Sebastien Leclerc
Preconstruction Manager
At Optimum we put a lot of thought and energy into having the right people on our team and Sebastien is our best case study for the right person. He’s only been with us for a few years, but he’s brought so much to the team that he’s now one of the four horsemen we call our Leadership Team.
When he got his start at age 15 putting up drywall for his dad who was one of the best drywall guys in Maine, Sebastien never planned a career in construction. Few do when they’re 15. In fact, he tried to get out of the industry every few years for the first decade or so, but, like father like son, he was made for this work. By his early twenties, he was running leading crews full of guys older and more experienced than him.
Slinging sheets of gypsum takes a toll and it’s a rare back that can do that for a full career, so he started branching out into other roles in the industry. This has seen him in almost every seat in the field or office at some point or other. Where he really found his niche was in helping build out new divisions of established companies. He has worked for some of the biggest names in the New England construction scene. But speaking of names, along the way, he learned the value of a name, as in a reputation. Some companies have good ones, some don’t, and they’re usually earned by how they treat people. This became the biggest motivator for where Sebastien wanted to work. After seeing firsthand one of the big-name firms treat people poorly for a few years, and not wanting his name associated with theirs anymore, he went in search of something better. Optimum was what he found.
When he asked around about their reputation, he heard that there was something really different here, a company that was going somewhere. So, after a lunch with Kendrick where he told him point blank, “you need to hire me” he got his chance to prove it. Fast forward a few years and he’s been instrumental in our growth and the building out of a team that is totally on board with our values. In fact, he brought a number of guys with him that have proven to be just as high quality as he is. The Leclerc name he carries around meant something when it was given to him. We think he has definitely added to that reputation and we’re proud to have it associated with Optimum Construction.