Builder of luxury homes finds 'la bella vita' in the Valley

March 18, 2005

BOB MARTINSON/Frontiersman reporter

Chuck Spinelli is a man who emerged from modest beginnings, took a small construction company he launched during the peak of Alaska's biggest economic crash, and hung on to see the company, Spinell Homes, grow to amazing proportions.

Spinelli lost his father, a masonry contractor, when he was just 11 years old. He says one of the last things his dad said to him was "Never get into the contracting business, because it's just a terrible way to try to make a living."

Born in Canton, Ohio, Spinelli's family moved to San Jose, Calif., when he was about 5 years old.

After high school, Spinelli's best friend was going to get a law degree, so Spinelli decided he would go to college with him, feeling it was just the right thing to do. Spinelli was originally going to get a law degree for himself, but after earning a two-year associate of arts degree, he decided to get married and figured getting a job at that moment as opposed to later was more important.

Spinelli stayed with school, but also took a job with the Parks and Recreation Department in San Jose, becoming a park ranger. He worked toward a bachelor's degree for six years, picking up an elementary teaching certificate.

He got married in April 1974, and from 1975-78, Spinelli found himself teaching elementary school in California.

In 1978, his wife wanted to have a baby and quit her job. Spinelli realized the $9,600 annual salary he received as a teacher just didn't seem to add up to much when he looked at his monthly income and expenses.

His sister and brother-in-law were in Idaho. The brother-in-law was a contractor and had a boom going there, so he thought Spinelli could help him run the business and keep books, so Spinelli went there to work with him.

After a while, that didn't work out so well for him, so Spinelli went to work for Bowen Construction in Idaho in 1982. Working with Bowen led Spinelli to come to Alaska to work for him in 1984, and his brother-in-law came here as well.

In 1987, Bowen filed for bankruptcy during the crash in housing demands and Spinelli found himself out of work, so he started a business called Bowen-Spinell Homes. He says he liked the way Bowen-Spinell sounded, so he left off the "i" in the name of the business.

Spinelli and Bowen eventually parted ways, and the rest, they say, is history. Chuck Spinelli began that year, building about five houses.

"It was touch and go until about 1990," he said. That was the year that phenomenal growth began, in part because of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the Valley became part of his game plan.

Today, Spinell Homes is one of the largest and most successful companies in the home-building industry. It specializes in custom-built luxury housing from Seward to Anchorage, Eagle River and the Valley.

Spinelli has been building in the Valley since 1990. Spinelli says about 190 homes were built last year and that 40 of those were in the Valley; next year, the business plans to build 55 or 60 homes in the Valley.

With this success came some extra investment opportunities.

In 2003, Spinelli won a bid on the Settlers Bay Lodge after it had been remodeled and auctioned off. He now operates the luxurious restaurant, with sweeping views of the Chugach Mountains and Knik Arm, from mid-week through the weekend in winter months and seven days a week in the summer.

Spinelli owns a cabin near Mile 16 Knik-Goose Bay Road and snowmachines out there often, so he knew the lodge well and ended up being the only person to bid on it. He says his worst habits are boating and fishing, because of the expense.

He keeps his new 57-foot Bayliner in Whittier and it is named "Bella Vita," meaning, "It's a wonderful life." Spinelli also owns the Knik Post Office, across the street from the lodge, through a contract with the U.S. Postal Service.

He has four subdivisions and a couple of storage units in Wasilla, an office in Palmer's Midtown area run by Guy Stone, and is in the process of purchasing the Settlers Bay sewer and water utilities, which have nothing to do with the Settlers Bay Golf Course.

Spinelli says that within five years, 75 percent of his business will be in the Valley.

Spinelli has his whole family working in the business and he has been married to his wife, Jackie, for 31 years. The couple has three children: Andre, 28, Loren, 26, and Lindsay, 22. Andre is a professional snowboarder and has been in many films.

"He's trying to kill himself and I try to keep him away from that stuff as much as I can," Spinelli said.

Lindsay is a college student majoring in English and communications. He said the kids "took over" his condo in Girdwood, so he doesn't see them that much anymore, because they are all very much into skiing and snowboarding.

According to Spinelli, he also plays guitar in a "geezer band," and most of their performances occur in a wine cellar. "Bella Vita," indeed.