Joe wasn’t raised in a barn, but he sure knows how to build them.


Brad is long gone, but Brad’s Barns in Kingston lives on.

“I was looking for a way to get into the business,” says Joe Charmello. “Purely on a whim, I called up Brad and told him I might be a buyer for his business. We didn’t even know each other. Well, it turns out Brad was looking to retire. Six months later, I was moving my stuff in, and he was moving his stuff out.”


Today, Joe sells only high-end, Amish-built sheds, gazebos and garages. “I refuse to cut corners,” he says. “Absolutely no one is building the types of structures we’re building. You never have to apologize for quality.”

Quality also was top of mind when Joe chose Ulster Savings Bank to finance the deal with Brad. “They do everything for me—business checking, loans, all my insurances—which is important, because I don’t have the time. I need to focus on running my business.

“They look out for me. I never, ever worry that I couldn’t walk in and talk to them about anything. They’re like a silent partner.”

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