COURTESY / KNICKERBOCKER GROUP
Danielle Betts, president of Knickerbocker Group.
September 21, 2021
Boothbay design-build firm promotes Danielle Betts to president
Knickerbocker Group, a Boothbay-based designer and builder of high-end homes and commercial spaces, said Tuesday it has a new president.
The firm, which is employee owned, promoted Danielle Betts to president. She is a 14-year veteran of the firm.
She takes over one role held by founder Stephen Malcom, who will continue as CEO. He founded Knickerbocker in 1978.
“Over her time here, Danielle has celebrated people and their individual and collective passions to create a culture of inclusiveness and integrity that is so evident in our work,” Malcom said. “Most important, she has proven herself to be a strong, creative and principle-driven leader with savvy business acumen who has helped build Knickerbocker Group into the successful, respected firm it is today.”
Knickerbocker, with 85 employees, is now among Maine’s largest woman-led design-build firms, along with Augusta-based Ganneston Construction, led by Stacey Morrison, and Auburn-based H.E. Callahan Construction, led by Christine Kendall. On the design side, Portland-based SMRT is Maine’s largest architecture firm and is led by CEO Ellen Belknap.
In addition to its Boothbay site, Knickerbocker has a 6,500-square-foot Portland location in the Bayside neighborhood.
A background in engineering
Betts is licensed professional engineer with a specialty in residential land use and commercial development. In her role, she will remain focused on business development, strategic planning, and cultivating and maintaining relationships with clients, while continuing to shape the culture of the company, the firm said.
In her time at Knickerbocker, she helped lead the transition to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and expanded the company’s services in design, construction and property management. Under her supervision, in 2019 the firm launched COVE by Knickerbocker Group, which includes design resource studios, interior design services and a collection of "pre-designed, New England-inspired homes," the firm said.
Betts first met Malcom at a design-build meeting for a local nonprofit, where he was a board member.
“From the beginning, I admired the way Steve ran the company and inspired employees and clients alike,” said Betts. “He promoted family engagement, volunteered in his community and tirelessly fostered cultural and economic development in Maine — all while ensuring that Knickerbocker Group’s work is driven by quality craftsmanship and a dedication to great design.”
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