07/31/2025
Our hearts are heavy at Site Structures. After a four-year battle with cancer, our founder, Charlie Bourdages, has passed. With his typical determination, honesty, and humor, Charlie fought the disease while checking off bucket-list items (like a 2,000 mile, back-road scooter trip) and spending as much time as he possibly could with his family, friends, and first grandchild.
Charlie built this company from the ground up with a rare combination of grit, craftsmanship, humility, and heart. When he began in 1996, Site Structures lived on a dirt lot with nothing but a key shed. No running water, no electricity. Today, Site employs 45 hardworking people.
If you met Charlie on a job site, you might not have known he was the owner. He didn’t wear titles or need recognition—he wore boots, Carhartts, and a Site Structures tee. He was there to build or lead. To solve problems. To do the work and do it right.
Charlie was committed. Whether it was finishing a complex installation, shoveling out a missed walkway after a never-ending snowstorm (maybe after crying in his truck, as he liked to joke), or rallying the crew to meet an impossible deadline, he showed up with determination to get it done. If something went wrong, he owned it. If someone made a mistake, he usually forgave it—and taught us to learn from it.
He was also inventive. From strapping a $20 bill to a dipstick to encourage oil checks, to finding creative ways to move tons of stone or soil into impossible spaces, Charlie thrived on solving hard problems. And while he preferred not to draw attention to himself, his influence shaped every aspect of this company’s culture.
The thing that most defined Charlie, though, was how much he cared about the people around him. He wanted his employees to feel and be successful. He’d announce in meetings that he didn’t need personal wealth; he felt he had what he needed. His priority was for the company to provide for those working toward its success.
He connected with his team members and learned about their lives. When we hosted our company parties – the landscape Olympics in particular – he made sure to check in with every kid at the party to ensure they were having a good time and going home with a prize. He bought and stacked a mountain of mulch for the kids to climb up and toss themselves down. The smiles on their faces were worth the effort and the liability – this was apparent from the smile on Charlie’s face when sending them home absolutely filthy with crisp twenty dollar bills in their hands. I know for my own kids, Charlie was a little bit Santa Claus. He had that magic, so in many ways he’ll live forever.
Charlie’s presence will always be missed on job sites, in the early morning meetings, and in the quiet leadership he brought to every part of Site Structures. We are who we are because of him—and we remain committed to honoring his values in all we do moving forward.
Thank you to all of our clients, partners, and community members who supported Charlie and believed in this company. His spirit lives on in the work we do.
