Russell LeFrois built the family firm

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Although he formally retired from what is now LeFrois Builders and Developers in the late 1970s, Russell LeFrois remained involved and interested in the business he created.

It was just a few weeks ago when his son, Richard LeFrois, the firm’s president and CEO, took his father out for a drive and the elder LeFrois wanted to view the various projects the company was working on around town.

“He was very happy with how the business was growing,” Richard LeFrois said.

Russell LeFrois died March 30. He was 92.

He first honed his construction skills from his father, who was a cabinet maker.

In 1947, Russell LeFrois founded Russell P. LeFrois Builders. The company built more than 100 custom homes in Webster under his tenure. As the company grew, the firm expanded to incorporate commercial construction.

Today, the Henrietta firm consists of two entities: Russell P. LeFrois Builders Inc. and LeFrois Development LLC.

The business employs 80 people and has developed more than 30 million square feet of commercial property in New York and Central Florida.

LeFrois Development is the area’s fourth largest real estate developer with 2.6 million square feet of local, non-residential space, according to the Rochester Business Journal’s most recent list.

Its local projects include serving as construction manager for the $59 million Midtown Tower redevelopment project and building a 72,000-square-foot building on Methodist Hill Drive for Pictometry International Corp.

The firm also owns the area’s largest Class A office park, Calkins Road Business Park in Henrietta. The 900,000-square-foot park is 95 percent occupied, with firms such as Paychex Inc. and Verizon Wireless Inc. located there.

Richard LeFrois attributes his father’s business success to hard work, honesty and the ability to get along with people.

“Everyone around him could feel his positive energy” Richard LeFrois said. “He knew how to treat people fairly, and he knew how to have fun while doing it.”

Customer satisfaction also was something Russell LeFrois believed was a top priority.

“He taught us that you treat the customer like gold,” Richard LeFrois said. “At the end of the day, you want a happy customer.”

Janine LeFrois said her father always made an impression.

“He had a way of making people feel welcome,” she said. “And once you met him, you never forgot him.”

Richard LeFrois and his sister grew up in the family business, and their dad was not surprised when they started working there. Richard’s children, John LeFrois and Maiya Greenfield, also work at the firm.

Richard LeFrois said his father loved the fact that the firm had become a family endeavor.

He also enjoyed his free time, living in Webster and South Florida during the winter months. Russell LeFrois was an avid boater and horse enthusiast.

“He lived 92 fun years,” Richard LeFrois said.

4/10/15 (c) 2015 Rochester Business Journal. To obtain permission to reprint this article, call 585-546-8303 or email [email protected].