Gary GilmanPartner

I started my life as a carpenter in the 70s, building for a Yale architecture professor. He’d design one house a year, and I’d build it alongside two other carpenters. It was the best learning experience of my long career. I then traveled around the U.S. for four years crafting my skills before settling back in New England at the Museum of Fine Arts, where I created storage boxes for Japanese scrolls. Soon after leaving the Museum of Fine Arts, I started working with Rick Guidelli…and the rest is history they say.

I was always a hands-on guy. Rick was the business guy. We both knew the construction business inside and out, and we quickly realized our skills were complementary. We incorporated in 1990 with a vision to do high-quality work and surrounding ourselves with like-minded, talented people. We were fortunate that our work, and our work ethic, paved the way for the current business.

Today, I’m still the hands-on guy eager to do all kinds of carpentry work — from new builds to restorations, from framing to fine decorative hardware installation. My favorite task by far is problem-solving, especially figuring out stuff my crew has never done before. Of course, problem-solving wouldn’t be my favorite task if it weren’t for the people I get to work with daily.

When I’m not working, I’m likely planning a scuba diving trip with my kids, in route to a new dive location, or already underwater.