Popularis Construction’s growth over the past decade reflects a company shaped as much by mindset as by market demand. Founded in 2014 by Brady Bankston, the business began as a one-man operation and has since developed into an established general contractor firm serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island. While its project portfolio spans residential renovation and new construction, the company has also built its reputation through commercial tenant fit-out work, particularly in spaces such as restaurants, specialized fitness facilities, and breweries.
That focus has led Popularis to work on a range of distinctive properties, often supporting clients as they expand or reposition their businesses. From the outset, the company’s direction was tied closely to the owner, Brady Bankston’s own ambition to create a business aligned with his values. “I had come from another company that closed, and I took the opportunity to tackle my own vision and goals to bring something to the market. The purpose was to build a company that aligns with my personal vision and drive,” he explained.
Over the past 12 years, the company has grown steadily, expanding both its geographic reach and its internal team. For Bankston, however, the most significant milestone has not been scale alone, but the refinement of how the company operates. “We have executed about a dozen projects in Boston, and in addition to that, we financially have improved and streamlined our business, reducing waste and providing a better service to our clients,” he said. That emphasis on efficiency and service has become a defining characteristic of the business.
Popularis Construction’s project work reflects this approach. For Stormalong, a Massachusetts-based cidery serving the New England market, the company delivered a 24,000-square-foot fit-out to support the client’s relocation and production expansion. The project followed several years of planning, during which Popularis worked alongside the client and architect to evaluate potential locations before selecting a site in Millis, Massachusetts. “They had a location at an apple orchard and needed to expand their operations, so about five years ago, we started looking at new locations with them,” Bankston explained. “We looked at a couple of the locations with the architect, and they landed on a spot in Millis last year.” The completed facility enabled the client to triple its operational capacity, with potential plans to expand its client-facing offering in the future.
“The completed facility enabled the client to triple its operational capacity, with potential plans to expand its client-facing offering in the future.”
In Cambridge, Popularis contributed to the development of the Street Theory Art Gallery, a new space for the Street Theory Collective in Central Square. The project brought together multiple stakeholders, including city funding and local leadership, to create a facility designed to support community engagement. “That project had several different components, a lot of which were driven by Michael Monestime in Central Square. The city funded a piece of that project, which is an anchor for that district,” Bankston said. The resulting space is now used for events and programming, while also housing three leasable art studios that support classes and provide workspace for artists. “It’s driven by the community, and it’s definitely an asset for the community of Cambridge Central Square,” he added.
Behind these projects is a company structure built around collaboration. As Popularis has grown, Bankston has placed increasing emphasis on leadership and team alignment, both internally and across its network of partners. “When I started the company, I was driven by growth and realized fairly early on that in order to build what I needed, I needed to have extreme leadership driving the business forward,” he said. “That meant surrounding myself with a good team that shares the same vision – not just my internal staffing, but also the subcontractors that we work with, the designers, architects, engineers and then ultimately finding great clients who value what we deliver.”
That approach extends to the company’s technical standards. Bankston is a Certified Passive House Builder (CPHB), and the company integrates high-performance building principles into its projects wherever possible. “Understanding and executing high performance building standards is something that I’m passionate about and look to implement in all projects, whether they’re certified with a specific expectation in mind or even if they’re not officially certified, still building to those standards,” he said. This focus on performance aligns with the company’s broader aim of delivering long-term value rather than short-term solutions.
At the center of Popularis Construction’s culture is a philosophy Bankston established around eight years ago: “Building Forward.” The concept is both simple and continuous, shaping how the company approaches each project and each working day. “What that means to me and what I ingrain into the people that work for us, is that it’s not about where you are today, it’s about the ability to take a step forward tomorrow,” Bankston explained. “And so every day, every project we build, we try to improve on how we’re going to build it the next time.”
This mindset is embedded across the organization, influencing both individual performance and team dynamics. Employees are encouraged to identify challenges and bring forward solutions before escalating issues, creating a culture that prioritizes initiative and accountability. “It’s creating a culture and a mindset of, not only – how do we work together as a team, but how do I improve myself individually in order to better suit the team?” Bankston said. That culture extends to client relationships, where the company aims to build trust through consistent delivery. “The Building Forward philosophy is throughout the entire organization, extending out into our client relationship where they truly understand, feel and believe in the Building Forward message as the gold standard of what they want and how they want their project to be executed, because they can trust that we’re going to deliver what we say, when we say and for the price that we say we’re going to deliver it for.”
That trust has translated into repeat business, with clients returning to Popularis as they expand their operations or launch new locations. As the company continues to grow, maintaining that level of consistency remains a central focus.
Looking ahead, Popularis is preparing for another phase of expansion. Following last year’s revenue growth, the company expects this upward trajectory to continue. “Then the following year we’ll be starting to pare that down a little bit but based on our projects in the pipeline right now and projected projects, we are on track to meet our goals financially and with that growth,” Bankston said. At the same time, the company is working to ensure that growth does not come at the expense of efficiency. “We are also looking at how we can maintain an extreme level of ability to streamline, stay lean and not bloat the company.”
That balance between growth and control is tied closely to leadership across the organization. Ensuring that each employee is aligned with the company’s vision is seen as essential to maintaining performance while increasing capacity. Alongside this, Popularis is planning to introduce a small projects division, aimed at supporting clients beyond initial project completion. “Once we have a client, we want to maintain that relationship in all aspects of what they need,” Bankston explained. “Whether it’s small improvements, small expansions or just maintenance, we have identified that as a need, which will allow us to go full circle with all of our clients and provide a white-glove service.”
As Popularis Construction continues to expand, its direction remains grounded in the principles that defined its early years. Through a focus on leadership, performance, and continuous improvement, the company is building a model that connects growth with consistency, ensuring that each project contributes to the next step forward.
