Successfully Serving

Southwest

Florida

Michael J. Whalen

president

Michael was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his family moved to Naples in 1970 to get away from the cold, harsh winters. After being a 3 sport athlete at Lely High School, Mike received a scholarship to play baseball and pitch for Edison Community College and the University of West Florida. When an injury to his pitching arm pushed him out of baseball, he fell back on his love for construction. He worked in the field 1 year each for 3 local firms learning the 3 F’s of carpentry….Form-Frame-Finish.

Naples was starting its boom in 1988 and Mike started his own carpentry business at the age of 22.

During the rise of the construction industry in Southwest Florida, Mike also started his own concrete and masonry business. After knowing how to build all types of structures from the ground up, Mike received his Building Contractors license in 1993 and along the way came businesses in concrete pumping, site work, and manufacturing of precast concrete products. During the heyday of the construction boom in the early to mid-2000’s Mike employed upwards of 350 people for 7 different companies he owned.

When the bubble burst in 2006 and the great recession started; Mike regrouped, received his General Contractors license and consolidated his hard-earned work to form a single source construction firm now known as New Era Construction LLC , with a more direct and singular vision focusing on quality not quantity.

Mike lives in Naples and still resides at the same address he has had for since 1972. Besides work he loves to spend time with his wife Alison and his 4 kids….. Brooke, Daryl, Gianna, and Livia. Mike’s 23-year-old son Larry passed away unexpectedly in June 2013. He also likes to tinker in the garage to build outdoor wood furniture & loves golf, boating, hiking, biking, and more golf.

Go Dolphins, Heat and Rays!

Ken Fraley

Field General Superintendent

Ken was raised in the Keys, and Ken and Mike have worked with each other since 1990 when Naples was a simpler town. Ken is a frame carpenter by heart and is an expert in all structural components. Ken has 2 sons, Ricky and Christopher. He loves bowling, fishing, hunting and most anything outdoors.