Schrader and Company, Inc.: Proud to Be a Veteran-Owned Business

father-and-sonFather and son reflect on a legacy of service to their nation and community

Burnt Hills, NY – March 2013

Founded by veteran Peter Schrader and his wife Christy in 1973, Schrader and Company, Incorporated is pleased to announce new ownership, under the direction of President Ben Cangeleri and Vice-President Major Silas Schrader, a Marine reservist. Schrader and Company is proud of its distinction as a veteran-owned business.

Commitment to their country is a Schrader family legacy. Peter Schrader enlisted in the United States Navy Seabees in 1968, served in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969, at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico in 1970, and was honorably discharged July 1970.

As Peter and Christy built Schrader and Company, Inc. into an award-winning household name in the Capital Region over the years and subsequently raised their family, they had always hoped to be able to pass along the business to the next generation. More importantly, they wanted to encourage their three children to explore any career path of their choosing. With that crucial parental support and lack of pressure, Silas enrolled in Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  After research and reflection, Silas chose to join the Marines, wanting to experience the very best in leadership training, and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 2002.

Silas was deployed twice to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom, in 2004 and again in 2005 with 3d Battalion, 1st Marines. He was again deployed to Norway for Operation Cold Response with Fox Company, 2d Battalion, 25th Marines in 2010. Silas was promoted to Major in February of 2013.

Throughout their childhoods, the Schrader children were staples in the offices of their parents’ business. Eventually, daughter Erin and youngest son Nicholas made the decision to apply their college degrees to other fields. During his college years at RPI and breaks in deployments, Silas was perennially involved in the company’s operations and learned daily from his parents and the long-tenured employees who watched him grow up. For him, years of helping in tasks from cleaning to field carpentry to managing complex remodels culminated in a clear goal of one day stepping into a leadership role at Schrader and Company.

It is clear to both Peter and Silas that their military backgrounds have been extremely beneficial to their professional careers, helping them acquire skills and apply developed instincts time and again in building their business and facing the challenges of everyday life. Theirs is a hard-won perspective, and the harsh realities of armed service and their sacrifice make clear what is so often easy to ignore; Life is short. You must do what you love, and do it to the very best of your abilities. This passion has helped shape Schrader and Company into the rarified small business success it is today.

Peter shaped his company with the Seabees “Can Do” motto in mind. Silas cites two specific military creeds as being especially translatable to his work with Schrader and Company: “Semper Fidelis”, meaning “always faithful”, and “Ductus Exemplo”, meaning “leadership by example”. Legions of satisfied clients can attest to the importance of faithfulness and reliability to the employees of Schrader and Company. There is no higher priority than delivering the best in quality home improvement to the customer’s complete satisfaction. Silas plans to continue the proud Schrader tradition of earning clients for life. Multiple generations of Capital Region homeowners continually turn to them to beautify and protect their life’s greatest financial investment, and all of the people of Schrader and Company take that privilege and honor very seriously.

As Silas and Ben take to the helm of the company, they will have ample opportunity to lead their skilled employees by their own example, defined by the core values that have made Schrader and Company the standard bearer for remodeling excellence in the greater Capital Region for the past forty years—quality of craftsmanship, exceptional customer service, professionalism, and integrity.

As Peter Schrader reflects on the past four decades of relationships built, goals achieved, milestones met, and now stepping into the role of mentor, he is pleased as he looks confidently to the new leaders of the company, and with immense pride in his son.

About Schrader and Company

Schrader and Company continues to set the standard of craftsmanship and professional management by which other remodeling companies in the region are often judged. Their time-tested process for providing exceptional remodeling services is of proven value to their clients. They believe it offers the surest route to a successful and affordable remodeling project. Schrader and Company is a nationally recognized, award winning residential remodeling and cabinetmaking company that provides a full range of services including design/build additions, whole house renovations, kitchen and bath remodeling, home repairs and maintenance, and the fabrication and installation of locally crafted cabinetry and custom millwork.

Schrader and Company has received a number of accolades over their forty year history.  The company has been named by Qualified Remodeler Magazine as a national “Top 500” company for numerous years since the recognition first began in the 1980’s. The company was named as a Remodeling Magazine prestigious Big50 Company in 1989. Remodeling Magazine’s annual list of the nation’s Top 550 has included Schrader and Company each year since the List’s debut.