Employee Spotlight: Tony Fortin
Position: Renovations Manager
Years at Fortin: 23 years
Favorite Space In A Home: Entryway. “When your friends and family walk into your home, it sets the tone for the rest of the space. You want any introduction to be warm and welcoming.”
Tony brings a wealth of experience in detailed design work to the Fortin team. Having spent much of his career in hand-built furniture and finished carpentry, he has seamlessly transitioned into his current role as Renovations Manager. We feel very lucky to have him on our team!
Tony has been with Fortin Construction since its near beginning, having worked on countless projects through the last 23 years. Although Tony started his career with Fortin in 1998, you wouldn’t call his path into construction quite unexpected — he also happens to be Don Fortin’s, founder of Fortin’s brother.
When Don (Tony’s brother) founded the company, he was looking to hire another finish carpenter for Fortin Construction’s growing team. However, Don was having trouble finding someone who would meet the standard of work that he wanted for Fortin, putting quality and meticulousness above all else.
Tony was living in Arizona at the time, spending his time building furniture from scratch. It was the sort of work that gave no room for “good enough” craftsmanship; it was exactly the type of employee that Don was looking for.
Don ended up convincing Tony to move cross country back to his home state of Maine, where he would be Fortin Construction’s finished carpenter for the next twenty years.
“I was a little nervous about it at first, but Don kept saying that my constant itch to make everything perfect would help. When you work with an average carpenter, you see a lot measurements where ‘down to the quarter inch’ is good enough. I guess with my background [in furniture design], I’m going to make sure that the measurements are down to the millimeter.”
“When you work with an average carpenter, you see a lot measurements where ‘down to the quarter inch’ is good enough. I guess with my background [in furniture design], I’m going to make sure that the measurements are down to the millimeter.”
As a finish carpenter, Tony would transform bare-boned structures into full-fledged homes for the next 20 years. He works in the delicate art of the final details: intricate moldings, trims, cabinetry, and decorative elements. What he brings to his work is what makes the homeowner feel most connected to their space. For Tony, precision and attention to detail are essential, as even the smallest imperfections can be noticeable.
To Tony, finish carpentry is where he brings the house to life.
Tony is now our Renovations Manager at Fortin, where he is working with a client every step of the way, from concepting, quoting, curating, and quality assurance. “… Yeah, it’s fun and challenging. There are surprises all the time.”
““It doesn’t matter what renovations a client are imagining up, whether that building cost is 20,000 or $2,000,000. It’s their castle, their dream you know? Their comfort and stability. So I treat my customers where whatever I do in their home, I would want to have the same standards if it were in my home.””
As the Renovations Manager, Tony finds the ability to imagine up and deliver on custom home builds extremely rewarding. “It doesn't matter what renovations a client are imagining up, whether that building cost is 20,000 or $2,000,000. It's their castle, their dream you know? Their comfort and stability. So I treat my customers where whatever I do in their home, I would want to have the same standards if it were in my home.”
You can find more information and contact methods for Tony here.