The Shelter Crew

Pat Hennin is the founder and CEO of Shelter Institute, which he established in 1974 with his late wife Patsy after building a passive solar home that garnered national attention during America's first energy crisis. A graduate of Tufts University in Economics and Columbia Law School, Pat has been an accomplished house designer and builder since his earliest memories. With over 50 years of teaching experience, he has educated thousands of students from around the world in timber framing, energy-efficient building practices, and sustainable home design.

Gaius Hennin serves as President of Shelter Institute and is a licensed Professional Engineer with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Tufts University. A member of both the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Association of Energy Engineers, he has been an accomplished engineer and builder since 1992(although he grew up building in the business) and has managed Shelter's timber framing crews since 1997. Gaius has taught lectures and hands-on workshops at Shelter Institute since 1992, bringing both structural engineering expertise and practical building experience to timber frame education. He still goes to every Shelter Design Build jobsite today.

Blueberry Beeton is Vice President at Shelter Institute, holding a B.A. in American Studies with a focus on Housing in the U.S. from Dickinson College. A licensed Real Estate Designated Broker and member of both the Maine and National Association of Realtors, she brings diverse expertise from her work in remodeling, building materials retail, tool retail and publishing. She manages Shelter Tools and has a deep understanding of woodworking, timber framing and outdoor tools. She has been teaching lectures and hands-on workshops at Shelter Institute since 2002, combining her knowledge of housing markets, construction practices, tools and building materials to provide comprehensive education to students.

Clayton Hennin serves as Director of Marketing & Strategy at Shelter Institute, representing the third generation of the Hennin family in the business. A 2019 graduate of Eckerd College with a B.A. in International Business and Mandarin, he joined Shelter Institute in 2020 after working as a marketing consultant. Clayton leads all marketing and business development initiatives across Shelter, bringing modern digital strategy and brand development expertise to the company's mission. If you have ever seen an ad from us one too many times, it is Clayton's fault.

Ethan started working at Shelter in the Winter of 2003. He had taken our Purely Post & Beam course and started as a timber framer. Ethan worked as a timber framer and quickly learned the ins and outs of the trade becoming an integral member of our crew. He then went to SMCC and took part in their Architectural & Engineering Design program. Ethan is now our lead designer and plays a critical role in every single project that Shelter Design Build completes. Ethan can be found on the job site, designing our next project, teaching students, giving tours and meeting with clients.

Gabe Flewelling is a graduate of Shelter Institute's Purely Post & Beam Class of 2006 and currently serves as a timber framer and shop foreman on the Shelter Design Build crew. He specializes in cutting timber frames in the shop and traveling to sites across the country to assemble structures, bringing hands-on expertise in traditional joinery techniques. His instruction covers the layout of joints, production methods, and assembly techniques, drawing from years of practical experience on diverse building projects.

Leigh Ann began working with us in the 90’s at our tool store when we were located in Bath, Maine. She then began working with us again in 2012 through today. She is an absolutely critical part of the day to day operations of our tool store and many other parts of the business. She has been with Shelter as we have evolved over the years and knows the business like the back of her hand. You can find Leigh Ann working at the cash register, packing orders, greeting customers and clients and handling a variety of other jobs around campus.

Zach started working at Shelter in the Fall of 2023. He had experience in design work for a local government contractor. Zach now uses his design skills to help clients realize their dream timber frame structures. Zach can be found working with clients to design their homes and barns and on the jobsite helping to raise those same homes and barns.

Mitchell started working at Shelter right out of High School in the summer of 2022. He had experience in carpentry and competed and won in Skills USA events. Mitchell is a critical member of our team and spends his time cutting timber frames, raising timber frames and teaching others how to timber frame.

Mary Martin is Director of Operations at Shelter Institute, joining the company in 2025. She brings versatile expertise to the organization, seamlessly moving between operational management, teaching courses, building timber frames, and assisting customers in the tool store. Her multifaceted role and hands-on approach are essential to keeping Shelter Institute running smoothly across all its divisions. Mary is a Dodgers fan but don’t hold it against her.

Russell (Rusty) joined the Shelter team in the Winter of 2022 after owning and operating a successful painting company. Rusty is the guy that keeps things organized. He can be found timber framing, raising timber frames, organizing the tool trailer and teaching others to timber frame.

Eric started working at Shelter the Winter of 2025 after working in software sales and as a carpenter. He brought both his carpentry skills and passion for timber framing to the crew after taking our Purely Post & Beam course. He has been an incredible addition to the team and can be found timber framing, raising frames and teaching others to timber frame.

Jon started at Shelter in the Fall of 2025 after working in journalism, freelancing and producing documentaries. Jon brought both his eye for cinema and his background in outdoor videography to Shelter and immediately became an important part of the media team. There is a good chance any media you have consumed that has come from Shelter has Jon's hand in it. Jon can be found on the job site, in the shop, editing videos and taking photos around Shelter.