Page 4 - BusinessWest Faces of Business March 18, 2024

People do business with people they know, like and trust.
Facesof Business
A BUSINESSWEST SERIES
Bill Laplante
YOwner, Laplante Construction
ou can spot a home built by Laplante Construction from the curb, a fact President Bill Laplante has heard countless times.
Whether an executive ranch, a classic contemporary house, or a farmhouse cottage, Laplante homes, with their high-contrast, architecturally meticulous exteriors, easily
give away the firm and its reputation as a leading luxury homebuilder in Western Mass. and Northern Conn.. Once inside, the elegance con- tinues with coffered ceilings; nickel gap shiplap accent walls; intricate, custom-built moldings; quartz countertops, and marble floors.
From the start in 1964, founder Ray Laplante, Bill Laplante’s father, had this vision for excellence.
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Ray learned carpentry skills from his Canadian father, worked summers and all vacations in the family firm, and launched his own framing business after graduation. Within a few years, he was building decadent homes.
“It was the same story for me,” says Bill Laplante, who also worked through high school and while earning his bachelor’s degree in eco- nomics from Trinity College. After graduating in 1992, he joined the Laplante framing crew and transitioned into marketing and finances five years later, becoming president in 2003.
“I really enjoy working with people and helping them create their dream home,” Bill says. “In many cases, it’s the largest investment they’ll make, and it’s a very emotional purchase.”
Over the years, Laplante has earned the trust of more than 700 clients with exceptional project management, planning, communica- tion, and service, and its leaders take pride in their blend of expertise and imagination. Client budgets range from $50,000 to $5 million, and project completion is remarkably quick.
Making the building process enjoyable also sets the company apart. Quality materials put out by industry leaders, exquisite workmanship, crisp and clean finishes, and trusted subcontractors and suppliers the firm has used for 50 years complete the Laplante look that people notice from afar.
“We put a lot of time into walking customers through the process. We want the customers to have fun with their renovation or new home construction,” Bill says, adding, “we’re providing the best value for the money.”
In addition to luxury homes, over the years, Laplante Construction has also built condominium and new home developments and enjoyed planning entire neighborhoods. It has also developed commercial real estate, from Jiffy Lube locations to professional offices, banks, and restaurants.
A major shift came three years ago, when Laplante opened an office on Cape Cod, in Chatham. Bill loves the Cape and has a home there, but the impetus for the expansion came 15 years ago, when custom- ers from Western Mass. began asking Laplante to build them a home on the Cape. “It was an accidental turn that became a strategic way to diversify,” he explains.
Bill’s wife is a teacher, so the couple spends significant time on the Cape with their daughter, boating, golfing, watching sports, and hik- ing. For 10 years, Bill also took part in the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise money for childhood cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Laplante Construction also supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
BusinessWest << FACES OF BUSINESS >> MARCH 18, 2024
Bill Laplante
The most majestic home Laplante Construction has created in six decades is a replica of President Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. While the original is in Virginia, the Laplante version is in Somers, Conn., and was built for the late S. Prestley Blake and his wife, Helen, for Prestley’s 100th birthday 10 years ago.
Ray Laplante created all the architectural designs by hand, on graph paper, as part of a massive project negotiated with a handshake. The local Monticello features the original façade, including dome roof, and touches that include a foyer with double soaring staircases, a pantry with a rolling library ladder, and parquet floors and coffered ceilings.
Homes built more recently in the region include such features as a greenhouse, a lap pool, a golf simulator, a Brunswick two-lane bowling alley, and porches, patios, and pools overlooking rolling hills.
“Each individual house is a source of pride,” Bill says. BW