Our Founders
Alexander Lane
Co-founder:
Alex, from Alexandria, Va., left big-city journalism to relocate to the Valley 15 years ago. A graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, he reported for the Newark Star-Ledger, Politifact, in Washington, D.C., and other publications.
After moving to Northampton, Alex immersed himself in woodworking and remodeling, first on his own home, then at those of family and friends, and eventually as the sole proprietor of Mill River Handiwork, a handyman business.
“What pleases me most is making a house more functional for its inhabitants,” Alex says. “A successful project is one that people feel and appreciate every day.”
He can often be seen at his red barn overlooking the Mill River on Riverside Drive, which he bought in a decrepit state in 2016 and has restored gradually, mostly with salvaged materials. It was there that Alex met Murray, who had just moved in across the street, and the seeds of Sage Built Construction were sown.
Murray Emerson
Co-founder:
Murray has worked in construction for 25 years. A native of Woodstock, Vt., and the son of a contractor, he graduated from the College of Wooster, Ohio, before moving to Nantucket.
“I got off the ferry and followed the sound of hammers,” he said. For the next ten years he built multi-million dollar homes on the island. Then he relocated to North Lake Tahoe, doing more of the same in the mountain resort town.
After a stint as a wilderness therapy guide in Utah, Murray was hired to oversee construction of a luxury yoga retreat in Bali, Indonesia. Finally, he came home to New England, worked as a carpenter for various Valley builders, then co-founded Sage Built.
“I got tired of tearing down perfectly decent homes and putting up perfectly indecent ones,” Murray said. “I moved to Northampton so I could work for people who see their houses as a home rather than just an investment.”
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