MEMBER FOCUS
West Chester area firm does residential and commercial work
Design, build or maintain – Hazley Builders handles it By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer
Photo credit: Tessa Marie Images
Pictured from left, siblings Patrick Hazley, Erinn Hazley, Michael Hazley, Christopher Hazley and Matthew Hazley. All work for the family business, Hazley Builders. Brother Kevin Hazley, not pictured, is the latest sibling to join the firm. 14
Michael Hazley remembers growing up in a house of seven kids as “a blast.” Unsurprisingly, the family’s East Bradford home was a whirlwind of activity. “There was always someone that had friends over and we were always being pulled in different directions -- in a good way,” said the president of Hazley Builders. “Whether it be soccer tournaments, practices, games or some activity.” But he too remembers his dad – also named Michael – working hard as a contractor. The resulting Hazley Builders, which has its roots in Chester County since the 1970s, has grown into a design-and-build firm that can take its customers on a full project journey, from conception to completion. With its complement of architects, designers, carpenters and other professionals, a Hazley Builders’ customer can be assured that they have a dedicated team working to complete the job. Hazley said the diversification came about after realizing there was a better way. He said about eight years ago the firm realized a more traditional approach wasn’t working. “So, it kind of got us thinking a little bit outside the box,” he said. “We were primarily an architect-driven firm before, where we would get most of our work through outside architects and go through the bidding process, but there was a disconnect there,” Hazley said “The clients would hire an architect, the architect would design something and come to us and then we would give them budgets and then the budgets wouldn’t be what the client originally wanted to spend. There was a lot of wasted time and resources on our end, but also the client’s end. We determined that we can take some of that onus off of them and say, hey, start with us. We’ll bring the design in-house and own the process from the earliest state, then we’ll be more responsible for designing something that is to their budget.”
——Spring/Summer 2024 • Volume 12——
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