Eastward Companies
Traditional Style For Contemporary Living.
Our Team
Bob Howes
Finish Superintendent
Bob Howes has been an Eastward Companies employee for 6 1/2 years. Bob's chief responsibility is supervising and delivering completed homes for customers, as well as managing warranty work and special millwork projects. Bob describes his favorite part of the job as \meeting the people\, our clients and customers. Before joining Eastward, Bob lived in Seattle and worked for a commercial cabinet company, specializing in new design concepts for large companies such as Starbucks and Garden Botanica. As a 7th generation Cape Codder, Bob fondly remembers riding the Mid-Cape Home Centers truck his uncle drove in Chatham's Fourth of July parade many years ago. Today, Bob lives in Marstons Mills with his wife, Lynn, and daughter, Emma, and enjoys fishing, golfing, and woodworking.
Karen Kempton
Architect
Karen worked at Eastward Companies from 1990 to December, 2004 as a designer and principal architect. Over the past 16 years, Karen has been the creative force behind the design of both custom and speculative homes in Eastward Companies' communities on the mid and lower Cape. Karen has also designed numerous custom homes for clients on their own properties. Through her extensive experience, Karen has attained an in-depth knowledge of state and local
building codes and has built a solid working relationship with local building inspectors.
Karen enjoys both speculative and custom designs especially working with clients to help them realize their dream Cape Cod home. Her favorite designs continue to be based on traditional Cape Cod architecture while allowing for today's preference of open floor plan living.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Design, Karen worked for a number of design firms in Baltimore and
Philadelphia. Karen is a registered architect and belongs to the Boston Society of Architects and the American Institute of Architects.
While living in Philadelphia, Karen and her husband Peter dreamed of moving to Cape Cod. They realized that dream by having Eastward Companies build their home in West Barnstable where they live with their three sons. Karen loves spending time with her family on weekends whether it's soccer games in the fall or family outings to Cape Cod beaches in the summer.
Karen now operates her own architecture business in West Barnstable while working with Eastward Companies on current and future new homes and renovations and additions.
William Marsh
President and Founder
Bill Marsh, Founder and President of Eastward Companies, began working in the construction field with his father over 47 years ago in Western Massachusetts. Bill left the family business during his early twenties to build his first home in Harwich, Cape Cod.With almost four decades of residential and commercial building experience, Bill has developed an expertise in land development, subdivision layout, and building design and construction that is unparalleled. Having lived and worked for his entire adult life on Cape Cod, Bill has seen dramatic changes in the building industry and has had the strength to lead his business through two major recessions in the housing market.Despite the drastic changes in the building field, Bill's focus as the President of Eastward Companies has remained the same, to \build a top quality single family home that generates a high level of customer satisfaction.\ Bill takes great pleasure in being able to step back at the end of the day and see the quality work produced by Eastward Companies. Because of his commitment to quality and his eye for Cape Cod architecture, Bill has developed a strong following and solid demand for his communities and homes.One of the greatest joys of founding the company on Cape Cod has been the strong sense of community here and the opportunity to give back to the community...the same community that gave me the opportunity to develop a successful business
Donald Poyant
Chief Financial Officer
Don has been working at Eastward Companies as the Chief Financial Officer since January of 2002. He is responsible for overseeing the company's financial management, tax reporting, and debt management. Don enjoys working with other Eastward staff members to improve internal controls and reporting. He also enjoys interacting with financial institutions to arrange for financing for land acquisitions and speculative house construction.\ Don grew up on Cape Cod, graduated from Barnstable High School in 1982 and Stonehill College in North Easton, MA in 1986. After graduating from Stonehill, Don worked for five years with a Certified Public Accounting firm and became a licensed certified public accountant in October 1991. He left the firm to take the Town Accountant's position with the Town of Marshfield where he worked for four years. Don later became the Assistant Town Manager/Director of Finance for the Town of Chatham where he served the community for seven years. Don left that position to join the Eastward team.\ Don relocated to Orleans in 2010 with his wife, Annie, and their three children. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and working on his new home.
Susan Ladue
Manager, Research & Development
After 10 years working as the Assistant Town Planner for the Town of Harwich, Susan joined Eastward Companies in November, 1999. As our Manager of Research and Development, Susan's role encompasses the research of properties for acquisition for speculative development, title work, long range planning, navigation of state and town permitting processes, presentation of projects to various town Planning Boards, Boards of Health, Conservation Commissions, and Zoning Board of Appeals. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Susan holds a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University. Susan is also a Notary Public and member of the National Notary Public Association. Over the past 4 years, Susan has expanded her resume and taken on the tasks of staging Eastward's model homes for showings/open houses and maintaining/updating Eastward's website and Facebook page.
An adventurous sort, Susan arrived on Cape Cod (never having seen this place) right after graduating from VCU when she accepted the position with the Town of Harwich. Fortunately for us here at Eastward Companies, Susan fell in love with Cape Cod (and Mike) and stayed! Susan resides in Brewster with her husband, their two sons, Caleb and Ethan, and daughter, Addison, an extra spunky Brittany. For relaxation, Susan enjoys long early morning and evening walks, weight training, reading, watching the Red Sox and Celtics (win), and weekend jaunts to her second home in Vermont.
Martha Shuster
Comptroller/Assistant Treasurer
Martha is one of the longest tenured employees here at Eastward Companies. Hired in 1990, on a temporary basis, Martha is still a key team player! Martha has seen the company grow and maintain through building booms and busts to persevere to reach its current level of operation. As our comptroller, Martha's duties include oversight of accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, real estate closings, and account reporting to our Chief Financial Officer. Martha also assists with office management and human resources. In addition, Martha is a Notary and member of the National Notary Association.
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Aside from her duties here at Eastward Companies, Martha is diligently working to complete a degree in History through Skidmore University. Appropriately, Martha's thesis is, \A History of Women in Shellfishing on Cape Cod.\
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Born in Syracuse, New York, Martha summered on the Cape for many years, making Cape Cod her permanent home in 1971. Married, with three grown children, Martha makes her home in Orleans with husband, Hank, 2 dogs, a cat, and innumerable fish. A former member of the Highlanders Theater Group, Martha's interests include theater, concerts, weekends in Boston, travel, and knitting.