South Mountain Co. (SoMC) is a well-known name on the island. On the SoMC website, founder and former CEO John Abrams explains how the company came to be: “The company began in 1973 as a carpentry and woodworking shop in New City, NY. In 1975, my partner Mitchell Posin and I came to Martha's Vineyard to design and build a home for my parents.”
SoMC has come a long way since those early days. Abrams, a strong leadership team and a talented group of employees have built it into a bustling architecture, construction, interior design and energy technology company. SoMC is committed to a triple bottom line, which essentially means people, planet and profit are equally important. As a B Corporation and a worker-owned cooperative, SoMC balances its profits with environmental restoration, social justice and community engagement.
“For us, we think about the impact on both the community and the projects we take on,” says Deirdre Bohan, CEO of SoMC. One of these community projects involved Camp Jabberwocky, which was completed in 2019. SoMC modernized Jabberwocky's Mess Hall, making it available for year-round use and improving accessibility. It also worked on the Early Education and Care Center for MV Community Services and will begin building an outreach center for veterans, seniors, victims of domestic violence and drug use, and other Islanders in need.
Bohan's path to CEO wasn't particularly linear or even planned. “Some people know what they want to do in middle school. That wasn’t me,” she laughs. Bohan spent her childhood summers in Vineyard Haven, where her parents built a house. After graduating from Brown University with a degree in computer science and traveling for a while, she returned to the island and worked in a variety of jobs.
“I worked as a hostess at the Black Dog. This job was fundamentally great for two reasons: I met so many people and I had a great boss – Joey Hall, manager of Black Dog. It was one of those jobs where you don't want to go back to work for someone who isn't great.” This positive work experience stayed with Bohan and influenced her role as a leader. “I try to do that for the interns here so that when they go out into the world, they know what it feels like to work somewhere that treats you well, so they can find the best fit for them can.” “
Despite working several jobs, she was struggling financially and saw an advertisement from SoMC in the newspaper looking for an administrative assistant. “I knew nothing about the company. I drove up and had an interview with John and another co-owner. We laughed a lot and I got the job,” says Bohan. “The woman who held that position retired. I didn’t know anything about being an administrator, but I had a bachelor’s degree in computer science and that was a world I knew, so I converted her job to the digital world.”
With the digital management world running smoothly, Bohan began exploring new opportunities at SoMC: “I have always been interested in interior design. My grandmother was constantly changing the colors and designs in her house. She was really up for something like that.” Bohan and Abrams talked about starting an interior design department, and Bohan began taking classes at the Rhode Island School of Design: “I focused on classes that would be practical for our new interior design firm were.”
Field work as an interior designer helped her gain knowledge of construction. “I had no experience as a carpenter. No one in my family did that. I learned a lot from drawing and learning to read plans and architectural designs.” After leading the interior design department and the company grew, Bohan became COO and chairman of SoMC’s management committee and executive team. After Abrams' retirement, she became CEO in 2023.
But she wasn't initially convinced about becoming CEO. “John is very outgoing. I'm an introvert. John has a presence in the community and I didn't feel like I could relate to that. He suggested that we use the two weeks of Christmas break to think about it more. When I came back… I still had no idea,” she laughs. But Abrams did, and together they formed a strong leadership team. This leadership team consists of Bohan, Director of Production and Co-Owner Newell Isbell Shinn, Director of Finance and Administration and Co-Owner Siobhán Mullin, Director of Architecture and Co-Owner Ryan Bushey, and Director of Energy Technology and Co-Owner Rob Meyers.
“We make many decisions together every day. The relationships we have with each other and the trust we have with each other doesn’t make me feel like I’m doing it alone,” Bohan adds.
Of course, being part of a strong team is an advantage, but SoMC is also employee-owned. Employee-owned businesses can increase employee engagement and loyalty, provide job security and wealth creation, and create a stronger company culture and a more stable work environment. “By attracting new owners, we will continue our practices for generations to come,” says Bohan. “I won’t be here for 40 years – another group will come up behind me. We'll be 50 next year and have to think about the future. We are always thinking about the future of Martha's Vineyard – that it will continue to exist as usual and will be preserved for our children and other people's children.”
Fifty years is nothing to sneeze at, and over the many years SoMC has built and maintained strong relationships with organizations, community members and customers. “These relationships last forever,” says Bonhan. “I recently attended a client’s granddaughter’s wedding. We built their house 27 years ago.”
South Mountain and its customers typically share common values. “We focus on impact,” explains Bohan. “Live fully, proceed gently. We want our customers to get what they want, but there are decisions about the future of the island that we care about.”
With regard to environmental orientation, sustainability is firmly integrated into SoMC's decisions. An impact framework with seven lenses – place, water, energy, materials, well-being, equity, experience – guides their design. This framework ensures that they consider factors such as the island's single-source aquifer, carbon contained in materials, ecosystem preservation, accessibility for different needs, and resilience to extreme weather conditions. As part of their solar work, they have installed half of the island's systems, helping hundreds of homes and businesses transition away from fossil fuels.
Building affordable housing is also a SoMC priority. Their latest project is Red Arrow Road, which consists of three two-bedroom houses – two of which will be occupied by SoMC employees and their families – and one four-bedroom house that they will maintain themselves. “We donated one of the two bedrooms to Habitat for Humanity. The reason for this is to maintain a community so that employees can afford to stay here. We are committed to the missing middle,” says Bohan.
Fine craftsmanship renovations and quality buildings are equally important to SoMC, helping them meet the needs of the community, their customers and their employees. “20 percent of our net profits go to charity,” shares Bohan. “We are committed to pro bono compensation; Our employees are paid for volunteer work. We work with the Housing Bank, Spark MV and the high school and offer students the opportunity to study part-time.”
Although Bohan has played different roles throughout her career at SoMC, she seems to have settled well into her role as CEO: “I love the relationships and creativity in our everyday life and collaboration. The strong bonds we have with customers, partners and each other – the collaboration – is fulfilling. But I can’t do this work without others.”
To learn more about South Mountain Co., visit their website. sudmountain.com.