Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of North Shore
Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
EP #76 - Remodeling with Heart: When Two Friends Transform Houses and Lives
Ben O'Sullivan Pierce, co-owner of Fresh Start Contracting Corporation, has spent nearly two decades reshaping what homeowners expect from the renovation experience. Alongside his business partner, Nick Stamos, Ben has helped grow Fresh Start from a modest operation into one of Massachusetts’ premier custom building firms. In an industry often clouded by stereotypes of unreliability and poor communication, Ben offers a refreshing, client-first approach rooted in professionalism, transparency, and trust. He shares practical advice for navigating renovations—like understanding the value behind pricing, doing thorough research, and choosing contractors who communicate clearly—making the process smoother and even enjoyable.
Fresh Start’s journey hasn’t been without its setbacks, from stolen tools to unpaid invoices, but Ben’s focus has always remained steady: “We never focused on the problems. We focused on what was going well.” That optimism, grounded in his strong commitment to family and faith, continues to shape a company culture where every project—whether a luxury city remodel or a modest home update—is treated with care and respect. For anyone considering a renovation or curious about how great businesses are built, the story of Fresh Start—driven by the partnership between Ben and Nick—offers equal parts inspiration and insight. Visit freshstartcontracting.com or follow @FreshStartCorp on Instagram to see their work in action.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Yvonne Godfrey.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have the distinct pleasure of introducing to our listeners Ben O'Sullivan Pierce. He is the owner and founder of Fresh Start. So welcome to the Good Neighbor podcast. Today we have the distinct pleasure of introducing to our listeners Ben O'Sullivan Pierce. He is the owner and founder of Fresh Start Contracting Corporation. Ben, how are you today?
Speaker 3:Hey, I'm doing good. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's wonderful to have you here. So, ben, can you please tell our listeners about your company?
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure. So simply put, we're a general contractor and we're a custom builder, so we focus on residential projects. So picture you and your family want to remodel your home. That's what we do. Picture you just bought a home and it needs a full overhaul, a full gut renovation. That is what we do too. So we have a team of about 40 people in-house, various projects going on all over Massachusetts and it's to just customize the home for the client and do it just to their liking Beautiful.
Speaker 2:I follow all of that. So, ben, what is the backstory? How did you get started in this business and how long have you been in this business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I'm actually the co-owner and so my partner and I were friends growing up. We met when we were playing Little League in Cambridge Massachusetts, so we've been buddies a long time. So then my partner, nick, and I started this business when we were actually in college. He worked for his dad, who was a contractor, and I worked for my uncle, who was a contractor, and we always had sort of a shared love for that, for building for business and put our heads together and started Fresh Start, and that's about 19 years ago.
Speaker 3:So I like to say we never had a real job. We just, you know, once graduating college I got right, you know, went to a job site the next day and just have been working ever since. But what we've been able to do over time is scale our business from just the two of us since. But what we've been able to do over time is scale our business from just the two of us two guys in a truck to you know, different levels of managers and carpenters and laborers and people in the office and more trucks and being able to do a better job and bigger projects. And that's what we do today.
Speaker 2:Beautiful, beautiful. So, with that, what are some myths or misconceptions that you've discovered in this industry?
Speaker 3:around the edges. They weren't really approachable. It wasn't, you know, professional business. They may or may not show up and, you know, doing your home remodel could be the worst experience that you've ever had.
Speaker 3:Now, in some ways, it can be a very difficult experience for people, but the myth is is that all contractors are that way and there's really a level of a very high level of you know general contractor out there which we like to think we fit into, that, where, you know, customer service is extremely important to us. We're not flipping the house next door, we're building your house and so getting things right, customizing, you know, rooms and colors and exteriors to our clients needs and to the architect's plans, that's like exactly what we execute on. And so the myth is that you know, oh, it's going to be a real hassle and I'm going to have to, you know, go through this horrible process. But really, if you do your homework and you find the right companies and you understand why they charge what they charge or for the amount of work that goes into a real project, and they're realistic about it to you up front and you are a discerning consumer, you can have a great construction experience if you're with the right team.
Speaker 2:Perfect, perfect. So outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, I mean outside of work. You know this is what I do for work. My real life is I have three kids. I have a beautiful wife. We're, you know, we're always busy. I have a young family. I, you know, I love to get outdoors and I love sports and I love to play golf, but we're also big into our church. Faith is just a major part of our life. We're there all over the weekend. You know. We trust that there's a bigger and a higher plan for our life and that is what gets us through, you know, the week and the tough times and helps us celebrate the good times as well.
Speaker 2:So beautiful, beautiful. Give an honor to where honor is due. Love it, yeah, absolutely so. Changing gears, ben, can you describe one hardship or one of life's challenge that you rose above and can now say that because of it you're stronger, you're better? What comes to your mind? Well, like business or personal, whichever one that you're comfortable sharing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean starting a business when I'm 20 years old, you're going to go through so many you know growing pains and challenges and things and things of that nature.
Speaker 3:I think the good thing I was, I was in a partnership which is kind of like any good relationship, where we would like lift each other out of the seemingly never ending problems that we would constantly face, from employees quitting on you and leaving you high and dry, to clients not paying you what you fairly worked for, to waking up one day and having all my tools stolen out of my truck.
Speaker 3:My partner and I to some credit of ours, I guess we just never focused on the problems. We focused on what was going well and we always thought, whether we were doing this much business or doing this much business, we were excited by it. And so we always, you know, we never take work for granted. So whether we're doing a big fancy project on Beacon Hill or in the North Shore or we're doing sort of you know, a fix it up for for an older couple, we look at all the businesses valuable and we look at people as valuable because they're who drive our business. So, you know, no shortage of trouble running a business, especially a construction business. It's, you know it's tough, but it's extremely rewarding.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. I agree with that, and that's the case for any business. It's rewarded, yeah. So, ben, can you please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Fresh Start Contract Incorporation you know.
Speaker 3:So we're a company. We've been around the block, um, but we're, you know we're. We're open to talking to people about what their construction needs might be. They maybe have an idea for a home they're going to buy or have bought or have a grown family, and we'd love to just kind of get in the conversation with them. We're, um, we're easy to get in touch with. You can go right onto our website and contact us. You'll have myself or somebody else come out to the house. Um, I think you know understanding we're approachable is is why people you know come back or have a good, have an easy time talking to us. Um, I'll tell you if a project's unrealistic, I'll shoot you straight. I'm not in it to waste anybody's time or to leave them. You know, because, because this is a long, we're looking for long-term relationships with people. So, you know, it's it's just key that we give good advice right up front, and that's what we try to do.
Speaker 2:With honesty and integrity.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you started but you didn't finish. So how can our listeners learn more about your business? Do you have a website?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I. We do have a website, so it's freshstartcontractingcom. Nice and simple. You can go right on there and find us. You can Google Fresh Start Contracting. Our office is located in Burlington, massachusetts. You can come on by the office if you want. We're really active on social. So on Instagram it's Fresh Start Corp and on that we have a ton of followers. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on. It's like, you know, hgtv, but it's real and it's the projects we're doing every single day. And we're, you know, really just giving you some behind the scenes of like, hey, this is what it takes to actually build a house, remodel a house. Work in Boston, work in the suburbs, work in the North Shore you know different kinds of things shows you a little bit about the business. So we like to think we're easy to get in touch with. Call, email, you know, go online, just fill out a form and we'll set up an estimate, whatever works. Or drop us a DM on social and we'll get right back to you.
Speaker 2:Sounds like you're easy to work with as well, so we try to. You Sounds like you're easy to work with as well, so we try to be. So, ben, we really appreciate you being on the show with us today, and we wish you and Nick all the very best moving forward. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpnorthshorecom. That's gnpnorthshorecom, or call 857-703-9406.