By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | For the fifth year in a row, a firm started in Dacula when Thomas Boyce turned 16 years old has been named the Contractor of the Year for Atlanta by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Boyce Design and Contracting of Dacula focuses on high end residential remodeling projects in the Northern Atlanta area.
The firm is owned by brothers Thomas 30, and John Boyce, 28, sons of Carole and Peter Boyce of Dacula. Carole is a member of the Gwinnett School Board, while her husband is an attorney.
Thomas Boyce had just turned 16 in 1999 when he started mowing lawns and caring for the landscaping in order to make a little extra money. His brother, John, helped him in this work. Later when Thomas left the area to attend the University of Louisville, John kept the part-time business going. Thomas played football at Louisville, a tight end, but eventually transferred to the University of Georgia and graduated in business management.
Thomas Boyce
They both continued the business while they were in college. Thomas began full time after graduation, and John joined him as a partner in 2008 after graduating from UGA, majoring in real estate.
Boyce Design and Contracting didn’t become the trusted design and build firm they are today instantly. The Boyces worked strategically to develop their craft and refine the collaborative designing, planning and building process. Early on they worked with UGA’s landscape architecture program, and hired people out of that school to be designers for them.
Their work has found acclaim in the area. One customer wrote: “They transformed our backyard into an oasis! They started by helping us envision how to use the space. In the end, they constructed a spa, pool, patio, fire pit, fence, landscaping and screened cedar porch.” The firm specializes in outdoor features, based on each client’s outdoor canvas and lifestyle preferences.
Thomas Boyce explains how the firm works this way: “We seek to build on relationships and trust, to make sure the client understands the process, and then we work hand-in-hand with the owners, always seeking high quality.”
John Boyce
The Boyce firm now has 12 full time employees, and 30 hourly employees. The firm acts as a general contractor, hiring out sub-contractors for specific projects.
Both the owners are now married. Thomas has been married to the former Mary Williams of Snellville for four years now, his high school sweetheart. John’s wife is the former Jaclyn Price of the Hamilton Mill area. They are expecting their first child this summer. The brothers live adjacent to one another in Dacula.
In addition to the recognition from NARI this year, Boyce Design has also been awarded the “Best of Houzz” 2015 award for customer service and for design. The firm is a national platform for home remodeling and design, bringing homeowners and home professionals together in a uniquely visual community.
Boyce Design is also members of the 2015 “Bulldog 100” Club.
This recognition is not too bad for boys just seeking to put some spare change in their pockets back when they were high schoolers in Gwinnett. Our congratulations!
Bidding for last Gwinnett history book continues with new wrinkle
Bidding continues if you are interested in buying the 850-page Gwinnett history book, Gwinnett: A Little Above Atlanta. Only four books remain from the second printing; there will be no additional printing of this award-winning book. However, if your bid for the book is successful, you automatically win four
“anytime” field level seats to see the Gwinnett Braves this summer.
Anyone wanting this copy should send in email bids. The minimum bid is now $50, and increases must go up by $5 a bid. The bidding for this copy of the book ends at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26. Part of the proceeds benefit the Salvation Army. Those bidding will be kept alert to the developing bids by email.
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