Meet the Team

Derek Renz

My name is Derek Renz. I am the co-owner and lead inspector for the Salem Pillar To Post franchise. For four years I held the title of general contractor, where I worked to perfect my knowledge on the ins and outs of homes. We performed a number of different services ranging from roofing, to remodeling, dry rot repair, decks, etc. In December of 2016 I decided to pursue a career in home inspections. My dream was to ultimately become a real-estate broker, however working as a home inspector for a year, I found my place in the industry.

Serving as a home inspector is very rewarding. Getting to help educates our clients on the biggest purchase of their lives has become a bit of a passion project. I have now performed thousands of inspections in the greater Salem area, and have gotten to know so many good real estate agents and professionals. It is our goal to provide a comprehensive and thorough report. I live and breath home inspections, and customer satisfaction is what I pride myself on. I can be reached at almost anytime (day or night) and strive to respond to inspection inquiries as quickly as possible.

When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have a beautiful wife and three amazing children. We recently moved into a new-to-us home, so we have been enjoying putting our own touches on it.

Marie Baker

My name is Marie Baker. I’ve been with Pillar To Post in various capacities since 2008. It all started when my husband and I moved from Kalispell, Montana, to Helena, Montana. We were in the process of buying a home and had just found out that we were expecting our first child. Our realtor asked me if I planned on going back to work after the baby was born or if I would be interested in working from home. Of course, I was interested in anything that would allow me to stay home with our baby, so I asked for more information. She had a friend (A home inspector) who was looking for someone to answer the phone and do all the scheduling for him. She thought I would be perfect for it, because I’m good with people and am professional and organized.

The owner of the Helena Pillar To Post called me later that week and hired me on the spot. I worked for him for 2 years, and then he retired, selling the business to his employee inspector, and I went on to work for him for another 3 years. Around that time the market crashed, and our little local housing market took a pretty good hit. I ended up getting laid off and spent the next few years doing other jobs.

In the summer of 2015, a good friend of mine who owned the Salem, Oregon P2P franchise called me and asked if I would be willing to work for him, doing what I had been doing for the Helena office. At the time, my husband and I were building another home, here in Montana, and I knew that being able to have a more flexible schedule and be on site would be wonderful. Plus, it would give me the chance to spend the last year at home with our second child, before she started kindergarten. I worked for him for 3 years, and during that time, I took on a bit more responsibility, and also got to work with Derek Renz, who would someday become my business partner.

In the spring of 2018, our predecessor announced that he wanted to sell the business and move out of state. In passing, my husband suggested that I consider buying it. I brushed it off, as I still live in Montana, and I just couldn’t picture trying to run a business from a different state! However, God had different plans. I found out that Derek was also interested in buying the business, but he wasn’t sure if he could do it on his own. We decided to partner up, and the rest is history! We have been in business together now since the summer of 2018, and things just keep getting better. Our families have gotten closer and closer, and we look forward of many more years together with Pillar to Post.

Jordan Saari

My name is Jordan Saari. Before joining Derek and Marie at Pillar To Post, I had spent upwards of 3 years searching for a career that kept my interest. I was in every industry available and was in college for a time, but nothing ever felt right. I have always been good with my hands and am mechanically inclined. I have been exposed to construction for most of my life and have helped build many houses and other structures from the ground up. When the opportunity to work for Derek and Marie came up, I took it in the hopes it would become my career. From the first ride along I took with the Derek, I knew this is what I wanted to dedicate my life to.

I enjoy meeting the wide variety of people that use our services. (pilots, engineers, car enthusiasts, etc.) I have always been good with people, and I enjoy getting to know our clients and what matters to them. Customer service is an important part of this job and getting to know the clients and help to educate them on the houses they are buying is very rewarding.

In addition to my background in construction, I have other qualities that have served me well as a home inspector. I pride myself as being punctual, professional, honest, and a good communicator. A few of the things that drew me to Pillar To Post are the pieces of their business model that speak to those parts of my personality. We are always on time (or early), we print our reports on site, so clients don’t have long to wait, we always wear a separate pair of shoes inside, showing respect for the homeowners and their home, and we offer a wide variety of services and price points to give our clients as many options as possible when it comes to choosing what kind of home inspection they want.
As the saying goes, all work and no play, makes for a dull boy! There’s more to me than just work! I’m happily married, and we have a beautiful little girl. When I’m not at work, I’m with them. I also love rebuilding cars with my dad, playing games with my brothers, and generally being with my family, either at home, or out in the woods.