In the early 1980s when Staten Island was still dotted with large tracts of vacant land, brothers Joseph, 52, and John Noce, 59, had a vision for the outer borough. With college degrees in business, the Noce brothers left behind jobs in a three generation family owned funeral home business started by their father, the late Joseph John Noce Sr. They set off to fulfill their shared dream of creating new home communities on Staten Island where families could enjoy all the benefits of living in New York City, as well as a quality of life often found in suburbia.
Without a background in construction, the two Staten Islanders took a risk: they formed Noce Construction Corp., and never looked back. "I always had a desire to get involved in construction. I wanted to develop [communities], and see them grow," says Joseph, president of Noce Construction.
Today, the brothers are among the most successful builders in the borough, and are known for unique custom home construction and-more recently-modern shopping center design.
The Noces started their company from scratch, and faced many challenges in the early stages of their careers. "The hardest part was trying to learn the business. Because we were young, many people in the industry didn't take us seriously," recalls Joseph. "Many of the old-timers in the business back then were guys who were trained in [different aspects of the] construction industry, such as the concrete business. They were hardworking tradesmen whom developed this island into what it is today. I was fresh out of St. John's University, and had never even picked up a hammer before."
At the time, the Noces relied on mentors to show them the proverbial ropes of the construction business. "We had a master builder with us when we first started who 'broke us in,' and directed us," recalls John, who serves as the company's vice president.
Twenty-five years and more than 400 homes later, Noce Construction Corp. continues to thrive in the residential real estate market, where home prices have declined and houses are sitting on the market for longer periods of time. "We are hands-on in this business," says Joseph. "We deal with our buyers one-on-one, and we build houses that cater to their needs and specifications. The buyers are dealing with me directly throughout the whole course of construction; that's rare today."
One of the reasons for their success as a family-owned and operated business is the camaraderie these two brothers share. "The close partnership my brother and I share is our key to success," admits John. "We are close in a business sense as well as on a personal level. We meet daily, and converse about what's forthcoming." His brother, Joseph, agreed. "We work well together," he says. "To be in this business this long together is rare."
The Early Years
Back in the 1980s, the Noce brothers began work on the hot development trend of the time: townhouse and semi-attached home developments. "When we first started, building, townhouses and semi-attached homes were 'it,'" recalls Joseph. "Back-to-back, 14-foot-wide houses were in demand. But with the help of the City Planning Department, the zoning has changed to stop the over-development of Staten Island. The laws may have come 10 or 15 years too late, but we're now trying to catch up."
Quickly foreseeing the pending "overdevelopment" in the borough, the Noces branched out into the custom home market about five years after they launched the business. In this realm they could create larger homes with many upscale amenities. The brothers thrived on providing consumers with fine home craftsmanship and quality. Notable developments constructed by Noce Construction include six multi-million dollar custom homes on Four Corners Road in the prestigious Todt Hill section of the borough. In addition, Noce Construction is well-known for its development of custom homes in The Enclave at Howard Circle on Grymes Hill. "The Enclave was the start of high-end luxury homes for us," says John. "There has been a consistent demand for luxury custom homes on Staten Island. If the price is right, and the home has the right amenities, this market will always be strong, and usually goes at a moderate pace. Many Wall Street people don't want to go to New Jersey or Westchester, and look at Staten Island as a place that's close to Manhattan and the financial districts."
Old Meets New at Black Horse Court
Classic, timeless construction of new luxury homes is the Noce brothers' newest conquest, most recently manifest in Black Horse Court in the Richmond Town section of the borough. Just around the bend from Historic Richmond Town will stand nine unique homes on a private cul-de-sac. The stone/stucco facades of these four-bedroom, 4 ½-bathroom Colonial homes-each situated on 6,000- to 9,000-square-foot lots-will convey a "traditional, old world appearance" that fits in with the character of this timeless community, says Joseph. Other custom touches to these homes (which start at $1.4 million) include wrought iron and steel doors, custom moldings, Viking kitchen appliances, hot water heat, fully-tiled bathrooms and coffered ceilings.
"Richmond Town is old and historic, and these homes will be a good fit," explains Joseph, noting the one-of-a-kind home designs created by the Staten Island-based Rampulla Associates Architects. "Something very contemporary doesn't belong there."
While some developers would be hesitant to construct custom homes in the current real estate climate, the Noce's reputation for top-notch construction contributes to their confidence about sales. "I see that the sale of semi-attached homes and townhouses has slowed down," admits Joseph. "But there's still a strong demand for custom, high-end homes." In fact, the demand for new luxury homes continues to grow on Staten Island, despite the nation's economic woes. "Even in this market the demand for these homes in this price range is there for those people who are downsizing, as well as those who are upgrading," explains John. "With great interest rates, it's a good time to buy. Plus, Richmond Town is a very appealing area, with a good school district and a rural-type environment." Due to new zoning laws, Black Horse Court will feature wider streets, and each house will have large front and rear yards, said Joseph. "There will be a lot more space to enjoy for the new homeowners," he says.
A Commercial Future
As the population grows on Staten Island, the need for retail centers which cater to existing residents and newcomers to the Island grows as well. For this reason, the Noces plan to dedicate much of their efforts in the future to commercial construction projects. "We try to be on the cutting edge of commercial development," says John. "We use the newest product lines, and work closely with our architects." Having constructed such successful shopping centers as Tottenville Commons-anchored by a CVS, McDonald's and Top Tomato supermarket-the Noces have several other commercial projects in the works.
"As residential development gets harder to come by, we're leaning toward more commercial centers in the future," admits Joseph. "There is a need for quality commercial centers, especially in areas that never caught up to quality development. On the North Shore you have some extremely old shopping centers that have never been modernized." He noted Noce Construction is planning to develop a Richmond Valley shopping center-Richmond Valley Plaza-that will be anchored by Dunkin' Donuts, a Commerce Bank branch and Stop & Shop Supermarket. "Another small shopping center featuring a 7-Eleven will be built by Noce Construction Corp. at Victory Boulevard and Clove Road in Sunnyside," says John.
Another reason the Noce brothers have been so successful in the industry is that they continue to stay in touch with the community. "We both live here. Not many builders live where they work. Our kids have gone to school here. I live 10 minutes from my office," says Joseph. In fact, living and working in the same community often is a recipe for success. "Usually, the buyer is dealing with a foreman or manager. You'll always hear, 'I can't find the builder,' from buyers, and that's not the case with us. We are always a phone call away. We have a lot of contact with buyers, from beginning to end. In many cases, after I build a person's house, we become friends; more to the point, I actually have built homes for many of my friends and our friendship has remained," says Joseph. In fact, much of the Noce's business can be attributed to referrals. "Many of our buyers are repeat customers," maintains Joseph. "Most of my homes are sold on recommendation. If I sell 10 homes, nine of the buyers came to me because they were recommended by someone who purchased a home from us in the past. I have a lot of situations where I built someone's house 10 years ago, and now I'm building one for his or her son."
Not surprisingly, both Noces couldn't imagine ever doing anything else. "Twenty-five years later, I wake up in the morning and still can't wait to get to work. I tell my kids that if they learn anything from me, it's that anything you do with passion, you'll do well. It's not all about money; you need to love what you do."
