For David McNicholas, woodworking and finished carpentry are a talent that he’s honed over the years.
Now, he’s developing that talent into a thriving business — McNicholas Construction Inc, which he is doing with the help of the Cooperative Venture Workspace.
“For a long time, it was just me saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got a talent, how do I convert that into beer money?’ Now, I’m developing my business as an extension of my heart and a desire to serve,” said David.
He officially incorporated McNicholas Construction this year, and his efforts to grow can be seen not only in the number of jobs he’s been hired to do, but by the different nature of those jobs and the number of people he’s hired on as employees.
“My business was primarily residential renovations — interiors and exteriors,” he said. “But it’s changing this year. We’re branching out into the commercial construction and new construction markets.”
Evidence of this is a current project in Stratham where he’s in the process of wood-framing a new branch for Kennebunk Savings Bank and a stick built home in Amesbury, MA. These two projects saw McNicholas Construction as framing subcontractor. David is now licensed to operate as general contractor in MA.
He has worked various construction jobs over the years, as a solo craftsmen and for others. In particular he credits two employers — in Cape Cod and Portsmouth — for teaching him the finer skills he applies today to his craft and encouraging him to care about his work.
“These two guys treated me well, sometimes better than I deserved,” said David. “They were very talented woodworkers in home construction.”
He has eight people working full- and part-time, including framers, laborers, finish carpenters, an office manager, and a very experienced project manager, who David credits with growing and maintaining the workflow.
“The growth of the company is all about including people in the decision making process and letting them do their job,” said David, who grew up in Newington and now lives in Somersworth.
His decision to become a virtual member at the Workspace was part of a marketing strategy to get a Portsmouth address for the business. The Workspace provides him with a mailbox at 36 Maplewood Avenue in downtown Portsmouth, which attaches him and his business to a vibrant, growing business community in an area where home sales and new home construction are a hot commodity.
His Workspace membership has also given him the benefit of working with members Jonathan Day and Robert Rustici of Sharper Selling, who have helped him with his internet marketing, particularly Google Ads that market his business and business address at the forefront of a search for home repairs, remodels and renovations.
For more about virtual memberships at the Workspace, look here.
The Cooperative Venture Workspace is evolution of the creative, shared workspace.