Viva Railings

Since 1972, Viva Railings (Viva) has been furnishing and installing decorative hardware for customers throughout the United States. In the early years, the company manufactures decorative cabinet handles, knobs, security door chains and door stoppers. For more than 40 years, Viva has leveraged in-house design and manufacturing capabilities, including casting, machining, powder coating, electroplating and packaging to produce high-aesthetic hardware from the plant in Carrollton, Texas. In the last decade, Viva has added high quality modular railings to the product line.

Viva is a second-generation family-owned business with a staff of around 35 people as of early 2015. Huzefa Tinwala serves as president of the company and is also part-owner. He oversees day-to-day operations, ensuring the company maintains a high standard of quality while building lasting customer relationships with building owners, architects, designers and contractors. Viva thrives on repeat business, backing up these relationships with durable, attractive products to meet a range of design aesthetics.

The Viva difference

“Our company has been involved in the ornamental metal business for the last 40 years,” says Tinwala. “We work throughout the United States furnishing and installing these products, as well as Canada and overseas in Asia. Our team provides a full service solution to design engineering, to fabrication and to project management.” With these capabilities at hand in-house, Viva is a complete turnkey operation.

Viva’s target market includes general contractors, subcontractors and project owners. The company works closely with the architects, who frequently specify the use of Viva products in their designs. These design professionals come in to work with the Viva team and help with the design solution in order to ensure the correct aesthetic, fit and functionality of the end product.

The company is known for leading service, high design and value. “We are able to provide a very good price when compared to competing product lines on the market,” Tinwala notes. “We have a wide range of designs that our customers can choose from, including handrails, modular systems and deck railings primarily for the commercial market.”

A strong and growing product line

All Viva railing products incorporate low-profile, modern design. Made from high quality stainless steel, aluminum, glass, wood and alloys, these railings can be fully customized to meet the specifications of nearly any design. With a diverse selection of railings, caps, in-fills and mount types, Viva offers more in terms of choice than competitors.

One of the company’s newest lines is the Sabre railing system. Sabre is a structural glass railing system with saber-shaped fins. This all stainless steel system is available in high grade SS-304 and SS-316L alloy. The incorporated fins are also available in steel powder coated alloy in 10 standard colors with custom colors available. This system is designed for fascia mount only, attaching to the outside edge of a platform or surface. Customers also have the option to integrate LED lighting into the rail system to add a unique, modern feel.

Staying ahead in the market

“We grew in a down economy,” says Tinwala, “Where everyone else was trying to sustain.”

Into 2015, the business will maintain focus on growth and expanding its product lines. While the future holds many opportunities for Viva, Tinwala says growth does not come easy, especially in a recovering market. “The biggest issue we face now is because of our growth,” he says. “We have had to work hard to get the right people on board and staffing is still a challenge. We are in a very unusual niche and it is neat, but finding people with the right skill set has made it difficult to keep up with the growth.”

Despite these growing pains, Tinwala is proud of what his team has achieved over the last decade. “The fact that we are able to create unique solutions for new challenges is something we are very proud of,” he explains. “We like getting to work on different projects and see them all come together. We like what we do and we are happy to be able to provide a livelihood for all of our employees on our team. We aim to add value for ourselves and the people around us and that is what we are doing.”

In 2015 and beyond, Viva remains a strong contender in the niche market of high-design modular railings. Harnessing creativity, innovation and strong relationships, the business is headed for continued growth in the years to come. Architects, contractors and project owners continue to call on Viva Railings for high-quality railing products that are built to impress.