Close your eyes. Now imagine the perfect equine facility: there’s a beautiful barn, an indoor arena, and a huge outdoor arena with perfect footing. Every detail has been attended to—including fences, driveways, bridle paths, and landscaping. What you’re imagining is the kind of facility Justin White of White Construction Services, Inc. makes real.
Justin White has been building premier equestrian facilities for over 15 years. Previously, White had a boat-repair business in Anacortes, Washington. When he decided it was time for a change, he purchased an excavator and started White Construction. He did a few equestrian properties and it grew from there. Over the years, his team has completed a number of various-sized projects. “I’ve always enjoyed the uniqueness of developing equestrian properties,” says White.
From Bare Land to Turnkey Properties
White helps clients sometimes even before they own the land. “I enjoy site visits before clients purchase their property to be able to answer any questions they might have. Sometimes people can’t accomplish what they’d hoped on a specific place due to restrictions on the property. I would rather they find this out before closing. I’m proud of the relationships I’ve developed with clients—some going back almost 15 years.”
White Construction Services, Inc. offers turnkey services—from permitting to final grading. They build indoor and outdoor arenas, tracks, paddocks, driveways, and install drainage. They build barns and even some custom homes.
“We specialize in mud control and water management here in the Pacific Northwest. We install grid-system paddocks with drainage. We focus on building our roads, driveways and drainage installations to hold up to the demands of an equestrian facility long term. We also have teamed up with Attwood Equestrian Surfaces to bring what I believe is the best footing available in the Northwest,” says White. “Between the sand blend and the drainage installations, we’ve developed an outdoor arena that can be used year-round here in the Northwest—no matter how much it rains.”
White uses the highest-quality, proven products from footing and paddocks to fencing. Even the base material they use in their arenas is top-quality.
The Joy of the Work (and Some Frustrations)
White is most satisfied with his work when he’s able to turn someone’s vision of their facility into a reality. “A lot of times, we meet clients when they’re just purchasing their land, and it’s sometimes years later when we deliver their dream property. Being able to turn a client’s vision into a reality and give them an appreciation of what goes into building their property from the ground up is a joyful process,” White says. White appreciates the process of seeing a client whose dream has come to life. “We’ve helped create numerous projects over the years and I really enjoy going back and visiting our friends years later.”
There are some frustrations too. “When I hear from someone that they’ve been ‘doing a lot of research on the internet’ about footing I become concerned. While the internet is great, there’s a lot of misinformation and/or products being pushed without regard to what makes an excellent footing. Our focus is on quality that provides lasting results. The details matter.”
Proud Family Man
Justin White and his family live in the beautiful Skagit Valley north of Seattle. Both he and his wife are Northwest natives and grew up in Anacortes. They have two children—a son who plays baseball in college and a daughter who’s involved in athletics in high school and has a horse (the family’s first) at home.
“I appreciated having my son come spend the week with me at the Washington State Horse Park helping me grade arenas. I’m excited to see what the future holds for him,” says White. He’s also enjoying watching his daughter ride her horse on some of the arenas they’ve built. “While I always try to think about what we do from the horses’ safety and perspective, it’s been a learning experience having a horse at home with us. ‘Copper’ has been a great addition to the family and likes to test out new products for us.”
For more information on services offered by White Construction Services, Inc., email Justin White at [email protected] or call 360-391-4712. Visit their website at www.arenafootings.com.
See this article in the 2021 March online edition:
Kim Roe grew up riding on the family ranch and competed in Western rail classes, trail horse, reining, working cow, and hunter/jumper. She trained her first horse for money at 12 years old, starting a pony for a neighbor.
Kim has been a professional dressage instructor in Washington state for over 30 years, training hundreds of horses and students through the levels. In recent years Kim has become involved in Working Equitation and is a small ‘r’ Working Equitation judge with WE United.
Kim is the editor of the Northwest Horse Source Magazine, and also a writer, photographer, and poet. She owns and manages Blue Gate Farm in Deming, Washington where she continues to be passionate about helping horses and riders in many disciplines.
