West Construction - A Family Story
Father Son Duo with Deep Arizona Roots
In the early 90’s while Ed West oversaw his crews installing, windows, cabinetry and appliances, or laying elaborate tile, his oldest son, Scott, was in charge of sweeping the floors. It was his first job working for the family business and like any 10-year-old, he felt the task was menial.
Ed always saw it differently.
“Sweeping the floors believe it or not is one of the best ways to get a sense if everything is done properly,” said Ed. “It’s an opportunity to analyze the details, from the framing to the alignment of the recessed lighting. I know it sounds mundane, but you would be surprised how much you notice sweeping the floors.”
For over 35 years, West Construction has been remodeling and constructing quality custom homes in Arizona. They have built a reputation for strong ethics, precise execution, and impeccable standards.
“We are personally involved in every project,” said Scott. “We take a paper plan and make that plan into a home for wonderful people. We want that home to stand the test of time.”
To understand the West’s business, you have to understand the West family. How a father and son duo with deep Southwest roots have embedded their family values into their company.
“We’re a family that feels very fortunate that we get to build homes for great people. We want to create those spaces that bring people together because we know how important they are for families.”
Growing a Hard-Working Reputation
The West family has been calling the “Grand Canyon State” home for three generations.
Ed grew up working on his uncle’s farm during hot Arizona summers. The family grew winter wheat, sugar beets, and cotton on 320 acres of land in Gilbert. As a 9-year-old, Ed earned his spending money hoeing the weeds and digging sand out of the irrigation ditches.
“We would drive the tractor and plow the fields, buck the rows to get them ready for irrigation,” he said. “It was a great experience doing manual labor.”
The legacy of gratifying physical work is something the West family has always believed in.
“I think you can achieve success from working hard. I’m not a fan of handouts or shortcuts,” he said. “You need to earn what you get.”
Hard work and precision have always been a priority for Ed.
Before Ed started West Construction, he was a mechanical engineer. Ed West (third from left - standing) at Garrett AiResearch
Ed West worked on the GT601 Turbine test truck project
Designed with Detail
Ed started West Construction while working for Garrett AiResearch (now Honeywell Aerospace) after earning his mechanical engineering degree at The University of Arizona.
In the early ’80’s, Ed was running tests on jet engines to prove they were fit to fly safely. Over his 13 years at Garrett AiResearch, he also worked on turbine truck engines and lightweight torpedoes.
“The need or the desire for high quality work, I learned that in engineering,” he said. “You had to make sure things were done properly. People’s lives were at stake.”
While working at Garrett AiResearch, Ed began building and remodeling homes as a side-job which allowed his creativity to flourish.
“I basically had two jobs,” he said. “I’d get up really early in the morning, like 4 a.m., check my remodeling jobs. Go to work, and at night I’d go back and check my construction jobs and make sure everything was going well.”
Ed was running tests on jet engines at AiReseach in 80's
Ed West preparing for TFE-731-5 engine test (now Honeywell Aerospace)
As Ed’s family grew, he and his wife, Beth, decided to concentrate solely on the newly incorporated West Construction. Beth ran the office freeing up Ed to be on site.
On weekends and after school, Ed would bring Scott along with him to job sites. Together they would work on projects where Scott could hone his building skills. His dad ingrained in him the value of being diligent and striving towards excellence at an early age.
“(My dad) has always been very meticulous and as a result I’ve always been very meticulous,” said Scott. “I think that’s one of the reasons our clients keep coming back. We’re not in this for awards or industry praise. We want to do the best job possible for the homeowner.”
Father Son Effort
Scott has always been naturally gifted mechanically,” said Ed. “He has an innate curiosity about how things work. He has good observational powers and a sometimes frustrating, for the subcontractors, attention to detail.”
But there's far more that goes into a construction business than technical skill. Scott’s parents taught him that a company could, and should, be run with integrity.
“From day one ethics were a top priority,” said Ed. “We try to treat people the way we want to be treated. We are transparent about everything. We don’t take ‘kickbacks’ or ‘referral fees’; never have and never will.”
“We want to be thorough and help our clients understand their projects and its true costs," said Scott. It does no one any good to bring a client a low bid just to get the job. We strive for accuracy and honesty in our bidding process.”
After graduating from Grand Canyon University with Honors in Business Administration, Scott held positions at several large corporations. He soon saw that not everyone worked as ethically as his dad did. Discouraged by his experiences, he started his own company buying distressed properties, fixing them up, and selling or renting them. He got his Real Estate License during this time and rediscovered his love for building Arizona homes.
A Fundamental Foundation
Scott, who took over ownership of the company in 2015, is currently overseeing projects in Paradise Valley, Arcadia and Scottsdale and continues to be a go-to contractor for quality custom work.
West Construction’s longevity has cultivated long-lasting working relationships. Scott has been contacted by original clients or new owners of previous projects that he worked on as a teenager with his dad. While the homes have held up extremely well, Scott has had fun updating them. Some of the subcontractors he uses today have been working for West Construction for over 30 years. Some are now being run by their children.
“It’s rewarding to see those businesses come full circle,” said Scott. “We have these good working relationships because we all grew up together and know what is expected.”
These days, Ed is often tinkering with cars in the garage, helping his community, or traveling with his wife of 41 years. He's still a part of the business. Occasionally, he will ride along with Scott to job sites. If there is something irregular or challenging, Scott seeks out his input.
For Scott, those early days of sweeping floors have paid off. He’s learned the value of hard work and attention to detail. Perhaps most importantly, he knows the significance of keeping the family’s values at the heart of the company.
West Construction may build homes, but what they are really known for is prioritizing people.
“Of course, we want people to remember the details and hard work we put into their home,” said Scott. “But more importantly we hope they remember that we always took care of them with honesty and integrity.”