Four more shed builders have made it to the Inc. Magazine Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies based on revenue from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2021.
For a second straight year, Esh’s Utility Buildings, a shed builder headquartered in Burkesville, Kentucky, made the Inc. 5000 list, ranked #1533 with a three-year revenue growth rate of 418 percent.
Esh’s Utility Buildings was included on the Inc. 5000 list under its Kentucky state-registered business name, Gingerich Structures LLC.
Founded in 1984, Esh’s Utility Buildings has experienced significant growth since being acquired by new owners in 2019.
Traditionally, the company’s product lines were focused on sheds, prefabricated garages, and other storage buildings. In recent years, they’ve expanded into additional categories, including cabin shells, children’s playhouses, horse run-ins, dog kennels, chicken coops, and more.
After strong 2020 sales during the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear how the prefabricated building industry would fare as the country returned to some sense of normalcy in 2021.
As it turned out, the growth trajectory continued through the new year.
“We have a great sales team that has worked very hard, along with a good marketing team,” says Chad Gingerich, CEO of Esh’s Utility Buildings. “(We also have) an organized team of leaders that are always hungry for more.”
Gingerich credits the company’s growth to team leadership and the ability to scale production quickly to meet high demand.
He says strong marketing has also played an important role, particularly by reaching new customers online. The company’s website features a 3D configurator so visitors can create and save customized building designs.
The company also lists pre-built inventory on its website, allowing customers to browse buildings by style, color, price, location, and more.
In addition to online shopping, Esh’s Utility Buildings has multiple brick-and-mortar locations where customers can enjoy the in-person buying experience. The company has sales lots throughout central Kentucky, including in Glasgow, Elizabethtown, and Burkesville. Locations in Tennessee include Lebanon and Woodbury.
In addition to its locations, the company also keeps buildings in stock with several other retailers across the region.
Looking forward, Gingerich hopes a combination of traditional values and new products will be the recipe for continued growth.
“(Our goal is) to continue to innovate and provide a top quality product for our customers and to continue to scale upward as we do so,” he says.
The Backyard & Beyond, a family-owned and operated shed builder, operating in Ellsinore, Missouri, ranked #2,859 on the list with a three-year revenue growth rate of 191 percent.
This is the first time in the company’s history The Backyard & Beyond has made the prestigious list.
The Backyard & Beyond was started by Curvin Huber and his sons. They began constructing sheds and storage barns and quickly became a successful business, relying on their faith in God and dedicating themselves to the principles of quality, reliability, and integrity.
They pride themselves on serving their customers with superior quality and customer service.
At the beginning of its second year, The Backyard & Beyond was already expanding by opening additional sales locations in neighboring cities. They had to hire more employees to keep up with demand and were quickly becoming a better-known shed builder in Missouri.
When asked what has led to all their business success in less than 10 years since The Backyard & Beyond’s beginning in 2015, Curvin gave credit to his employees and associates that have offered the needed expertise.
He also cited that their focus has always been and will continue to be quality buildings, reliable customer service, and innovative products that meet their customer’s needs.
This openness to innovation is certainly a plus for Backyard & Beyond, what started as a small shed building business, operated by a father and his sons, has now expanded significantly. They build sheds, cabins, garages, animal structures, and greenhouses.
Throughout their product line expansions, they have maintained their dedication to quality and that has earned them a positive reputation.
Coming in a #2928 on the Inc. 5000 list is GEMCO Building Systems, a shed and metal building company, headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana. Its growth rate from 2019-2021 was 185 percent.
For over 25 years, GEMCO Building Systems has been providing sheds, garages, carports, and other custom buildings.
In recent years, GEMCO has been moving toward building more metal sheds and buildings, although providing its customers with the highest quality building at an affordable price is still the goal.
2021 was a challenging year with the rapid rise in raw material pricing.
“It’s tempting to sacrifice margin when prices are dramatically rising,” says Casey Cobb, the company’s sales manager. “As a company, we learned that we have to have the courage to be priced appropriately so we can continue to offer quality and be profitable.”
The company credits a lot of its success to having the right people in the right seats.
Cobb continues, “Our team is open, humble, hardworking, and customer focused.”
GEMCO revamped its website in 2020 and contributes some of its success and growth to online marketing. The company utilizes the 3D shed design tool that allows customers to design and visualize their products before purchasing its building.
The company is excited about the possibilities in the future, and it plans to continue to grow with the goal of growing to $20 million in sales in the next seven years.
Like Cobb says, “Nothing is impossible with a team like we have!”
Fisher Barns, a shed builder headquartered in Abbeville, South Carolina, ranked #4230 on the list with a three-year revenue growth rate of 109 percent.
Founded in 2003, Fisher Barns has seen expanded growth in recent years. In addition to simple sheds and storage buildings, its product lines have grown to include prefabricated garages, cabin shells, horse barns, dog kennels, outdoor kitchens, children’s playhouses, lawn furniture, and more.
Marvin Fisher, co-owner of Fisher Barns, summarized the company’s growth by saying, “The growth we experienced as a company was greater than expected. Going into the year, we had very modest projections; however, we far exceeded those projections.”
He credits the company’s growth to three main factors: product availability, competitive pricing, and an energized local economy.
Fisher Barns focused on its products that were the most profitable. From there, the production team worked to simplify work processes and become more efficient. By focusing on fewer types of products and becoming more streamlined in their workflow, Fisher Barns was able to produce a larger volume of products.
Plus, interested shoppers can request a quote for a building on the company’s website, which now includes 3D shed and 3D horse barn designer tools that allow shoppers to create and save customized building designs.
The company also lists all in-stock buildings on its website, enabling website visitors to see the specific buildings available at every sales location.
A wide network of physical sales locations has also allowed more customers to see buildings for themselves and enjoy the in-person buying experience. Fisher Barns has sales locations throughout South Carolina, including in Abbeville, Anderson, and Greenwood.
The company also has several dealer locations in South Carolina, including the towns of Hodges, Greenville, and Liberty.
Looking to the future, Fisher says, “We hope to maintain the efficiency and profitability we have currently, and at the same time look for ways to expand into other products in order to continue to stimulate more growth.”
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