Born in Watertown, N.Y., Brad White grew up in a family where independence, hard work, and adventure were a way of life Summers were spent swimming, fishing, sailing, and boating at the family cottage in Henderson Harbor, while winters meant skiing at Dry Hill and Snow Ridge, with the occasional trip to Whiteface or Big Tupper. He and his siblings learned responsibility early, earning the right to operate their Boston Whaler only after passing both a boater safety course and their father, Roger White’s memorable “swim test”. Those childhood lessons of freedom and responsibility carried into Brad’s future in both family and business. He was a competitive skier, winning the Turin, N.Y. / Torino, Italy Invitational Meet, and a dedicated sailor, racing everything from dinghies to keelboats at the local, regional, and national levels—qualifying once for the World Regatta with his brothers Ted and Jon, and his cousin David. He was also a distance runner, competing in cross country and track from junior high through college.
Brad White (center) (White’s Lumber), accepts NNYLDA’s Industry Excellence Award from his brother (left) and Rob Bicknell (right) (Bicknell Building Supply).
Brad’s earliest experiences in the lumber industry came at White’s Lumber, where he stocked shelves, cleaned, worked in the yard, and made deliveries. Summers included unloading boxcars of lumber—hard, hot work, especially for his brother Ted, who was small enough to crawl into the cars above the doors to pull out the first rows. Brad remembers one particularly “character-building” task: helping reduce the height of a 40 foot chimney. These experiences instilled resilience and a strong work ethic that would serve him throughout his career.
A graduate of Niagara University (1974), Brad’s journey with White’s Lumber has been filled with both challenges and achievements. He was part of the expansion into Pulaski in 1979 and the rebuilding of the Watertown Store after an arson fire in 1981. The company overcame a partial roof collapse in Watertown in 1999, expanded to Clayton in 2001, and rebuilt again after the devastating 2010 Pulaski fire and opened White’s Paint in Watertown in 2020. Through each challenge, Brad remained guided by the belief that “you only get out of something what you put into it.”
Alongside his career, Brad has been deeply committed to his community, serving with the Greater Watertown Jaycees, United Way, and as Director and Commodore of Crescent Yacht Club, as well as a member of the Hickory Point Club. Brad also found time to pursue his passions. Family has always been at the center of Brad’s story. He and his wife Carol raised two children, Erinn and Bradford Jr., and have delighted in sharing family trips. Today, Brad treasures time with his grandchildren Bennett and Maxwell, enjoying days at the family cottage filled with swimming, boating, trail cutting, skiing, and biking.
Looking back, Brad credits his success and outlook to a few simple principles: honesty, “trust, but verify,” and always striving to think beyond “no” for creative solutions. He also carries with him the lessons of resilience and freedom learned as a child—lessons that have guided him through both life’s challenges and its greatest joys.
The Northern New York Lumber Dealers Association is proud to honor Brad White as its 2025 Industry Excellence Award Recipient.
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