Over the years Shawnlee Construction of New England has adapted to market trends and embraced new innovations, but at its core it has remained what it always was – an expert framing company built on consistency, collaboration, and confidence. “We’ve always been named Shawnlee Construction,” says Keith Monahan, Director of Operations. Keith has been with the company for almost twenty years, and has witnessed it go from strength to strength as it’s perfected its craft over the decades. In 2026, Shawnlee will have maintained its name for forty years, a testament to the company’s longstanding position as a trusted framing contractor. “We are a wood framing subcontractor primarily,” Keith says, “but we also do weather barrier install, porch framing and decking, window install, and prefabricated balconies which are provided by one of our affiliate companies.” These traditional services remain in high demand in the New England framing market and therefore form the bulk of its portfolio. Still, Shawnlee understands that as times change, it’s important to adapt. “We’re trying to move into light gauge metal load bearing wall systems and various floor systems that are associated with that,” says Keith. “It’s important to be able to keep the volume up, so we’re trying to delve into other aspects that are similar to what we already do, just with different materials.” An expert in the field of framing, Shawnlee Construction is well positioned to adapt to modern methods of construction by applying the same level of expertise and quality that traditional methods demand.
“It’s important to be able to keep the volume up, so we’re trying to delve into other aspects that are similar to what we already do, just with different materials.”
Shawnlee’s story is one of collaboration, powered by relationships with its long-term clients and affiliate companies. Since 2010 Shawnlee Construction has been 100% owned by UFP Industries, a materials company and manufacturing giant rooted in growth and innovation.“ They’re an international company that does everything from treating of wood materials with preservative and fire-retardant treatments, industrial packaging, and retail where they sell decking and products online and through big box stores and lumberyards. They are the number one buyer of southern yellow pine, definitely in the country, if not the world. We’re in a specialised wing where we provide the labour services, but with the materials that they provide for us like prefabricated wall panels, prefabricated floor and roof trusses. We source all of our components from them, and we have their backing.” UFP-owned companies work hand in hand, with each benefiting from pooled resources and shared expertise. “They recently acquired a company that fabricates light gauge wall panels and light gauge trusses,” Keith says. “We leverage all of their capabilities and their expertise, and we get an insight on the lumber market via their purchasing department. They’re well-rounded with their assistance and expertise, and that helps us gain an edge over others.”
Between its decades of experience in the framing industry and its relationships with UFP affiliate companies, Shawnlee can provide a turnkey service to its customers in the residential and commercial markets. “For wood framing, the foundation gets put in place, we stand all the structural and sometimes non-structural wood walls, and then the floor systems all the way up through to the roof. Once the building is erected, more often than not we’ll be installing the windows and weather barrier. We don’t do finish carpentry, but we do have an affiliate company that does the interior finish, so everything from casework to interior trim cabinets and interior doors.” Keith mentions some of UFP’s acquisitions which have provided new avenues of growth for Shawnlee and allowed the company to branch out into new service offerings. “With our affiliates, we cover almost everything other than the mechanical trades and roofing. There’s Shepardville Construction that does the interiors, and Exterior Designs that does all the exterior finishes, metal panels, fibre cement siding, and rain screens. There’s so much that goes on with the companies that are right alongside us. All of our companies combined contribute to a job’s overall success.”
Reflecting on some of Shawnlee’s standout projects from over the years, Keith finds satisfaction in both the process and the finished product. “When you drive by places that you’ve worked on that was once an empty hill and now there’s a big building that’s supporting a lot of people, that sense of satisfaction is there for me.” One such project is The 305 Waltham for Erland Construction, one of Shawnlee’s longstanding customers. “It’s a massive building with five stories of wood over two or three levels of concrete, and two interior courtyards. Even though we only have five stories of wood, from the outside of the building it’s imposing, perched atop a hill with seven to eight total stories. It’s one of our bigger recent projects, and definitely a sight to behold. As you’re driving along Route 95 or 128 in Waltham where there’s lots of office buildings, you can see this one right on top of the hill behind them that stands out.”
An expert in its craft in the traditional sense, Shawnlee is open-minded when it comes to trying new things and embracing innovation. This is evident in The Lore in Salem, a project completed for Dellbrook JKS, another one of Shawnlee’s longstanding customers. “It’s a five-building project, and the first one where we’re supplying and installing the prefabricated aluminium balconies, provided by Endurable Building Products. It’s something that we’ve never done before, but with the benefit of having an affiliate company, they’re supplying us with all the materials. It’s our first attempt at installing these and it’s going well so far. It’s good to have a bit of a test, to see how the whole process goes and then continue to build on that for the future.”
From his experience, Keith understands that it’s not always the largest projects that are the most complex, and for that reason, the Province Post project for Delphi Construction is worth mentioning. “I like to call that one the end of the Earth, because it’s in Provincetown at the very tip of Cape Cod. It’s on the smaller side as far as projects go, but very challenging. Cape Cod has nicely detailed buildings to fit in with the whole theme and aesthetic of the area. Way out at the tip of Provincetown it’s really a tough job because it’s long travel, it takes dedication to go there day in and day out, and there’s very few people who are willing to deliver materials. So while it’s not a huge project, it was definitely challenging and a good accomplishment, showing that we’re willing to take on the more difficult projects that are logistically or geographically challenging.”
Like the rest of the region, Shawnlee is tentative about the future with the looming threat of potential tariffs and the effect of interest rates on the market, but having seen its way out of challenging socio-economic pressures in the past, Keith is confident in its ability to face whatever comes its way. “It’s been business as usual since COVID,” he says. “Things have kind of settled down and gotten a little bit more normalized. There’s a little bit of pressure with potential tariffs and interest rates that are affecting the market, but next year, if things start to break free, we could see a big jump.” Ultimately, Shawnlee’s plan for the coming years is to do as it has done up to this point – as Keith puts it, just keeping everything good and steady. “In 2021 we went through a changing of the guard where I assumed a new role as Director of Operations and Derek Alexander assumed a new role of Estimating and Purchasing Operations Manager. We were prepared for these changes through many years with the company, and Shawnlee as a whole is strong because of similar circumstances. We have three employees who have been with the company for greater than thirty years, eighteen who have been here for twenty to thirty, and sixteen who have been here for ten to twenty years. That shows the longevity of the company, and the dedication and loyalty that a lot of people who work here have. With that, there are relationships that were established by people who have worked here for the entire existence of the company. We’re in a place now where we’re trying to foster and continue those relationships, but also develop new ones, to work with general contractors that we haven’t worked with much in the past and build on that through mutual trust and cooperation.”
“Beyond that, there’s always a need to push for innovation and modifying the way we do things. Construction is one of the most reluctant industries to take on new ideas and new methods, but there’s definitely a need for it, especially as the labour pool shrinks.” Keith takes me through some other innovations in the framing space that are set to become commonplace in the coming years as the demand for modern and more efficient methods of construction heightens. “Prefabricated floor cassettes can be built in a factory so that once it gets up to site, there’s less labour required. There’s cross laminated timber that we’ve been trying to get into, which is really cost prohibitive at this point, but becoming more and more prevalent. As that comes more into the fold, we’ll be looking to get more into that. Also branching out into the light gauge metal world, which is a little bit foreign to us, but the processes are almost exactly the same as what we already do, so it’s a very logical evolution for the company.”
For Shawnlee Construction, who has established itself as one of the most experienced and trusted framing contractors in New England, it is very much business as usual. Shawnlee will remain consistent in its ability to foster close and collaborative relationships while seeking out new ways to add value to its clients through innovation, and will move forward into this often-uncertain market with purpose and confidence.
