A determined but wobbly two-year-old Katie Youngren climbs the stairs to her father’s business to deliver a packed lunch and give her daddy a hug. For Scott Youngren, owner of Youngren Construction/North County Window and Door, it makes his day.

Youngren has built a respected business in Fallbrook, but he’s also taking care of another precious commodity in this town, his family.

Youngren and his wife Jennifer have strong Fallbrook roots and chose to establish their family here. Their reasoning makes good sense. The couple wants Katie, and their son Nash, 7, to experience the same great Fallbrook childhood they said they had.

"In 1976, we moved from San Juan Capistrano to a five-acre avocado ranch in Bonsall because my dad didn’t want to raise his family in a busy town," Youngren said, remembering how he and his sister would take charge of the grove on alternating years.

"My sister was the gung-ho one, getting everyone to help her pick avocados, while I was the one who’d sit on the tractor and hire pickers to do it." Youngren admits he got the job done faster and made less money, while his sister took longer but gleaned more profits.

Fond memories continued all the way up through the Fallbrook High School graduating class of 1989. "I had a group of about 15 good friends and we all had nicknames for each other and my name was Bones," Youngren said. "I weighed 120 pounds all through high school. I was just a runt."

Coincidentally, Youngren later discovered that his father had the very same "Bones" nickname growing up.

Youngren said he became interested in construction after his father built a few houses on speculation. After school, he made a beeline to the site and his hard work paid off. At 16 years of age, Youngren saved enough money to buy his first truck. The job also gave him insight to a lifelong career.

"I’ve been in construction for as long as I can remember," he said, noting how he earned his contractor’s license when he was only 21.

When Youngren decided to open the doors to his construction business, he was certain of one thing. He did not want a small one-man show operation. Instead, he focused on creating a full-service company that catered to both residential and commercial projects. Youngren clearly attained that goal.

Youngren wants people to understand that he takes every job seriously and personally. And so do his employees.

Even after all these years in the business, Youngren admits he still loves his job. "If I was a multimillionaire, I would do every job for free," he said.

While some people play a round of golf to clear their minds, Youngren loves to slide behind the wheel of a race car and zoom around the track. Although he doesn’t race as often as he used to, he said, it’s always been the perfect outlet.

"It doesn’t matter what was going on 10 minutes before, because I am focused on one thing, racing," he said.

Youngren has frequented raceways in El Cajon, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Bakersfield, winning a total of ten races over the years. Youngren’s love for the outdoors is contagious. Now, his family has it. Whenever possible, they pack up their "dirt toys" and head for the desert. Fishing up in the Sierras is another Youngren vacation destination. "We don’t like to stay home much," Youngren said, laughing.

Last October, Youngren took part in an important Fallbrook cause. He volunteered his Saturday to help bust down the notorious cinderblock wall which was being used as a shield by a local street gang. The wall was located at the 1100 block of South Vine Street. Youngren, along with grading contractor Michael Daghlian, were the muscles behind the job.

Youngren can’t imagine living anywhere but Fallbrook. It’s where he calls home. "Fallbrook has treated me very well and I am fortunate to live here."

Youngren Construction is located at 443 East Alvarado Street in Fallbrook. To learn more, please call Youngren at (760) 728-9874 or visit www.youngrenconstruction.com.