I moved to Columbia County permanently two years ago, and I needed a good contractor more than ever. I was referred to Brandon Santos of Santos Solutions. Any projects in or around the house, this is the man! I’ve recommended him to friends and businesses. Brandon shows up, gets it done, and has care and consideration for your home and pocket. He is a shy person who doesn’t go for the spotlight, but I managed to twist his arm for a brief conversation on the boom in construction work in Hudson, the challenges or restrictions since March,  andthe future for Santos Solutions.

JC: Brandon, thank you for kindly and reluctantly speaking with me briefly. Can you share a little about your history, and how you got into the business of owning your own contractor business?

BS: I was raised in Hudson and went to Hudson schools. My family are all from the Hudson area. I was helping my uncle after school out when I was 12 or 13 — he did construction, and it was the work and the opportunity to earn a good income. Back in the early 90s and being young, I was earning more than what many adults were making in a full-time job. I started to like the idea of building things, looking back at projects and saying, I did that.

JC:  I know your world of construction has been “under construction” since COVID-19 started. How has business been for you? What have been the highs and lows?

BS: Business has been slower than I would like, but right now, it’s slowly picking back up. There were [U.S.] Marshalls at the beginning of COVID who would stop people from working if you had more than two employees. You would have to stop operation, but that was only for a period of time, and then things slowly started to get back to some normalcy. The low for me is not always having the work to help support my family and myself, and the highs would be having some time off.

JC: I know firsthand that some of the places like Lowe’s and Home Depot have had inventory challenges more than ever. How has that affected your business and timelines?

BS: There are delays on any kind of schedule that you have with finishing jobs. Prices for lumber and materials have increased, and their trucks are sometimes delayed, which could put you out weeks at a time. I also know from the news, on the borders from places like Canada, at one point, even Mexico, there were materials that weren't coming into the country, which really made jobs more difficult, especially if you’re on a deadline.

JC: Can you talk about being a man of color, and the reality of owning your own business in Hudson?

BS: It’s a lot harder — people aren’t always willing to give you chances. The market is pretty much who you know, not what you know, so most people want to hire a familiar face, and since we live in a place where a lot of Black people do not own a business or their own home, it is harder to find people that will either give you an opportunity, or that resemble you. Many of the jobs are not high-paying jobs, they’re either jobs that other contractors won’t do, or work with very low pay. I would like to see Black and minority-owned businesses getting grants for city jobs where currently they outsource them to relatives, and to their friends, and sometimes they could engage the community and workers of color in the same field. For Blacks and minorities to even see a path to buy some of the houses in the Hudson area, it’s sometimes difficult to be a part of the auctions process due to our finances. Although there are programs like Habitat for Humanity and First Home Buyers, it is selective. There are a few people of color that have qualified, but we could do with more.

JC: I know that you have clients from New York City to all over Upstate New York. How do you manage to have such a broad scope of business?

BS: I believe that if you do a good job, people will recommend you to friends and business colleagues and slowly it will help you to grow your business. I would say, 95 percent of my business truly has been word of mouth. I do have Instagram and email, but honestly, word of mouth has been my best promotion, and my work ethic is my reputation

JC: Can you talk about some of the work that you provide for customers?

BS: Some of things I do include tiling, painting, full remodeling of kitchens and bathrooms, interior and exterior painting, installation of flooring, tile, wood, or vinyl, installation of windows and doors, restoring floors, kitchen cabinets, barn doors, trims for your windows, doors, floors. I also have a team of plumbers, electricians, architects, and designers that work with me on projects.

JC: What are the plans for Santos Solutions in 2021?

BS: I would like to use this business to branch out and hopefully start and fund another prosperous business. I want to do an adventure program, almost like to give me an opportunity to service the community and give back. What inspired me was Ken Hollenbeck. He ran an outdoor adventure program that took kids out of their community into the wilderness, and gave them a new experience. It taught them patience and persistence, and gave them memories of whitewater rafting, canoeing and zip lining that these kids would remember forever. Sadly, last year, Ken passed away, and right now, there is no program for these kids. I would like to take up the torch and see what I can do to carry this on.

JC: If you have one thing to be grateful for this year, what would that be?

BS: I would say I’m grateful for my close friends, because they have supported me and my business, and for just being there. They’ve been helping me get clients and organize my business, which has been good for me, and it’s keeping me going.

JC: What is your contact information if anyone wants to get in touch with you for work they need done?

BS: (518) 965-0198 or email: branfixes@gmail.com, I’m also on Instagram.

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Written by
John Campbell