Keep Craft Alive: Ace McArleton, General Manager - Fine Homebuilding FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Main Menu
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Main Menu Subscribe
Keep Craft Alive

Keep Craft Alive: Ace McArleton, General Manager

A commitment to inclusion and respect inspired this home builder to create a different kind of construction company.

By Rob Yagid Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths
Article Image

“It’s worth identifying the terrible human behaviors that we’ve inherited as an industry, and then dismantling and systematically undoing them.”

– Ace McArleton, General Manager, New Frameworks Montpelier, VT.

Ace McArleton is the general manager of New Frameworks, a Vermont-based design-build company he helped found with a commitment to building in a kinder way. The worker-owned cooperative specializes in natural, high-performance building systems and technologies, but its employees are not only building healthier homes—they’re building a healthier company by focusing on the people who are part of their process. 

“I’ve become almost as passionate about designing and building our company as I am about building homes,” Ace says. He began his career in the trowel trades of the San Francisco Bay Area, where he gained exposure to some of the inherent benefits of working in construction. But he was also exposed to a toxic side of the industry.

“I saw the people I worked with wanting more. They had skill, drive, and interest. But because there was such a pressure for efficiency, production, and profit, we were all in a race to the bottom. I saw the pain that creates in a person, mentally and physically.” This, compounded by a culture where racism, homophobia, and intolerance is pervasive—often and unfortunately brushed off as just the job-site dynamic—inspired him to nurture a different building environment; one that was inclusive, respectful, and kept its workers experience in mind.

“The materials we’re trying to deemphasize in construction are unhealthy. Once you have a material that’s healthier to produce, it’s also healthier for the craftsperson, healthier for the homeowners, and healthier at the end of its life cycle for the environment. We’re developing social and ecological systems.”

It’s that social component that has driven much of the company’s success. They own their responsibility when it comes to equality, climate impact, and social justice. It should be no surprise that they’ve been overwhelmed with interest from people who want to work with and for them. When you stand for something positive, people want to stand with you.­

— Rob Yagid, executive director, Keep Craft Alive

From Fine Homebuilding #295

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Sign Up

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

×
X
X

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Comments are closed.

More Keep Craft Alive

View All
  • Josh Salinger, Construction Business Owner

    Keep Craft Alive: Josh Salinger, Construction Business Owner

  • Travis Brungardt, Builder

    Keep Craft Alive: Travis Brungardt, Builder

  • Keep Craft Alive: Ace McArleton, General Manager

  • Keep Craft Alive: Nick Schiffer, Builder and Business Owner

View All

Up Next

Featured Story

2021 International Builders Show online experience

Attending in Sweatpants: The Virtual 2021 International Builders' Show

A pre-show primer on the first-ever online IBS trade show. Stay tuned for upcoming podcasts, product features, and more.

Featured Video

Video: Build a Fireplace, Brick by Brick

Get an overview of the process of creating a traditional-style fireplace that burns well and meets current building codes from experienced mason Mike Mehaffey.

Related Stories

  • Attending in Sweatpants: The Virtual 2021 International Builders' Show

  • Keep Craft Alive: Josh Salinger, Construction Business Owner

  • Building a Knowledge of Building

  • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Mike Litchfield

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

  • Fine Homebuilding All Access
  • Fine Homebuilding Podcast
  • Tool Tech

    Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

  • "I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

    Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

    Sign Up See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast Episode 170: Is There Really a Skilled-Trade Gap?

  • Podcast Episode 163: Live from the Builder's Show: Home Depot’s Pro Services and Advancements in Cordless Tools

  • Why I Build: Brent Kelosky, Wood-Flooring Specialist

  • Podcast Episode 125 — French Doors, Kitchen Remodels, and the Gamification of Home Building.

View All

Business

View All
  • Mike Guertin presenting at conference.

    Building a Knowledge of Building

  • drawing of author Mike Litchfield

    The Fine Homebuilding Interview: Mike Litchfield

  • Travis Brungardt, Builder

    Keep Craft Alive: Travis Brungardt, Builder

  • Keep Craft Alive: Ace McArleton, General Manager

View All

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2020 Fine Homebuilding Archive

    Buy Now
  • Fine Homebuilding Magazine Slipcase

    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition

    Buy Now
  • Musings of an Energy Nerd

    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 297 - Feb/Mar 2021

    • Foundations for Success
    • Staircase Renovation
    • Ditch the Hose
  • Issue 296 - Dec 2020/Jan 2021

    • Insulating Glass Keeps Getting Better
    • Simple Way to Make Old Walls Straight and Plumb
    • Making Sense of Minisplits
  • Issue 295 - Kitchens & Baths

    • Condo Kitchen Reimagined
    • Row-House Remodel
    • Rise of the IAQ Monitor
  • Issue 294 - Oct/Nov 2020

    • Schoolhouse Reimagined
    • Tool Test: Folding Sawhorses
    • A Better Way to Build Tall Walls
  • Issue 293 - Aug/Sept 2020

    • A Practical Guide to Fall Protection
    • Installing Frameless Cabinets
    • Make Any Tablesaw Safer

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Manage Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility

© 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

    Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Account

  • Log In
  • Join

    Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk
  • Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

    Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

    All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

    Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

    More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

    Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Sign Up See all newsletters

Follow

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 52%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in