We’re South Mountain—an architecture, construction, and solar company located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard
Learn what drives us
Every company has a story. Ours is fueled by big questions, long days, and a strong belief that work can be both meaningful and joyful. These are the moments that shaped us, as told by our founder, John Abrams:
Swipe to exploreMitchel Posin and I started South Mountain as a cabinetmaking and woodworking shop in New City, New York. We didn't look beyond the nearest street sign for a name.
My folks asked us to design and build a house for them on Martha's Vineyard. Inexperienced and possessed of the most rudimentary of skills, we packed our 1951 International flatbed with tools and supplies, booked a one-way ferry ticket, and got to work. We planned to stay for six months. A year later, we were still at it.
As we wrapped up that first project, a second and third landed in our laps. We stayed and grew the team. Like many in our generation, we were inventing a new way to live and work as an antidote to the broken politics and rampant consumerism we saw around us. From the start, our calling cards were commitment to craft, camaraderie, and environmental care.
We began to experiment with renewable energy. Back then, it was mostly the realm of backyard tinkerers and science geeks making passive solar houses, solar hot water, and jury-rigged wind turbines. From that early enthusiasm, our solar division would later be born.
My friend Lee Halprin, touring our work, remarked, "The work is beautiful – but are you making any money?" I chuckled and said no. Lee: "Well, Abrams, you have a unique idea: subsidized housing for the rich." That zinger inspired me to learn about business: what it is, how to do it, how to make it a force for good. And how to make affordable housing for those who actually need it!
We designed and built two subsidized homes for single women who never expected to be able to build. The houses had all the care and quality of our high-end homes but were smaller, simpler, and differently financed (by the Farmers' Home Administration). This project launched our permanent commitment to affordable housing.
Our shop at the Allen Farm burned to the ground. We rebuilt on my family property up the hill.
After Mitchell left to pursue farming, Steve Sinnett and Pete Ives told me they wanted spend their careers at SMCo but needed more than just an hourly wage. A year later, I signed South Mountain over to a worker cooperative corporation. At the time, there were about a dozen in the U.S. That pivot in our history proved to be more meaningful and valuable than we ever could have imagined.
We started having qualms about using old-growth virgin wood. So we went all in on reclaimed, scouring the country for great material. Beams from WWII airplane factories. Staves from pickle, fruit, and beer tanks. Siding from turn-of-the-century barns. Looking back, it was the first clear expression of what would become our impact framework. At the time, it just felt right.
After years of dipping our toes into community work—like the Edgartown School greenhouse—we took the plunge and collaborated with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head on their first tribal building in 300 years. Community work was becoming deeply ingrained into our practice. It still is.
When we outgrew the Chilmark property, we bought fifty acres in West Tisbury and created a new South Mountain headquarters and Island Cohousing—an innovative 16-house neighborhood. We had become developers.
I took two six-month sabbaticals to write The Company We Keep and jumpstart true collaborative management at SMCo. My absence inspired new leaders to step forward.
The Crash. We teetered, and nearly foundered, but we put our combined shoulders to the wheel and came out stronger than ever.
We formally adopted what we called "the Avalanche Scenario"—what happens tomorrow if I'm swept away in an avalanche today. I was one of a dozen employees, collectively holding hundreds of years of experience, all likely to retire within the next ten years. Over the next few years, we hired, trained, and built capacity. One by one, the old guard stepped aside to make room for the new.
I retired. The transition was seamless. After the celebrations, it felt almost like I slipped out in the night and our leadership team of six became five, led by first-among-equals new CEO Deirdre Bohan.
A half-century in, we have a plenty to celebrate—meaningful work, a beautiful place to do it, and rich, reciprocal relationships with clients, trade partners, and our community. A lot can grow from humble beginnings. Onward to the next fifty!
Although our business is based on a small island off the coast of Cape Cod, our goal is to create positive impact far beyond it. We measure success using a triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. The questions below shape the decisions we make, determine the projects we take on, and define how we show up for our clients, our community, and one another.
How can we make MV the best place to live? How can we make South Mountain the best place to work?
How can we leave our project sites, island, and planet in the best shape for future generations?
How can our knowledge, expertise, and experience help others thrive? How can we share our prosperity?
Our staff includes architects, interior designers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, solar experts and administrators—all under one roof.
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Since qualifying in 2008, we've consistently ranked in the top five B Corps out of 10,000 companies across 120 countries. We’re proud to help lead a global movement toward a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. As the bar keeps rising, it pushes us to keep learning, improving, and doing better.
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