Professional Profile: Steve Benson - 2015

Family: Steve comes from a Southern family and he is the only member north of the Mason Dixon Line. Named after great great grand uncles John and Stephen Oliver,American merchant seamen who after being impressed into the British Navy escaped and chose to fight with the Jean Laffite Pirate Privateer from the time of the War of 1812.

College: Attended SUNY Alfred where he studied environmental design, civil engineering, architecture and fine arts; also studied glass blowing

First job unrelated to your current field: As a 4th generation woodworker, Steve has always been a woodworker. Unless, you would count his paper route!

First job in current field: Steve worked as a sash maker and a solar engineer and scratch tech in Cambridge. Designing and installing active and passive solar, hot water systems in Cambridge in the Metro Boston Area.

1980 solar tax credits revoked federally, side job of woodworking became a full time job, and that’s when he started the company.

Steve is in Vermont now because his father taught college photography. In 1986 he entertained the idea for manufacturing wood pieces, like tripods for large-format field cameras. He began with approximately 150 cameras; making them out of his Summerville shop. They were so well received by Zone VI, they wooed Steve to move his shop up to Vermont. His shop at the time was an 1890 mill building, which he still owns. In 2012, he and Mike Connor, president of Connor Homes, joined forces and since have worked together in a 117,000 sq.foot re purposed printing press building. They are able to heat their entire operation with two high efficiency clean burning wood biomass furnaces.

What your firm does now and its plans for the future? Currently J.S. Benson can create nearly everything necessary for a home including the panelized frame. They specialize in authentic reproductions, design and custom wood work. They are growing geographically and looking towards the west coast and other markets available, with current projects in Canada.