Ryan Johnstone

Ryan began working on the company’s renovation projects as a laborer when he was 13, sweeping out homes, organizing materials and using the heaviest sledge hammer he could manage to inflict the most damage. This seemed like an ideal fit for a kid with endless energy.

Once back from the University of Iowa with degrees in both Journalism and Communications, Ryan decided to begin his business career in Colorado, moving to Denver for both the sun and the snow in the summer of 1998. During this time, Ryan worked at Translogic, a pnuematic tubing systems manufacturer, as an inside sales representative. He then moved on to join Storage Area Networks, a data storage start-up, as a sales and marketing associate. At this point, two years had passed, and Ryan was offered an opportunity to learn the family business back in Chicago.

So in the fall of 2000, he came home, and again started in the field, this time as a construction supervisor. Thankfully for his back, the sledgehammer was replaced with a notebook and a cell phone. After almost two years in the field, Ryan moved into the office, to focus his efforts on land acquisition, marketing and sales. By this time, however, O.G.I. was focusing solely on new construction projects. But there were now more projects than Ryan could handle, so O.G.I. hired a family member, Mick DeBartolo, who was interested in learning the business, to help shoulder the load.

Mick DeBartolo

Mick comes to the building business with a very interesting and impressive resume. He started his “real” education as an engineer in the Navy, where he progressed quickly through the ranks while receiving an undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering. Mick spent most of his time at sea in the engine room of the ship, entrusted as one of the lead engineering personnel with the ship’s nuclear reactor. Once his obligation to the Navy was over, Mick decided that he wanted to pursue engineering and project management in the private sector. He started at Lever Brothers, a soap manufacturer, as a manufacturing engineer. He then moved on to Com Ed as an engineer. Finally, Mick worked for Philips Electronics, a company that manufactured x-ray tubes, as a design and project manager. In his spare time, Mick picked up an MBA from Lake Forest College.

Matt Mroz

Michael Stone Group is pleased to formally announce it's association with Matt Mroz, owner of Matt’s Custom Carpentry. Matt brings with him 22 years of experience in the custom home building industry. He started by studying architectural design at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb , IL . Then Matt headed for the trade winds of South Florida , where he designed custom homes for a prominent home builder. However, Matt realized his love of the building business revolved around a more hands-on approach, so he left the office and headed out to the field, laboring for a framing carpenter and learned how to build homes from the ground up. But Matt was ambitious, and once he was armed with enough experience and knowledge, he moved back to Illinois and opened his own framing business in 1986. He spent eight years building custom homes in Barrington , Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods. Looking to refine his skills further, Matt then began building cabinets and custom designed millwork. Matt has been designing the custom millwork for Michael Stone Group over the last four years. We value his talent and design expertise and look forward to our continued close association into the future.