Jon DeMond-Axelrod
Helping people imagine better homes, navigate tradeoffs, and bring great ideas to life.
I'm Jon DeMond-Axelrod, and I'm currently pursuing Residential Design Consultant and Design-Build Consultant opportunities in Columbus, Ohio.
Over the past several years, I've worked with more than 120 homeowners throughout Central Ohio, helping them improve, maintain, adapt, and reimagine the places they call home.
Through The Clintonville Handyman, Éliane Design, and The Karole Foundation, I've pursued a common mission: helping people improve, adapt, and reimagine their homes—and helping them navigate the decisions that bring those ideas to life.
For more than 25 years, before bringing that experience into residential services, I helped customers make important decisions across education, publishing, technology, and consumer brands. The settings have changed, but I've always been drawn to understanding needs, exploring possibilities, building trust, and helping people move forward with confidence.
Why This Work
Working with homeowners has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career.
Every project begins with a different combination of goals, constraints, priorities, and possibilities. What I've come to appreciate is that a home is never just a project. Decisions about homes are ultimately decisions about comfort, safety, independence, family, and how people want to live.
What draws me to residential design-build consulting is the opportunity to help homeowners clarify what they want, explore possibilities, navigate tradeoffs, and move forward with confidence. It brings together the parts of my background I've always enjoyed most: design, communication, problem solving, and helping people make important decisions.
What I bring
Twenty-five years helping people evaluate options, understand tradeoffs, and make confident decisions.
Helping homeowners clarify what they want, what is possible, and what path makes the most sense.
Clear, honest conversation that builds trust before any recommendation is made.
Hands-on understanding of how repairs, improvements, and upgrades connect inside real homes.
A growing focus on safety, independence, and design that supports how people actually live.
Practical experience defining scope, sequencing work, and helping homeowners plan with clarity.
A background in premium brands and digital experience that taught me how trust is built over time.
Helping homeowners, trades, and stakeholders align around decisions that serve the real goal.
Proof from the field
What homeowners value
Over the last several years, I have worked with more than 120 homeowners across Central Ohio. While the projects vary, the feedback is remarkably consistent. Homeowners repeatedly highlight trust, communication, problem solving, collaboration, and craftsmanship.
Successful residential projects begin with trust. Homeowners consistently describe Jon as transparent, dependable, and someone they feel comfortable inviting into their homes.
“I trust him with all of my projects. Highly recommend.”
“Very trustworthy.”
“He was very upfront with pricing and conscientious about his billing.”
Customers frequently mention responsiveness, expectation-setting, and the ability to explain options and tradeoffs clearly.
“He kept me updated throughout the whole process.”
“Jon did a great job communicating with us throughout the project.”
“He walked me through what he would be doing so there would be no surprises.”
Many projects involve diagnosing underlying issues, evaluating alternatives, and helping homeowners make informed decisions.
“He saved me money by coming up with a different way to finish the job.”
“No stone or option left unturned.”
“He addressed other issues that were not completed properly by the previous contractor.”
Jon approaches projects as a collaborative process, helping homeowners navigate decisions while respecting their goals and preferences.
“He considered our opinion and feedback while providing suggestions on how to move forward.”
“He also provided great consultation on other projects I intend on completing myself.”
“Easy and pleasant to work with.”
Homeowners consistently describe attention to detail, quality workmanship, and pride in execution.
“Careful, calculated and meticulous.”
“Outstanding work. Thorough, detailed, and considerate.”
“The quality of his work is outstanding.”
These are the same qualities homeowners value in me — and the same qualities that would make me successful as a Design Consultant at Dave Fox.
What I've Learned Inside Homes
Spending time inside homes has helped me understand how connected every decision can be.
A lighting choice affects how a room feels. A wall may carry electrical, plumbing, HVAC, cost, and sequence implications. Ventilation affects comfort. Humidity affects materials. Accessibility affects dignity, independence, and daily life.
The value is not pretending to be every specialist.
The value is knowing enough to ask better questions, anticipate tradeoffs, and help homeowners understand how design and construction decisions affect one another.
Experience
The Clintonville Handyman
Owner · 2023–Present
Helping homeowners make informed decisions about repairs, improvements, accessibility, maintenance, and long-term investments in their homes.
The Karole Foundation
Founder · 2026–Present
Helping individuals and families navigate decisions related to accessibility, safety, aging-in-place, and independence at home.
Éliane Design
Founder · 2026–Present
Helping homeowners explore how accessibility, safety, and independence can be integrated into beautiful residential environments.
Soft Surroundings
Director of Product & Digital Experience · 2022–2023
Helping customers find products that reflected their individuality and personal style by creating digital experiences that made shopping feel effortless, inspiring, and confidence-building.
Scotts Miracle-Gro
Product & Digital Experience Leadership · 2013–2021
Helping homeowners make informed decisions about lawn and garden care through education, inspiration, digital tools, and customer-focused experiences designed to turn uncertainty into confidence.
eMusic / 7digital
Director, Business Development & Brand Partnerships · 2008–2013
Helping brands connect with customers through music, digital experiences, and strategic partnerships. Guided clients through complex marketing decisions while balancing business objectives, customer needs, and creative possibilities.
Pearson Education / McGraw-Hill / Prentice Hall
Consultative Sales & Product Leadership · 1999–2008
Helping professors, departments, and institutions make informed decisions about educational content, technology, and learning resources.
Why We Should Talk
My path has moved through consultative sales, publishing, business development, product strategy, ecommerce, homeowner services, accessibility, and hands-on residential problem solving.
But the through-line has been consistent.
I help people understand their options, navigate complexity, and make confident decisions.
For a residential design-build team, I believe that combination matters: someone who can earn homeowner trust, understand how homes work, communicate across disciplines, and keep the customer's real goals at the center of the process.
Resume & contact
Residential Design Consultant | Remodeling | Consultative Sales
Columbus, Ohio | 614.404.4662 | jdemondaxelrod@gmail.com
Consultative sales professional, business builder, and homeowner services operator with a passion for helping people improve the places they call home.
Owner of The Clintonville Handyman, a homeowner services business focused on repairs, improvements, accessibility, and practical problem solving. Founder of Éliane Design and The Karole Foundation, organizations focused on accessibility, aging-in-place, and helping people remain safe and independent at home.
Combines hands-on construction experience, consultative sales expertise, and a background in product strategy, customer experience, and business development to help homeowners navigate complex decisions and create environments that are functional, beautiful, and built around how people actually live.
The Clintonville Handyman | Columbus, Ohio
2023–Present
Columbus, Ohio
Operate a residential remodeling, repair, and accessibility services company serving homeowners throughout Central Ohio.
Owner & Residential Remodeling Consultant
The Karole Foundation | Columbus, Ohio
2026–Present
Columbus, Ohio
Nonprofit initiative focused on accessibility, aging-in-place, and home safety.
Founder
Éliane Design | Columbus, Ohio
2026–Present
Columbus, Ohio
Luxury accessibility and aging-in-place brand focused on integrating safety, mobility, and independence into beautiful residential environments.
Founder
Soft Surroundings | St. Louis, MO (Remote)
2022–2023
St. Louis, MO (Remote)
Led customer experience and ecommerce initiatives for a national retail brand.
Director of Product & Digital Experience
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company | Marysville, OH
2018–2021
Marysville, OH
Product Owner / Digital Experience Manager
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company | Marysville, OH
2013–2018
Marysville, OH
Digital Marketing Manager
eMusic / 7digital | New York, NY / Remote
2008–2013
New York, NY / Remote
Director, Business Development & Brand Partnerships
McGraw-Hill Higher Education | New York, NY
2007–2008
New York, NY
Senior Sales Executive
Pearson Education | Upper Saddle River, NJ
2004–2006
Upper Saddle River, NJ
Acquisitions Editor / Product Manager
Prentice Hall | Columbus, OH / Austin, TX
Columbus, OH / Austin, TX
Senior Sales Executive
2002–2004
Inside Sales Executive
1999–2002
Fisher College of Business | The Ohio State University
Bachelors of Business Administration, Major in Marketing
For twenty-five years, I've helped people make decisions.
The setting changed.
The work never really did.
Listening carefully.
Understanding what matters.
Helping people imagine what could be.
And helping make it real.
Because in the end, it isn't really about construction.
It's about possibility.
— Jon DeMond-Axelrod