From Siberia to Tulsa Via Germany, Schulz Euro Builds Houses
By D. FORREST CAMERON
Editor and Publisher
EUROPEAN QUALITY: Viktor Schulz, left, and his son Alex have been building with a European style in the Tulsa area since 2000 with their Schulz Euro Construction, Inc. The two houses in the background have both been built by the company. They are located in the Minshall Park neighborhood between Yale Avenue and Sheridan Road in the 5600 block of East 78th Place.
GTR Newspapers photo
The Viktor Schulz family has a long history that ranges from Catherine the Great in Russia to building interesting homes throughout greater Tulsa.
The Schulz family moved from Germany to Russia during the time of Catherine the Great in the late 1700s. Catherine the Great was a German princess who married Peter and eventually adopted Russian customs and became a strong leader of that country. She learned the language and customs and learned about the court. Within a few months of Peter coming to power, the royal guard deserted him and helped Catherine gain the throne. The coup that brought Catherine to power saw her crowned Empress of all Russia.
She sought to westernize Russia, and soon many Germans moved to that nation hoping for a better life.
Many generations of Germans stayed in Russia from the days of Catherine the Great to the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, when, during the early days of World War II, he exiled the Germans from the heart of Russia to Siberia, where they were forced to stay until the communist regime started losing power in the late 1980s.
The Viktor Schulz family moved back to Germany in 1986, and there he started his construction company, specializing in both residential and commercial.
Viktor is a man of entrepreneurial spirit, and in 2000 he decided to migrate to the United States. He made the decision to move to the Tulsa area with his wife Irene, and his young son, Alexander and two daughters. The Schulz family chose Tulsa mainly because they had friends in the area and it seemed like a great place to do business.
The Schulz family has a long tradition of being builders. Viktor learned much about building from his father. After arriving in the Tulsa area, Viktor continued his company, incorporating it as Schulz Euro Construction, Inc. with he and his wife Irene as owners. He has taken what he learned in Europe and has applied it to his housing construction in the Tulsa area. His homes have a blend of European construction, including ideas from France and Germany.
His first house in the Tulsa area was built in the Minshall Point neighborhood in south Tulsa. The house was built on the side of a hill, and Schulz started building throughout the hilly Minshall Park area, giving the company an expertise in building on the side of steep south Tulsa hills. He has also built in the Sand Springs area, also in hilly country.
Schulz’s son, Alex, has grown up in the business and is his father’s assistant. Together they offer quality construction and save the homeowners money by doing much of the construction work themselves. They personally do most of the preparation work, get the dirt ready, do the foundation work including excavation, set performance for slabs and do basement walls and concrete work. They also are artisans, doing the tile work, granite work and ornamental handrails.
They have a loyal team of subcontractors that do the framing, shingles, drywall, heat and air and other work. Schulz Euro has a top rating from the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa.
Irene also helps with the company and can be seen working with the men doing various assignments.
Not all of the Schulz family is involved in the business on a daily basis. Since arriving in the Tulsa area, two more Schulz children have joined brother Alexander. He now has four sisters.
It will be interesting to watch the Schulz family and Schulz Euro grow with greater Tulsa.
For more information, call Alex Schultz at (918) 513-1099.
Updated 10-15-2009
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