Like most good things, H&S Portable Buildings in Danville, Alabama, was born after an economic recession that caused people to do extraordinary things.
It was born out of a need. A need to provide. A need to support life. A need to supply a demand. And what I mean by that is, when the first sheds hit the ground, we never imagined that it would become what it has today.
We made good decisions at the moment, but they were not based on an attempt to steer the company to its multi-million-dollar level.
In late 2009, my business partner, “Slim,” and I both worked for a small local shed manufacturing company. I was a builder, and he had just graduated into a hauling position.
We started to sense something.
We sensed the company wasn’t doing well. We had just climbed out of a stagnant 2008 economy, but it seemed like 2009 wasn’t getting much better. When there was no lumber to fill what few orders were coming in, I would job hop. There were several small manufacturers in the area, so I would go where the work was.
Then one day, Slim came to me and wondered why we couldn’t build our own sheds. He had a truck. I would build the structures; he would haul them.
I was apprehensive because that meant giving up my savings. For what? A chance at doubling my money, maybe, at best? I shook off my apprehensions and decided to take the chance. The two of us bought enough material to build three small economy metal sheds.
But now I was broke. It wasn’t like I could pay myself for the work I did.
But after a few weeks, we sold one, and then another, and then another…. We would pay ourselves after each sale and then get enough material to replace the one we sold and build one more.
And that is how H&S came into existence.
Today, H&S has the capacity to produce 2,500 sheds per year with our most recent shop addition. Our sheds are all started and finished under the same roof, by the same builder, which gives us a great way to manage quality control.
In this saturated market, we are operating at about half capacity with 18 store locations. We have experienced a small decline in sales since 2020, during which we produced our record year of about 2,200 sales.
Our manufacturing facility employs about 15 people. Because we are locally owned and operated, we are able to offer tons of customization, including some electrical as well as spray foam insulation. We also offer on-site construction for inaccessible sites or for any oversized project.
Some of our unique builds include two-story shed structures, cabins on stilts, custom pool houses, lakefront boat storage buildings, and much more.
We offer economy, mid-grade, and premium lines of sheds,, but what we have found is that most people will gravitate toward our mid-grade line.
In 2019, we started a sister shed delivering company, which turned out to give us a huge advantage in giving our customers the best experience. Not only did it give us a way to provide better satisfaction, but it also allowed us to manage lead times more effectively.
Today, we are able to offer a delivery window of five to 10 business days from the purchase date on anything in stock. Custom orders can vary significantly, depending on the amount of customization, but, generally, we have a four-week lead time from first contact to delivery.
Although our biggest year for sales came in 2020, it also served as our biggest challenge. Not only were material prices out of hand, but there was also an extreme shortage. What stood out to us through those years was the importance of having established good relationships with your vendors. Because we had such good connections and trust built up with them, we were always able to get what we needed.
There are many other challenges in this industry. With every new era comes a need to change your product lineup. We started out with a metal line of sheds, then switched to a treated wood structure. Today, we are building mostly high-end painted sheds.
What we find is that being able to adapt to the market gives us the edge we need. It promises a bright future for our company.
In an ever-changing market, we still rely heavily on our stores. Although we see a shift to online marketing, and are utilizing that as well, we do not see a world where store locations/ dealers are not needed.
Although it has not always been easy, we have had a lot of success in the shed-building industry. Success happens when your people win with you. Our people are the ones who give their time, their effort, and their sweat to move the wheel.
From the ones who make first contact to the ones who make the last impression, take care of your people, and they will take care of you.
