Our Company and Business Philosophy
Barnraisers was created to provide a collaborative and comfortable place to create develop and build solutions for clients with complex needs for their living and work environments.
Our Human Resources
In order to keep our overhead costs down, we use a network of individuals and companies as a resource pool to draw on for each project. Depending on your needs we provide the option to bring in the right combination of resources to create your solution. This way you only pay for what you need and choose to use. Please see Useful Resources for a partial listing of these folks and their companies.
Rick Gilles, LEED AP
President, Barnraisers, Inc.
Over two decades Rick has collaborated with clients to create client centric living and work spaces. Over the past decade he has incorporated sustainable and green building techniques and a life cycle approach to design. In his work he tries to apply the principles of design espoused by the USGBC Leed Program as well as those of Passive House.
Getting the Entrepreneurial bug early in life, Rick began his first business in his early 20’s. Since then, he has served as president and CEO of several small cap businesses, and as a consultant providing CFO services and turn-around services; launching new ventures, and developing dynamic financial cash flow forecasting models for companies ranging in size from $1 million to $ 110 million.
Rick believes it is important to participate in public service. He has been volunteering in town government for several years as a member and then Chair of several committees including: Finance, Capital Planning, & Community Preservation. He ran for office in 2008 and is now a Selectman for the Town of Ayer, Ma.
Currently Rick is also the pro bono Director of the Sustainable Development Work Group, a member of USGBC, EcoStar, the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association, The Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Devens Joint Board of Selectmen, and the Devens Green Housing Steering Committee.
For More on Rick Please visit his Linked In page
Publications, Invited Presentations, and Recognitions
Town of Ayer Community Preservation Plan, 2009 (Facilitated as Chair of CPA)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Venture Forum Panelist - reviewing new company Artaic, 2008.
Devens Green Housing Development Regulations Recommendations, DGH Steering Committee, 2008
Sustainable Development Workgroup White Paper–proposing Net Zero Energy homes demonstration project on Devens, SDW, 2006
“Creating Thoughtful Homes and Communities” An SDW presentation to the State of Massachusetts on net zero energy homes, 2006
“Eyebrow Dormers”, presentation to Chief Architect Software users Group meeting, 2006
“Modular Homes: Debunking the ‘Trailer Home’ Myth”, Homework’s Sourcebook, 2003
