Know Your Neighbors: Ryan Derrer, General contractor

Ryan Derrer, 31, owns The One Stop Building Shop, a general contracting firm in Sterling.

He lives in Sterling with his wife, Callista Derrer, 32, and their three children, Mylanah Derrer, 5, Landen Derrer, 4, and Ellah Derrer, 2. Ryan is the son of Greg and Marcia Derrer of Lanark and Pam and Gary Howard of Dixon. He has two brothers, Eric Derrer, 29, of Savanna, and Jonathon Derrer, 16, of Lanark.

On-the-job lesson: Every challenge is different.

Alma mater: I graduated in 1997 from Mount Carroll High School. I got an associate degree in general studies from Sauk Valley Community College.

Philosophy: Be honest.

Hearts: Hunting, playing at the Y with my kids, “Criminal Minds” and “CSI.”

Darts: People taking advantage of other people.

Haunts: I go to the Y a lot.

Heroes: Bob Harper, the trainer on “The Biggest Loser,” and Michael Jordan.

First job: I was a stock boy at Shaw’s IGA in Mount Carroll when I was 14. I liked it.

First car: A 1985 Dodge 600 when I was 15.

Read this: Books about energy efficiency.

Guilty pleasure: Hunting.

I’d like to meet: Barack Obama.

In the dictionary next to: Ambitious.

Trading places: I’d like to be Donald Trump. It’d be neat to be on top of the world, and deal with the stresses that go with it.

Trading spaces: I’d like to visit Canada up by Alaska. I think it’d be pretty, and there’s the wildlife.

Best thing about Sterling: The challenge of bringing a new concept as far as energy efficiency and green products.

Shout out to: My mom and my mother-in-law, Joleene Pyse.