careers, there really is a reason for the way things work out.

My career path started in high school where I took a trade printing class and discovered that I liked the hands-on approach to creating a product from raw material. I studied and worked in the printing industry for the next 12 years until attempting to open a computer graphics service bureau. The financing was tough though and I eventually needed to find regular job. I found sales and marketing work for a receivable finance company and then a new lease marketing firm.

Much of the early nineties were spent learning the finance industry by taking classes, networking with industry insiders and, of course, “out of the pan into the fire” training. In 1996, my employer was forced to liquidate their portfolio and I was subsequently laid-off.

I then found a variety of temporary assignments performing bookkeeping, data entry and customer service work for several companies. It was this variety of work and my interest in managing projects that lead to several contracts for installing and integrating computer networks and telephone systems in a couple of companies. I formed Naley & Associates in March of 1997 to handle this project work that continued after being hired fulltime as an analyst in the energy industry.

This employment soon ceased as well due to a reorganization and outsourcing of the entire marketing department. It was during the subsequent round of resume sending and interviews that I spent a summer with the warm sun on my back doing a variety of odd jobs and physical labor. My wife, Beth, noticed my enthusiasm for, and skill at completing, construction type work and suggested I make a go of it as a handyman. After many marketing and sales related positions in 20 years, three in the last five years alone, I too began to realize that maybe another profession would be just as suitable but equally as satisfying. Comprehensive Building Services LLC and HandyManuel, were born in March of 2004.

I have always been active within my community, from sports and social clubs to volunteering and association memberships. I believe in giving my time, rather than just money.