Today we’d like to introduce you to Dmitry Shevchenko.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I came to US in 2004. I stayed in NH coast for a couple of years working for different construction companies there before the recession. I was lucky to work with really good teams on complex custom projects and gained a really good experience in both craftsmanship and crew management as an employee. A few years later two of my brothers came over from Russia to me and started working in the same field. We opened our first company in NH but continued working partially as subs/employees so the transition to operating our own business stretched out over another few years.
As the economy slowed down and we started to commute to projects in Boston area we decided it would be best to move to MA as there was more work. We worked with different builders and general contractors as subs specializing in framing. We were glad to have participated in pretty interesting projects in Newton, Wellesley and other towns doing framing of complex and challenging custom houses.
Shevcon moved to Mass with the same name in 2012. Throughout these years we worked 58-60 hour weeks, we have made mistakes estimating work and sometimes we had to fix some mistakes on our own time, but we have never compromised our quality. I don’t want to sound too pompous but we treat our every project as a time capsule to commemorate us as craftsmen. Of course we want to be fairly compensated and live full and happy lives but after we die we can’t take any riches with us.
We do want to live something behind, whether it is small addition build to outlive generations of its occupants or a big custom home we would like to send a message through decades or may be even centuries to our descendants, a message that says that we loved our craft and cared to build to our best abilities.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think one of the main challenges anybody faces in construction business or anything similar is transition from being a good craftsmen to being a good businessman.
One of the most challenging aspects of construction is estimating. No matter what numerous estimating engines will tell you it’s not as easy as multiplying square footages by certain dollar amount. It can work more or less with flat surfaces on a new construction project, but on remodel and complex custom houses it’s far more complicated.
It is especially hard when you are the new guy, you got a baby on the way and have a tremendous pressure to land a job but still have to be firm on what you think is the right estimate even if it means you are not to get the job.
After all some people are not your customers.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Shevcon – what should we know?
Shevcon Inc. specializes in custom home framing and exterior carpentry. I don’t think we are the most knowledgeable or most talented framers, but I am pretty confident we are one of the most efficient and quality oriented companies in Boston.
The backbone of our company is three brothers’ co-owners that translates into every little detail of our framing. There is not a single project or task that is not supervised by one of us and we do have high standards. The framing has to look clean and good.
Also, we are always happy to give a piece of advice to the builder or owner where we can better the structural design with approval of the structural engineer of course.
In most cases, it is hard for the architect and the engineer to foresee what is inside the existing structure or in some cases just based on our field experience some things work better in a different way and engineers and architects value and appreciate our input.
Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have worked with multiple companies due to the recession and bad market when I started my career. Some of those people were decent and some were not. But it was a very beneficial experience as I have picked up some good techniques from every one of them and at the same time developed a huge distaste to doing things in a shoddy way.
The other part of making it thus far is that my brothers stuck with me through all the money shortages and gaps between jobs. And of course, my wife was always confident in me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shevconinc.com
- Phone: 603-866-6067
- Email: shevconllc@gmail.com
- Instagram: shevcon_inc_custom_homes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shevcon/
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