VIEW LATEST CONSTRUCTION VIDEO

Register

Register now to join our interest list and receive the latest news at Mill District.

Velo badge image

STAY UP TO DATE WITH VELO NEWS

Sign up to receive updates on Mill District Velo events.

 
 
 
 

Login

Login to the Owner's portal to view updated information.

If you need to reset your password please contact us via sales@milldistricthealdsburg.com or 707.314.0094 and we will help you out.

If you are interested in a Mill District residence and don’t have an account, please contact us at 707.314.0094 or sales@milldistricthealdsburg.com.

Inquire today
Back to Issues Back to Articles

Issue No. 14 | October 2020

SPOTLIGHT

Robert Morris III

ROBERT MORRIS III: MAKING IT

There are two kinds of engineers in the world around us: Those who painstakingly plan stuff and those who get their hands dirty and build it. Robert Morris is a little bit of both.

Morris is the founder and CEO of Healdsburg Kustom Design, a local fabrication business. He builds everything from entire wineries and mini locomotives to signage and home furnishings. Over the last few months, he built the steel case in which the new model of Mill District resides at our Sales Center.

When he’s not fabricating stuff in shop, Morris moonlights as a firefighter for the local squad.

As if these two pastimes aren’t enough to keep Morris busy, he and his wife Erin also own and operate the popular Fideaux upscale pet boutique next to Willi’s Seafood in downtown Healdsburg. (There’s another Fideaux pet store in on Main Street in St. Helena over in Napa County, and they own that one too.)

“I’m super-involved in the community because it’s a great place to live,” he said. “I can’t think of a place I’d rather call home.”

Morris certainly has been in Sonoma County for a while—more than 20 years, to be exact. A native of Sonora, in the Sierra foothills, Morris came to the Healdsburg area to work for a division of HP now called Keysight Technologies. At the time, back in the late 1990s, the outfit was called Agilent, and Morris was hired to build test and measurement equipment. In this job he got to travel to Malaysia and Scotland, among other spots.

He and Erin bought their home and moved to Healdsburg in 2004, around the same time that Morris left HP to do the main architectural design on a custom-crush wine business. He’s been in the wine business ever since. Most recently, in 2017, Morris designed and built the winery and tasting facility at Grand Cru Custom Crush, a Windsor facility that is run like a co-working space for small wineries.

Of course, most people around town know Morris for his work as a firefighter; he joined the Healdsburg Fire Department in 2014. During the Walbridge Fire in August, Morris worked 96 hours straight.

“I’m glad I can do my part to keep our community safe,” he said. We feel the same way.

Also in this Issue

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Unveiling The Details

It’s an exciting time for prospective buyers at Mill District. In the next few weeks, those who have chosen to be involved in our ‘Invitation Only’ reservation program will receive the design and development details for the residences at Mill District.

Read More

FEATURE Building Renderings

Homes at Mill District will be one-of-a-kind, so it has been a top priority for us to create extraordinary renderings of the homes for prospective owners. We hired MOLT Studios out of Seattle to achieve this goal.

Read More

WHAT'S HAPPENING Rising Into Fall

October is a special time in northern Sonoma County. Harvest is mostly over, the days are getting shorter, and the nights get colder. Despite the Coronavirus pandemic, wineries, restaurants, and local organizations are doing their best to create a festive Halloween season and make Healdsburg fun.

Read More