Page 13 - BusinessWest February 20, 2023

CONSTRUCTION >>
Jonathan Wright (left) and Seth Lawrence- Slavas, the previous and current owners of Wright Builders.
New Wright
Builders Owner
Plans for a
Sustainable Future
BY KAILEY HOULE
[email protected]
eth Lawrence-Slavas isn’t looking to change the mis- sion of Wright Builders all that much. After all, it was designed to be sustainable.
“Whether it’s residential, commercial, or institu- tional, the first keyword is a resilient building,” he
said, noting that the Northampton-based contractor has been at the forefront of innovation, energy efficiency, and sustainable, high-performance construction since it began. “We create resil- iency in terms of how long the building lasts.”
In December, Lawrence-Slavas bought Wright Builders from founder Jonathan Wright after he decided to retire. Wright and Mark Ledwell, then co-owner, welcomed Lawrence-Slavas as
a project development engineer in 2019 after he graduated from UMass Amherst with a master’s degree in building and construction technologies. At UMass, he contributed to ground- breaking research on local forest-product utilization for cross- laminated timber as part of carbon reduction and advancing economic development for rural New England.
Lawrence-Slavas told BusinessWest that his goal after col- lege was to own his own company after joining a company like Suffolk, Consigli, Turner, or another “huge place” that would teach him more about project management.
“The more I found out about those platforms to those com- panies, the more I didn’t want to do it. So, by the time I gradu- ated, I had figured that out; I didn’t want to be in a company like that,” he said.
As it turns out, Wright Builders was a much better fit. “I really appreciated the way that Jonathan looked from a busi- ness sense at this. He is absolutely a holistic man, but he’s a businessman at the end of the day. And that rang true to me. I felt like there is a responsibility of a company for their employ- ees, for the greater good of the community.”
Even though Wright Builders works on all construction fronts — residential, institutional, and commercial — Lawrence- Slavas was drawn to its small-business, family feel. That’s another reason why he chose the company as a place to grow his success — and why he’s excited to be its leader today.
Working His Way Up
Lawrence-Slavas grew up in a trades household; his father was a chemist and engineer by day, but a post-and-beam build-
“Whether it’s residential, commercial, or institutional, the first keyword is a resilient building. We create resiliency in terms of how long the building lasts.”
Building on a Strong Foundation
BusinessWest << CONSTRUCTION >> FEBRUARY 20, 2023 13