New Ridgeview Hire Brings Experience, Expertise

The thrilled customers, impressive accolades, and loaded docket alone would suggest Ridgeview Construction is a company in full command of a recession-defying success script.

But with their latest hire, the Deerfield-based Ridgeview has gone from a formidable crew to a veritable All-Star team of green-minded builders.

With sectors-spanning experience dating back to the mid 1980s, Chris Simpkins – brought on just last week as Ridgeview’s newest Project Manager – promises to add to the company’s already impressive wealth of knowledge and building chops.

“He has a very wide range of experience, so we’re excited to have him aboard,” exclaimed Shane Carter, Ridgeview’s Founder and President. “He’s been active in green building longer than anyone else here, so having that kind of expertise is going to be a huge help going forward.”

Carter and Simpkins originally met at a workshop put on by Build Green N.H., an organization industry professionals dedicated to providing sustainability-driven building guidelines for builders and remodelers. After Simpkins served as the group’s educational chair, earlier this year the reigns were passed to Carter, who’s held the post ever since.

“It was after that that I found out about the Project Manager position,” Simpkins recalled. “I knew Ridgeview was at the forefront of green building in the region, and was excited by the prospects of being a part of it.”

If it’s one thing Simpkins knows a little something about, it’s staying astride his industry’s green curve. Prior to spending the last six years with another green-oriented construction company, for two decades Simpkins split time between the building trade and operating his own solar energy business. While his green orientation hasn’t changed much, for Simpkins, the language certainly has.

“It’s funny, back then ‘green’ didn’t actually exist,” Simpkins chuckled. “The word of the day was efficiency, and every job I had, I always paid attention to the details of energy efficiency, whether it was renewables, green houses, whatever.”

To say Simpkins has landed in good company would be an understatement. Since their 2000 founding, Shane Carter has helped propel Ridgeview to the forefront of efficiency-minded building in the Grante State.

Whether it’s incorporating recycled or local materials throughout a given project; installing EnergyStar appliances; or maximizing the envelope of the home; Ridgeview takes as its credo the idea that “green building” and “sustainable building” will one day simply be called “building.”

And the powers that be are taking notice. Earlier this year, Ridgeview was awarded a Building New Hampshire Award for Excellence in Residential Home Building – just the latest in a series of accolades that have helped the Deerfield-based outfit booked solid throughout the recession.

It didn’t take long for Simpkins to get a taste of what that meant: Less than a week into his new job, the Bedford resident has already started in on three renovation projects.

“My goal is to hit the ground running and bring in new ideas that will help us as capture this growth we are experiencing,” said Simpkins.

Specifically, Simpkins is looking forward to Ridgeview’s planned undertaking of full-on green subdivisions. While still a ways down the road, Simpkins cited Carter’s vision for a return to commons-rooted neighborhoods as one of the biggest reasons for his excitement.

“That’s been a strong co-interest of ours for a while,” he said. “It’ll be exciting when that takes off.”

For now, Simpkins is content to simply learn the lay of the land. While he’s scarce been on board a week, his experience proves it’s undoubtedly a terrain he’s more than familiar with.

Learn more about Ridgeview Construction at www.greenbuildernh.com
To learn more about Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz