What Sisters Lindsey Uselding And Kirsten Meehan Did Before Becoming HGTV Stars
Sometimes, having a dream home can end in tragedy. Natural disasters or accidents can strike at any time. But if you're in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota, you can call sisters Kirsten Meehan and Lindsey Uselding for help. According to the Star Tribune, Meehan and Uselding hail from Edina, Minnesota. They are also the stars of HTGV's binge-worthy show "Renovation 911." The sisters are co-owners of Ungerman, a business that provides clients with emergency restoration services. This includes damages from fires, storms, and more. In "Renovation 911," Meehan and Uselding give viewers an inside look at this process.
When it comes to restoring homes, the sisters have different roles. Uselding told the Star Tribune she deals with "logistics and first response" and Meehan establishes how the renovation will unfold. The pair explained to HGTV that emergency restoration is a rigorous job with time constraints. Because of insurance policies, the renovations do not involve any makeovers; the house is restored to what it looked like before the damage occurred. Nevertheless, Meehan told HGTV that her job is beyond rewarding.
But how did the sisters get into this business in the first place? It was all thanks to their dad, Ted Brinkman.
Restoring homes is a family business
Although Kirsten Meehan and Lindsey Uselding currently partly own Ungerman, their father, Ted Brinkman, had a significant role in establishing the company and getting them into the restoration business. Uselding told HGTV, "Our dad was the first employee with Ungerman in 1977. He really has been in the business his whole career, and we've been going to job sites with him since we were little." Brinkman worked his way up and became an owner of Ungerman. Now, he's the company's CEO and stars alongside his daughters in "Renovation 911." Per Ungerman's website, Meehan joined the family business back in 1998.
Meehan, a University of Wisconsin–Madison graduate, began working as a project manager for the company in 2004. Brinkman later decided to sell Ungerman to his daughters. Meehan explained the progression of her career to HTGV. She said, "I worked in the field during high school and college summers doing demos and painting, however I never thought I'd own a construction company until Lindsey came on board."
With that said, Uselding did not start working for Ungerman until 2013. She told CBS News how this came to be, explaining, "My dad had an opening and he's like, 'Would you ever come to this side, into small business?'"
Lindsey Uselding had a corporate job before Renovation 911
Before joining Ungerman or starring in "Renovation 911," Lindsey Uselding worked for another Minnesota-based company, Target. Like her sister, Kirsten Meehan, Ungerman's website notes that Uselding graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She worked at Target for 12 years as a store manager before her father, Ted Brinkman, offered her a job at Ungerman. Uselding admitted to HGTV that she was hesitant to take the opportunity. Needless to say, it worked out for both sisters. Uselding said, "So I made a pros and cons list and decided to leave my job in corporate America. I told my dad I'd give it three years, and three years later Kirsten and I were confident we could run the business ourselves."
In an interview with the Star Tribune, Meehan explained how the family ended up on TV. She said, "My best friend from childhood knew an executive producer for HGTV, and she connected us. It's not anything we sought out or thought we would be doing." Uselding told the publication that working with her sister on and off screen is a dream come true. "I lift her up when she needs it and that's just a relationship we've had our whole lives," she said.
"Renovation 911" premiered in March 2023. The sisters also have a website called Practical Home, where they share safety tips to prevent home disasters and more.