A family-based business composed of ingenious thinkers who know how to reinvent themselves to meet changing conditions. That’s the formula that has kept New England Construction going strong, now in its second generation of leadership.
Based in East Providence, New England Construction provides multifamily residential and business construction, design, general contracting and real estate services throughout the Northeast.
The company’s founder, David A. Sluter, an engineer, created a business called New England Engineering in 1980, doing inspecting and consulting for building projects. Observing a building boom in the offing, Sluter and his wife, Marjorie, re-created the business under its present name in 1985. The couple has three sons, all of whom work in the business. One of them, Matt, was named company president in 2014.
Sluter family spokesmen have said one hallmark of the business is ingenuity, and that seems to be the case, based on its ability to hunker down during recessions of the 1990s and early 2000s, and to come out stable and growing.
New England Construction was named one of the state’s Fastest-Growing and Innovative Companies in 2014, in the category of $25 million to $75 million for revenue in fiscal 2013. In the last few years, the company has found a successful niche in building apartment projects with rents at market rates for millennials – people from age 20 to their mid-30s – and baby boomers downsizing from larger homes.
The elder Sluter said the family business is successful because of its ability to set reasonable targets, track and measure progress, and hold people accountable for results. n
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 1985
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Pre-construction consulting, design and building company
THEN:
OWNER: David A. Sluter, president and CEO
LOCATION: East Providence
EMPLOYEES: 32
ANNUAL SALES: WND
NOW:
OWNERS: The Sluter family
LOCATION: East Providence
EMPLOYEES: 35
ANNUAL SALES: $50 million