Meet the Builder: Brad Leavitt - "Chase Experience, Not Money!"

Everyone has their story. As the life of an entrepreneur never takes the exact path you may have planned...

I will give some personal background into my life and how AFT Construction came to be.

The Story Behind Brad Leavitt.

My Grandfather started a residential and commercial electrical company in San Diego after he retired from the Navy.

He had 6 boys and they were all electricians.

Each one varied from their electrical career working on industrial projects, high-end residential, the boat shipping yards and heavy commercial.

I always wanted to do high-end custom homes and commercial.

And I worked as an electrician through high school and college as I studied Construction Management.

In 2011, I had taken the GMAT and was preparing for graduate school to get a MBA in Finance.

I had 3 daughters at the time and my ex-wife wanted to move back to California to start a new life.

This left me in quite a predicament as a single father of 3 girls.

It was just 2 weeks before the start of school and I had to make the decision to forego graduate school and find a new option.

I had trained my replacement at my previous construction company.

Times were so slow due to the recession. And it hit Phoenix hard.

I decided to get my contractor’s license and form A Finer Touch Construction (AFT). And as they say, the rest is history.

What are you looking forward to most in the industry?

Looking forward, I am super excited about the youth and caliber of talent coming in to the industry.

"I have seen a big push of young people fired up about joining the trades.And social media has been instrumental in this."

I also love to see the industry progress to more passive homes and better construction methods.

What's your mantra?

Yes, my mantra is “Chase experience, not money!”

Check out the video below of an ICF project by AFT Construction.

Where can people connect with you?

Brad Leavitt // President of AFT Construction

Instagram @aft_construction

YouTube AFT Construction

Podcast AFT Construction Podcast