Art was born in Parsonsfield, Maine, and attended Parsonsfield schools, Fryeburg Academy, and the University of Maine. He started out in the construction business in 1971 and formed Arthur C. Dudley Contractor/Builder in 1975. For its first 10 years the company focused on residential construction and some light commercial renovation. The focus changed in 1986 to commercial construction with an emphasis on school construction. Arthur C. Dudley Contractor/Builder, Incorporated, became a Sub-S corporation in 1996 with its current leaders as its principals.
Art served on the Planning and Appeals Boards (as Chairman for the latter) for his current hometown of Standish, where he lives with his wife Beverly. Art has two grown children, Andrea and Nick, who also work for Arthur C. Dudley Contractor Builder, Inc., and four granddaughters. He has been a member of Associated General Contractors of Maine for nearly 25 years and currently serves as President.