From the Ground Up

By Rachel Dutil • Photos by Jessica McCafferty

Aaron LaPorte and Nick Shantie

Boots on the Ground General Contracting has only been off the ground for a few months, but owners Aaron LaPorte and Nick Shantie are keeping busy with projects both large and small. Based in West Chazy, New York, they will travel virtually anywhere within an hour’s drive.

I caught up with the two recently at a home on Cumberland Head where they were replacing a floor, which required them to cut a large hole, replace rotted floor joists and the subfloor below before installing a new floor that will provide stability and bring the floor to level with the adjoining rooms.

“We do pretty much everything outside of electrical,” LaPorte explained. “Remodeling, decks, doors, windows, roofing, fencing. We can cover them all.”

Veteran-owned

LaPorte has served more than 11 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, deploying to Iraq in 2024, and the business name pays homage to his military service. While on assignment, he did some research into business opportunities. He knew he did not want to work for someone else when he returned home. He was looking to be his own boss and have control over his schedule.

Shantie, a long-time family friend, had recently become a father and was looking for a change. He enjoyed working with his hands, was mechanically inclined and studied business administration at Clinton Community College. The friends’ skills complemented each other and their philosophies aligned.

LaPorte and Shantie are the entire team for Boots on the Ground at this time. They do the estimating, gather materials, are the manpower on the job site, and the billing department. It is a lot to manage while also fielding calls from potential customers and scheduling time appropriately.

“Utilizing technology to improve efficiency and manage materials expense and track costs is imperative,” Shantie explained, citing the value of the 1-800 Accounting app they use for the business. “Using it has been a key to success for us,” he said. Having an easy-to-use accounting system not only keeps everything organized, but it also allows the partners to better understand their costs per job and be more informed and prepared for each subsequent job estimate. “Sometimes on big jobs, you run into something that you didn’t plan for,” LaPorte admitted. “Usable data helps every business in the learning process.”

Learning the Trade

LaPorte and Shantie hope to eventually grow the business and become mentors for young people who want to get into construction. LaPorte got his start at 16, working for a friend’s dad. He worked for several contractors over the years, learning new skills with each business, from large-scale framing, putting up poultry barns, remodeling and plumbing, sheet rocking and painting.

LaPorte advised, “If you think this work is something you’re interested in, go work for someone who does it. There are numerous local contractors who are starting to age out of the business, which is very physically demanding. There are not enough young people who want to do the work or learn the trade to fill the positions that will open soon,” he said.

The flexibility of being self-employed is definitely a perk of the job, the men agreed. They also enjoy the varied nature of their work. The week before I met them, they had replaced the siding on a home. “Some days the job site is outdoors and other days we’re inside,” they offered. ”But the best part of the work is happy customers, LaPorte said. “When you make the customer’s vision a reality, that’s the satisfaction. When you do a good job, your customers turn into repeat customers.”

Communication is Critical

Working on a job, Shantie and LaPorte occasionally discover mistakes that others have made, “Renovating a house is expensive,” LaPorte said. “If you do it once and take care of all the issues while you’re in there instead of covering up problems, you will be much better off.”

LaPorte and Shantie are open and honest with their customers and if they run into an unexpected problem on a job site, they communicate that. “Cutting corners is definitely not something you can do,” Shantie said. “When we’re at a job, we focus specifically on that job, and when we’re done, we make sure the customer is happy before we go. We don’t leave a job until its 100% done,” he said. “Customer satisfaction is huge for us.”

For now, Boots on the Ground’s marketing is mostly through word-of-mouth referrals, their business Facebook page and the lettering on the work trailer they haul around the North Country. Shantie noted that sometimes customer contacts are made while they are picking up materials and someone notices the branding on their t-shirts and strikes up a conversation.

Best Advice

LaPorte best advice for homeowners looking for a contractor is to “know who you’re hiring and remember that if your contractor is not insured, you are not protected.” Boots on the Ground is fully insured through Brooke and Irwin Insurance Agency in Plattsburgh and they are happy to share contact information for their agent with customers who have questions about their coverage. “We like to be an open book with every client and hopefully they will do the same for us,” LaPorte concluded.

Boots on the Ground General Contracting

25 Fiske Rd.

West Chazy, NY

(518) 593-0910

(443) 685-4973