Contractor builds to last in Sisters

"I am very particular about what I do," says contractor Ed Cook. "I'm all about detail."

That's an ethic that Cook's father instilled in him from an early age, and one that carried him through a long and distinguished career in building restoration in Virginia.

"My dad was my dad, my brother, my best friend and my teacher," Cook recalled. "And I was taught if you can't give 100 percent, don't get out of your truck."

Cook is now bringing that lifelong commitment to quality work to Sisters as 3 Sisters and Cook Contracting. Cook is quick to emphasize that he isn't trying to elbow his way into the local trade.

"There's so much work that is here," he said. "I'm not trying to take work away from anybody local ... I just want to do what the local guys don't want to do or can't do - you know, they just can't get to it."

He's looking for modest-sized projects that he can take on himself.

"There's nothing I really can't do," he said. "I'm just going to be more selective because I want to be a one-man show out here."

Cook's restoration business in Virginia is 69 years old, and he's worked on historic homes of Founding Fathers, like James Monroe, and the properties of movie stars.

"I worked on some of the finest estates in Virginia," he said.

With so many buildings calling out for restoration, "we never did any new work at all," he said.

Cook is serious about his commitment to quality, and he's not willing to cut corners or cheap-out. He's not the bargain-basement guy - he prides himself on a job well done, built to last. And that offers the best value in the long run.

"I've never cut corners and I never will," he said. "To give a good product, you've got to use good materials. I want to sell the best product I can at the fairest price I can deliver to them."

Cook has been visiting Central Oregon for two decades, and he has felt most welcomed as he has moved into the Sisters community. He says he's been well treated everywhere he goes.

"The people here - it's hard to explain 'em to people back East," he said. "Everybody's just gone out of their way to serve not just me, but to serve the community."

Cook is eager to find ways to pitch in and serve the community himself.

"I like to help people," he said. "I've been blessed my whole life, and now it's just time for me to give back as much as I possibly can with the time I've got left."

Contact 3 Sisters and Cook Contracting at 540-454-2040.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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