From construction to electric motorcycles, the North Idaho entrepreneur is creating businesses around curiosity, resilience, and time with his children.
On Dec. 2, 2021, Chris Huber lost his job. His twins’ birthday was two weeks away, Christmas was close behind, and the usual expenses were not going anywhere. Waiting for another employer to decide what came next was not a workable plan.
The following day, Huber obtained a business license and insurance. He knew a development company needed someone to handle a large finish-trim project, so he approached the superintendent, asked what he needed in place, and acted on the answer. Soon, he had the contract and a new company, Apex Construction and Painting.
It was an abrupt beginning, but it reflected the way Huber had already learned to work: pay attention, learn quickly, and begin before every detail feels settled.
Learning the Work From the Ground Up
Before founding Apex, Huber entered the painting industry as an apprentice and soon advanced to a foreman role. He took notes, observed how experienced workers managed jobs, asked questions, and applied what he learned. That process helped him develop skills across residential and commercial painting, finish carpentry, construction, specialty coatings, and project management.
The early finish-trim contract gave Apex an opening, but it did not provide permanent security. Huber later lost the relationship behind the work and faced another uncertain stretch. This time, he began cold-calling contractors and builders.
One call reached Vision Built Construction when the builder needed help correcting an interior paint job another contractor had struggled to complete. Huber took the assignment, fixed the problems, and earned the company’s trust. Vision Built soon hired him to paint two new homes inside and out, beginning a working relationship that continued for years.
“Losing one opportunity doesn’t mean you lost your future,” Huber said. For him, rebuilding came down to taking responsibility for the result and making the next call.
Following Curiosity Beyond Painting
Painting provided Huber’s professional foundation, though his interests kept expanding. He is now developing EpoxyNation as a specialty coatings brand while continuing to grow Apex. He also builds custom electric motorcycles and e-motos, creates YouTube content, and explores potential work in product development, partnerships, sales, and distribution.
Among his largest personal projects is the conversion of a 2013 RM-Z450 motocross bike into a high-powered electric motorcycle. Companies in the industry have supported his custom builds with motors, batteries, controllers, and other components.
Construction, epoxy, fabrication, video, and electric motorcycles may appear unrelated. Huber sees a shared thread: each asks him to understand how something works, solve a practical problem, and turn an idea into a finished object.
When the Workshop Becomes a Gathering Place
That instinct has also made Huber’s Coeur d’Alene home a neighborhood gathering place. Sometimes 10 or more kids arrive with e-bikes, broken parts, questions, or plans for something they want to build. He helps them troubleshoot, make repairs, and understand the machines, often learning beside them.
Electric bikes also helped Huber connect with a young family friend experiencing serious difficulties at home. During the months the boy spent around Huber’s family, they rode, repaired bikes, and developed their skills together. The experience helped inspire the Voltage Boys concept and some of Huber’s e-moto content. It also clarified what his knowledge could offer beyond a business opportunity: a safe place, steady attention, and something constructive to anticipate.
Building a Business That Leaves Time to Live
Huber’s three younger children now shape his plans for every venture. He wants Apex to operate through dependable crews, systems, and leadership, reducing the need for him to perform every hour of labor or appear at every job. The same goal informs his work on EpoxyNation and his search for a lasting place in the electric motorcycle industry.
For Huber, success includes stable companies, creative projects, and opportunities for the people around him. It also means traveling with his children, supporting their interests, building alongside them, and being present while they are young.
His path has offered few perfect starts and no single prescribed direction. What it has given him is a method: learn what the next step requires, take the chance, and keep building a life in which the work serves the people he loves.
