When Kent Shodeen settled in Geneva in 1961, little did he realize the lasting influence he would have in the development of the quaint, rural Illinois community and its neighboring towns. Now, his namesake company, Shodeen Inc., is widely recognized by area residents, as well as business and civic leaders, as one of the Fox Valley’s premier construction, management and land development firms. Shortly after moving to the Tri-Cities, the native Chicagoan built a single-family home, intending to move into it with his wife Joan and young daughter, Beth. Those plans changed, though, when someone came along and offered to buy it. Kent Shodeen sold the home for a modest profit, and that seed money helped finance more “one-at-a-time” projects over the next several years. Kent Shodeen’s reputation for building quality homes began to grow. In 1966 he greatly expanded his home building portfolio with the purchase and development of 62 acres of undeveloped land in Batavia.