Construction Superintendent
Peter Trudo
Peter oversees projects in the field. “I get info from the office to the site workers and make sure we’re headed in right direction.” A favorite aspect of his job is problem solving. “If a customer has an issue, we need to figure out something aesthetically pleasing and functional–take a design and make it work.”
At home, Peter has a wife and 2 daughters in their 20s, plus his daughter’s Black Lab and a cat. In his down time, he likes to “do projects around house at my own pace.” He also enjoys short hikes and getting outside when there’s time. In summer his family heads to the Maine coastline to enjoy the beach and relax. A little-known fact: Peter really enjoys a capella music, particularly contemporary music such as in shows like Pitch Perfect.
Construction Superintendent
Dean Hughes
Dean manages projects such as additions, kitchens, bathrooms, and oversees carpentry staff on the job, making sure they complete their tasks and understand what the plans mean. His favorite part of working at WBA is keeping customers happy. “They are excited, but sometimes nervous. I can give them peace of mind, let them know we will do what we said we were going to do.”
Dean is proud of his two children in their 20s. “They are career-driven and doing well.” In free time, Dean likes to work on his house and on cars, fixing his own and helping his mechanic son with projects. Each year, he helps drive his parents to their winter home in Bradenton, Florida. Although Dean built his own kitchen cabinets 6 years ago, he is amused that he still hasn’t added cabinet doors. “I like it—it’s a guys’ house. It’s very convenient when I do my grocery list.”
Lead Carpenter
Kris Tracy
Kris does trim work, finish work, and kitchens. He really enjoys custom work, intricate, detail-oriented challenges, jobs that make him ask, “How do I make that look good? Somehow, I do.” His biggest challenge was creating a custom, arch-top, 18-lite mahogany exterior door from scratch. “It was daunting. I was very proud of it.”
Kris has a wife, young son, and a Alusky (half Alaskan Malamute half Siberian husky), who is “absolutely gorgeous but neurotic.” On weekends, in the morning, he enjoys doing crossword puzzles and playing chess with his son. He also loves tinkering with trucks, cars, lawn mowers, etc. His favorite place in the world is in the mountains of West Virginia, where he grew up. Kris is proud of wearing his heart on his sleeve. “I cry during sad movies. I’m a hugger…”
Lead Carpenter
Joshua Jacques
“I come from a long line of people who bleed sawdust,” Josh says. “My grandfather and great-grandfather were carpenters, and my father ran a woodworking business for thirty years. I think carpenters are special because they can take a pile of wood and turn it into something–that’s a unique skill.” Josh grew up in Pomfret, attended Ellis Tech for carpentry, worked locally for a few years and eventually moved to New Hampshire. He spent the last eight years at high-end design build companies in the White Mountains, working his way up to superintendent, managing projects for discerning clients.
Josh and his wife decided to move back to northeast CT with their six-year-old daughter to be near the grandparents. “It’s absolutely gorgeous up there, but it’s very pretty here too and this is home.” Josh knew of WBA’s long history and excellent reputation and is happy to be part of the team.
“I used to do all sorts of adventurous things, hikes and trips and rock climbing, but I don’t do that much anymore,” he says of life outside work. “I have what I call my domestic dad sports, like bowling and golf … the stuff that probably is not going to cripple you.” He also enjoys ham radio and has talked to people as far away as New Zealand.
Fun Fact: “I was an Eagle Scout and so I’m pretty proud of that,” says Josh. His Eagle Scout project was to make a set of period correct benches for Pomfret’s historic Old Town Meeting House.
Lead Carpenter
Justin McAllise
At twenty-nine, Justin has been working in the building industry for over a decade. “I basically grew up on a job site,” he says. His dad and grandfather were also carpenters. As a lead carpenter with WBA, Justin “works with the homeowners as the voice of the company from step one to final inspection. We coordinate with customers at each phase of the job, and if something comes up, we find the best way to address issues.” Justin especially enjoys framing new construction, working with a plan from scratch and making it reality.
Originally from Indiana, Justin enjoys spending time with his dad golfing and deep-sea fishing on his uncle’s boat, where he likes to spend as much time in summer as possible. “It makes all the hard work worth it,” he says of boat life. Justin also snowboards and is a self-described “campfire guitarist,” having played since childhood.
Fun Fact: In addition to working full-time at WBA, Justin is a full-time student, studying construction management online through Indiana State University. “I hope to do everything I can to learn about the industry and be as effective as I can for my company,” he says. Between work, school and hobbies, Justin still manages to sleep, usually from 9PM to 4AM.
Lead Carpenter
Jeff Kimball
Jeff was self-employed at his own carpentry business for 38 years. After a short break, he is back in the industry at WBA where he enjoys the wide range of projects he’s involved in. “I like finish work and kitchen installations, because that’s what I specialized in all along, but I love framing as well–basically all aspects of carpentry.”
As a grandfather of three, Jeff spends as much time with the kids as he can. “I just like to interact with them and whatever they’re into,” he says. One grandchild was recently in a school play, “The Grinch,” and he enjoyed reading the original Dr. Suess book with them. He also likes working in his shop on projects, like making cabinets or doing repairs, and tinkering with vehicles and tractors.
“I’m passionate about what I do, and I’m also compassionate when it comes to people,” Jeff says. “A lot of times you’ll go into a custom job and clients want to talk and I’m there to listen. I think that’s a good sign that they are comfortable with me.”
Fun Fact: Jeff is very interested in family history. He is fascinated by what his Swedish relatives went through to get to America and what they did once they were here. “Basically, they came over here with nothing and did what they had to do to succeed.”
Carpenter
Callum Wright
Callum has worked as a carpenter for almost 5 years but joined WBA in 2024. “Everyone is friendly and always willing to help,” he says of his coworkers. “It’s only been a year, but it feels like a big family.”
His favorite tasks are framing and finish work. “I just like seeing it all coming together and seeing it from start to end.” He also gets satisfaction from meeting the client’s needs and showing them their vision coming together.
Newly engaged, Callum and his fiancée have two pet Holland bunnies, Nigel and Leland, who get to hop around the house. “The dog wants to play with them but wonders why she can’t chase these rabbits like the ones in the backyard,” he says. Callum also loves to fish, including ice fishing in winter.
Fun Fact: From childhood through high school, Callum was a competitive gymnast. His favorite event was the vault. “My mom signed me up when I was really little and then I just kept going,” he says. “She probably thought I had way too much energy.”
Carpenter
Conor Twohig
Conor likes working besides the journeyman, “learning as you go.” So far, his favorite task is siding: “You can do it fast on your own and I like to see the finished product.” Conor recently moved to the area from Ireland, where the rest of his family lives. He was born in New Jersey, moved to Ireland as toddler, and lived there for 15 years. He is still getting used to the way people talk here. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and weightlifting at the gym. “I’ve traveled a decent bit for my age.” As a child, he visited Spain with his family, and remembers enjoying the beaches of a coastal village near Barcelona called Tossa de Mar.
Carpenter Apprentice
Matt Froehlich
Matt does “a little bit of everything,” including recently learning concrete work. He enjoys seeing the finished product, “pulling off the forms you built to see that your work is really nice. I like being able to look at a pile of wood then build something from scratch.”
Matt grew up on a family farm in Woodstock Valley, which has raised Hereford beef cattle since 1967. After daily work at WBA, he helps with the farm. He loves to bale hay. “It’s simple and repetitive but satisfying.” Matt also has his own lawn care business on the side. Matt says his colleagues think he’s funny because he sometimes mumbles to himself while he works, “I verbally work through a problem out loud as I think it through.”
Carpenter Apprentice
Kyle Nichol
Kyle does sheetrock, trim, and “anything they throw at me.” He has been learning skills at WBA for two years and enjoys that “every day is something new.” His favorite part of working for WBA so far is seeing “cool architecture” and beautiful features of upscale houses. His future dream house will have a backyard putting green and waterfalls in the landscaping.
Kyle has 2 older dogs, a German & Australian Shepherd. He likes to work on his Ford F350, ride quads, and fish for trout or bass. He loves western Pennsylvania, where he drives 11 “worth it” hours to a region with 900 miles of trails for ATV and quad riding. He also loves music–blues, country, hip hop, an eclectic mix. “If you’re working with me, be prepared to hear me sing,” he says, smiling.
Carpenter Apprentice
Noah Bernier
Noah has done landscape work and assisted with subcontractors, but his favorite skill so far is plumbing, which he studied at Ellis Tech. He is currently learning carpentry at WBA. Noah enjoys doing something different every day, finding varied tasks and problems keeps work interesting. He likes to learn new things and to keep himself busy.
Noah has a girlfriend and pets and loves car racing. As a spotter at Thompson Speedway, he watches from the tower, communicating with the driver (his best friend) on obstacles, strategy, speed, and position. Noah also does side jobs, such as cutting firewood or helping dig foundations with his friend who owns a mini excavator. His favorite place is the racetrack. “I’m always happy there.” A little-known fact: Noah’s grandfather was one of the most honored Vietnam Vets in Willimantic. “He was always stronger than I was. He could do more pushups than me till the day he died.”
Carpenter Apprentice
Alexander Gammetto
Alex discovered in school that he was a hands-on learner and attended Bay Path for carpentry. Working for WBA is his first full-time job in the industry. He enjoys finish work, thinks framing houses is really fun, and is excited to learn “hundreds of things” in his new career.
Outside of work, Alex enjoys fixing his truck and fishing. His all-time big catch was a seven-pound bass, and he would love to go deep sea fishing some day. If there was one place he’d visit again, it’s Hawaii, where he spent two weeks with his family going to the beach, seeing turtles, and surfing.
Fun Fact: Alex loves to explore, just to see something new. “My mom’s the same way. She loves going on hikes, finding a trail that maybe has a stream or waterfall or a boardwalk through a swamp . . . just walk around and see what you can see.”
Carpenter Apprentice
Sam True
At just 19 years old, Sam True is laying the foundation for a promising career in carpentry. Currently an apprentice, Sam describes himself as “more of a helping hand than anything else,” eagerly learning the ropes of trim work, demo, and framing. After graduating high school, he completed a 3.5-month adult education program at Tri-County Vocational Technical High School and landed his role through a career fair where he connected with WBA leadership.
Sam thrives on the variety of his new trade and the chance to learn from multiple mentors at WBA. At each new project, he pays attention to the different ways his colleagues approach tasks. “It’s good to get all the different perspectives on how to do something and figure out which way works best for me.”
Outside of work, Sam spends free time hanging out with friends, adventures like exploring local ravines and caves, or—as a big fan of summer—just relaxing at the lake. As a member of his town’s Fish & Game Club, he indulges in fishing and fondly recalls a family trip to Bermuda, where he kayaked and fished right off the beach with his brother.
Fun Fact: Before carpentry, Sam dreamed of becoming a sponsored skateboarder but “broke several toes… got a couple concussions, broke my collarbone,” he laughs. “That kind of stopped me.”