Courtesy Northern Builders
By Ann Donnelly
When Mark Stewart and Nic Denno merged their independent contracting companies to form Northern Builders in 2020, they brought more than construction expertise to the table. Both men balanced successful careers in law enforcement with their building endeavors, an experience that forged a strong foundation for their business partnership.
Stewart, a former investigator who retired from the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Department in 2023, and Denno, who worked as a police officer and a contractor for about 20 years before retiring in 2025, met while working the 4 p.m. to midnight shift at the sheriff’s department. Today, their South Glens Falls-based company employs 22 to 24 in-house staff members and manages 40 to 60 subcontractors daily. The team oversees 12 to 14 major projects at any given time, handling custom residential homes, commercial projects and high-end renovations.
“We really wanted to switch from being contractors and home builders to a construction company,” Stewart said.
For Denno, the partnership thrives on the mutual respect they built in their previous careers.
“When you work as side-by-side law enforcement, you gain an appreciation and a respect and a trust for somebody,” Denno said. “If you care about your people and you care about each other and the business that you’re growing, then it really takes the animosity and everything else out of it. We have a mutual vision and a mutual goal.”
To streamline operations and adapt to regional growth, Stewart and Denno are expanding Northern Builders’ capabilities. The company already operates its own excavation and hauling divisions, with a fleet of trucks. The owners are in the early stages of launching a standalone concrete business to secure their supply chain.
“We have great concrete subcontractors. They’re amazing. We owe them a lot, and they do a lot for us,” Denno said. “But the reality of it is, we don’t know how much longer we’re going to have them. So we’re going to be proactive. We’re going to see, we’re going to invest in it and put it together.”
Bringing specialty trades in-house reduces scheduling delays and keeps clients satisfied. “We really try to put out that great product in the shortest amount of time because our homeowners, when you put a shovel in the ground, they’re very, very excited,” Stewart said, noting they aim to turn over custom homes in an eight- to 12-month period.
Like many construction firms, Northern Builders faces industrywide staffing challenges as an older generation of skilled tradespeople prepares to retire. Rather than solely competing for a shrinking labor pool, Stewart and Denno are focused on the future. They recently partnered with the Workforce Partnership Coalition, an initiative closely tied to BOCES, to encourage students to explore careers in the trades. Stewart recently visited students at South Glens Falls High School to promote the industry, emphasizing that the narrative pushing all students toward a traditional four-year college education, and the potential debt that comes with it, is shifting.
“The program supports that mission to have people get into the trades,” Denno added. “We’re lucky that people recognize that, and we’re lucky that there are organizations out there and the educational systems are actually promoting that.”
Fostering a supportive work environment is essential to their retention strategy. Northern Builders offers comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid vacation, aiming to treat its workforce like family.
“I always tell everybody, one of my lines that I used to use and I meant it was ‘I’m not interviewing for a job, I’m here interviewing for a career,’” Stewart said. “We want you to grow, we want you to show that growth.”
“We realize that being able to go to work every day and wanting to be there is huge,” Denno said. “We want that for our guys. We care about how they are doing.”
Despite its rapid expansion, Northern Builders remains deeply rooted in the community. Stewart and Denno regularly assist their neighbor, the Moreau Community Center, and help clients navigate the complexities of local planning and zoning boards. For the two former officers, success comes down to the people around them.
“Strong communication and supporting of your community is the base that builds companies within the community,” Stewart said.
For more information on Northern Builders, visit https://northernbld.com.