Case Studies

In 1984, Kathy and LeRoy Meyer set out to build a business that would support and set a precedent for their children. Kathy is a Native American (White Earth enrollee) woman, an anomaly in the construction industry; her interest in building the business stems from a drive for success that she has held from an […]

In 1977 the husband and wife team of George and Gloria Smeja established Metalmaster Roofmaster (Metalmaster) in their garage as a small, family-owned business. From its humble beginnings, Metalmaster quickly grew, eventually becoming large enough to merit its own location. For more than 35 years, the company continues to grow with an expanding geographic footprint. […]

Over the last 25 years, Merola Tile (Merola) has steadily grown into one of the East Coast’s leading tile distributors. Now, through an exclusive relationship with the Home Depot, the New Jersey-based division of the distributor and wholesaler is going nationwide. “In 2013, sales were up 30 percent over 2012 and so far, in 2014, […]

For many homebuilders across the U.S., the recession and the drop in buyer demand was simply too much to overcome. “Approximately 55 percent of homebuilders in the U.S. didn’t make it out of the downturn, but we’re still here,” says Gary Tesch, president of McGuyer Homebuilders Inc. (MHI). “In 2006, we built 3,300 homes and […]

Texas-based Lee Construction & Maintenance Corporation (LMC) is doing something many general contractors shy away from: self-performing up to 70 percent of service. “Our competitors are more or less construction managers; we manage, but we also self-perform, which makes us more readily available to our clients and makes them think of us first,” says Ed […]

In 1986, David Goodrum founded J.D. Goodrum Company (JDG) as a small, private-owned construction firm in Charlotte, N.C. He completed his first project shortly after, working on the local Presbyterian Hospital. From its inception, JDG established strong client relationships and built quality projects within the commercial construction market. “We found a strong niche in retail […]

Approximately 90 percent of the nails in the U.S. now come from China; however, Illinois-based Maze Nails (Maze) is proud to be one of the last and longest standing manufacturers of 100-percent American-made nails. Produced from high carbon steel and reinforced with a double coat of zinc to craft a stronger, rust-proof product, Maze has […]