At the ripe age of 15, John Shevlin made the move from Ireland to Queens in an effort to pursue the American dream. The youngest of 10, John hailed from a long line of hard working tradespeople, so it was no surprise that he spent his first few moments in the U.S. working for his brother, a framer. With no knowledge of the trade, John threw himself into the trial by fire environment, paying his dues as he put in his 10,000 hours, mastering the art of framing. 

Now, seasoned with 25 years of experience under his belt, John has spent the last 10 month’s building out Shevlin Construction, a self-owned commercial and residential framing and finishing company that prides itself on providing clients with loyalty and high quality workmanship. While it may sound cliche, the proof is in the pudding with John’s book’s, booked out for the next 10 months. Tune into this week’s podcast, as we sit down with John to learn a little more about his background, how he got to where he is today, and what he sees as his biggest challenge down the road for Shevlin Construction and the trade itself. 

John Shevlin moved to Queens, New York right from Ireland at just 15 years old in 1997. The youngest of 10, John, despite going through a major life transition, was set up for success with the help of his older brother, a framer. Through him, John was able to learn the art of framing and finish from the ground up, paying his dues as an order taker while navigating the trial by fire environment that came with learning the trade. 

Not long after making the move to Queens, John and his brother made yet another move. This time to Springfield, Massachusetts, attending school for the first time ever at East Longmeadow High. John spent the next few years earning his GED before jumping right back into the trade working for a variety of jobs, both at construction companies and with a union. 

His time in the trade had it’s pros and cons, but his leap to entrepreneurship really bubbled up when he realized his work life was overtaking his family life. In the years after high school, John found himself married with two kids. With more at stake, John pushed himself to take on all the work he could get in an effort to support his family. Soon his workload hit a peak, and after 6 years of a 5:30 A.M. - 10:30 P.M. daily shift, John took note that his kids were getting older, and his was missing out on that time - so he took matters into his own hands 

Today, seasoned with over 25 years of experience, John run’s Shevlin Construction, a 10-month old, self owned business that is already booked out for the next 10 months. His biggest challenge? Finding good help. In his generation, if you weren’t first you were last, and more often than not he has struggled to find that same mentality in the younger generations coming into the trades. From his stance, framing feels like a dying trade, but yet there’s still so much opportunity. In his eyes all it takes is drive and loyalty. Sure, it’s hard work, but anyone motivated enough to take on the challenge is sure to find a wealth of success. Tune in to take a deep dive into John’s full background, and more.