©2022 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Paul Post
Munter Enterprises Inc. has not only survived, but thrives in the area’s highly competitive construction industry by paying close attention to detail and staying fully engaged with customers
“The personal touch, I think, is what really sets us apart,” said John Munter Jr., who co-owns the firm with his brother, Mike. “And we have very talented crews for all the different aspects of a project.”
The Middle Grove-based firm, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, was founded in 1972 by John Munter Sr. and his wife, Rosemary. Their sons incorporated the firm purchased it in 1998.
“Dad started with GE at their Malta rocket engine development and test site then moved to their ICBM facility in Burlington, Vt., and back to the nuclear sub and large generator facilities in Schenectady,” John Jr. said. “That’s about when he decided to go into the construction business for himself. Mom was the bookkeeper. They started out doing a lot of work for industry and some homebuilding, all over the region from Lake George to Saratoga County.”
Now, with 40 employees, the family-owned business is strictly focused on commercial and industrial projects.
John Jr. said. “We recently completed the Impact Athletic Center in Halfmoon and right now we’re working on a new Druthers restaurant in Clifton Park and we’re also working on a new NAPA Auto Parts store and distribution hub warehouse in Milton as well as a day care center for Skidmore College.”
A few other notable projects the company has built are Galway Fire Co.’s 12,000-square-foot station, SKS Bottle & Packaging company’s 140,000-square-foot distribution and commerce hub, Greenfield Manufacturing’s contract chemical manufacturing facility, Agrochem’s Chemical hygiene solutions production facility and major expansions for Saratoga Eagle all located in the WJ Grande Industrial Park in Saratoga Springs.
Several years ago, the Munters purchased a 27-acre former golf driving range near Northway Exit 17 in Moreau. Plans call for extending municipal sewage service to that area, which is expected to spur considerable development.
“We’re waiting for the right fit,” Mike said. “We see a lot of potential there at Exit 17 and that corridor.”
While fast-growing Saratoga County generates most of the firm’s work, Munter Enterprises goes well beyond these borders.
They recently completed the remodeling of a former TD Bank building, at 350 Canada St. in the village of Lake George, to a new branch office for Saratoga Springs-based Adirondack Trust Co.
The project won the praise of village officials who were concerned the beautiful Georgian Revival structure, similar in style to Lake George High School and the village library, might be razed after TD Bank left.
New Jersey-based TD Bank closed 81 branch buildings last year, citing a widespread shift to digital and online banking.
The building’s convenient location is a plus for downtown Lake George merchants.
Munter Enterprises also built new branch offices for Adirondack Trust near Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury, and at the corner of Northern Pines Road and Route 9 in Wilton.
John Jr. said the company does considerable work in Rensselaer and Albany counties as well such as last year’s construction of a Curtis Lumber store in Schodack and a three-story climate controlled storage facility for Mabey’s in East Greenbush.
Looking ahead, he remains optimistic about his firm’s business outlook despite recent economic trends because commercial and industrial projects aren’t subject to the same volatility as housing.
“A lot of the industry that we work with doesn’t seem to be affected by what people are calling a downturn,” he said. “We aren’t quite as nervous as the residential sector, which has a more immediate reaction to interest rates. We have a lot of things coming up that are still very strong.”
Munter Enterprises keeps projects moving forward despite an industry-wide labor shortage problem.
“It’s a blanket issue for everyone,” John Jr. said. “All of our subcontractors and suppliers, everyone throughout the industry, is struggling to find enough labor. We’re kind of in the same boat as everyone. We could use more people if they were available. But everyone’s making do with what they have. Things are just taking a little longer than normal.”
While working closely together, the brothers have separate and distinct duties. John Jr. oversees the operations side of things, while Mike handles more of the firm’s business development.
“My brother and I are both educated in civil engineering and grew up in the field doing physical work,” John Jr. said. “Those two things complemented each other well. I would gauge most of our success around the fact that we’ve stayed small enough as a company so we’re very involved at every level, from production to staying very engaged with our customers and employees.”
John Jr. joined his parents’ business in 1996 after graduating from Manhattan College and working for another local contractor as an estimator and project manager.
Mike earned his degree at Clarkson and worked as a field engineer for local Saratoga firm, the LA Group, for a while before gettting a job with Air Products and Chemicals out of Allentown, Pa., as a construction manager. “I was involved in construction, right after college, which took me all over the world,” Mike said. “I had an interest in returning to the area. After going all over the place, I realized how cool Saratoga was. It was nice to come back to something and be part of building a future here.”
The brothers incorporated the business in 1998.
Customers are offered a full range of construction services beginning with land acquisition and design, through planning and general contracting. The firm provides guidance through all stages of construction, including local permitting and the development of plans and specifications, it says.
John Jr., 53, and Mike, 50, both have children who are nearing high school graduation or in their early college years. While nothing is definite, it’s possible this next generation of Munter family members will eventually lead the company, which their grandparents started a half-century ago.
Eighty-four-year-old John Munter Sr. said he discouraged his sons from joining him right away.
“I thought going out into the world for both of them was a great experience,” he said. “But at the same token I was happy to see them gravitate back in, get together and take over the business. They’ve done an excellent job and have probably even improved upon some things by seeing what I did right and what could be done better.”
Mike’s sons, Tyler and Jake, have worked for Munter during summer vacations and John’s son, Gabe, spent a full year with the firm while taking a hiatus from college during the COVID-19 pandemic. John’s daughter, Anneliese, just graduated from high school.
“I’ve liked them to get a taste of this business,” John Sr. said. “But I also encourage grandchildren not to be centered on what their grandfather or father are doing, but to make sure they go into the world choosing something that’s going to be really important to them. It’s very important to choose a career that you’re satisfied with. That’s what makes all of us successful.”
He’s still involved with the company, helping out with various volunteer projects such as rejuvenating the former Boyhaven scout camp in Milton, which is now a children’s camp.
“I’m probably the type that’s not going to get uninvolved until they carry me out the door, feet first,” John Sr. joked. “I just want the boys to point me in various directions where they see I can still be of some value.”
The Munters are proud to be part of the positive growth in the area and look forward to serving their customers and community for the next 50 years and generations to come.