Our Staff
Della Hysten
Owner
Originally from the Midwest, Della started her career as a CPA with a Big Six accounting firm in Chicago. After taking time off to raise a family, and having lived all over the country and managed several remodels. On a personal level, Della decided to study Interior Design. She met James in 2013 who encouraged her to pursue her dream of house flipping, so she got her Real Estate salesperson license and started First Class Design & Renovation shortly thereafter. She and James have flipped four houses and eight new construction projects in Orange County in the last eight years. After struggling to find competent, reliable and reasonably priced carpenters to complete the cabinetry for their latest project, they found (and later purchased) Swanson Custom Woodworks. Having retained the original staff carpenters to run shop production (who each have over 20 years of experience), James oversees Sales and Production and Della works on all things Design, especially kitchens and bathrooms.
James Hysten
Owner
Originally from the Midwest, James started his career in the Retail automotive business and eventually Auto Finance and Banking with Wells Fargo. James was promoted to SVP of sales in 2010 and relocated to SoCal, where he was responsible for managing over 15,000 Auto Dealers and 450 sales representatives in the US. In 2013 he met his wife Della, and they were married in 2015. He supported his new wife in her new venture First Class Design & Renovation, LLC (formed in 2014). They started “Flipping” homes and quickly moved to new construction. James has been around new construction since he was 8 years old. They have completed over 12 projects in Orange County. This connection with construction led to them acquiring Swanson Custom Woodworks in December of 2022. The motivation behind the all-asset purchase grew out of their need to find reliable and competent carpenters in the Orange County area. This acquisition aligns with all their construction activity. They work with homeowners, as well as, in the commercial space. James holds his California Insurance Brokers License and California Home Improvement Sales license.
Rick Morris
OPERATIONS & PLANNING
Jose Sierra
PRODUCTION
