COVER STORY
The Brightmans: Ed Jr., Patti, and Ed Sr.
A FA M I LY B U S I N E S S As a fifth-generation family business, Brightman Lumber Company has grown in size and reputation.
B
ut over the years some things remain the same: their reliance on a quality product and a timehonored approach to their customers. If you enjoy doing business by shaking a familiar hand and looking in a familiar eye, you’ll find that Brightman Lumber is a modern-day company with old-fashioned values. “My grandfather, who owned this business, used to say that ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,’” says Edward Brightman Jr., who manages Brightman Lumber with his father, Edward Brightman Sr., and Patti Brightman. “This isn’t really a job, it’s more of a way of life.”
14
And that way of life has benefits for the growing clientele of this Assonet-based company, whether they are supplying a simple two-by-four to a homeowner or contributing lumber to extensive projects by large contractors or government agencies. But regardless of the size of the job, the attitude and work ethic are the same. It’s an approach that has been as important to this family as the effort they invest in their products and services. “The customers who come here tend to want a smaller and more personal experience,” says Patti Brightman, who handles much of the company’s financial and organizational business. “They
January 2022 | The South Coast Insider
By Sean McCarthy
want to know who they’re talking to when they’re placing an order or if they have any questions or concerns. They like dealing with the same family that harvests and produces their product, we’re with them every step of the way. It’s a different experience than a box store.” “I like dealing with this family-oriented business much more than the bigger companies. You’re treated with more hospitality,” says Mike Dunn of Somerset, who began manufacturing custom Cornhole boards a year ago. “If I need something, they go out of their way to get it to me. I’m treated like family and I appreciate that.” “I like helping out local businesses,” says Kevin DaPonte of K DaPonte Construction Corp. in Fall River, who has been supplied by Brightman Lumber since 1999 for form wood in the construction of cement sidewalks throughout New England. “They’re reliable and dependable, and if we’ve ever needed a special order they’re very efficient in providing it. I’ve never had a problem with an order.”
