When FABCON decided to acquire American Precast and expand into the Ohio market 20 years ago, it was part of a package deal. There were two plants, one in Columbus, Ohio and one in Indianapolis that looked attractive. Both of them, however, needed a lot of work to get up and running.
“We bought new technology to cater to new markets in the area and it was a great way for us to expand and serve those markets,” says Jim Houtman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We bought both plants but had to update, repair and retrofit a lot before we could operate.”
It was just two years after Houtman had started the national accounts program. Ohio was a huge distribution market with its central U.S. location. There was already work for the plants in national customers Home Depot, Myer out of Michigan and Topps out of New York.
“The expansion essentially doubled the size of the company,” says Houtman. “It also gave our customers greater reach for their expansions.”
A Look Back
The Ohio plant staff will tell you they were somewhat autonomous in the early years. Management split time between the Indiana and Ohio plants so many decisions were made on site and on demand.
“It was nerve racking at first,” says former plant manager Bill Hunt. He came to FABCON from competitor American Precast.
“A new job always comes with anxiety but it all turned out really well,” says Hunt. “FABCON leadership knew what they were doing and once you got to know them and saw how they were doing things, you knew they would succeed.”
“Bill and I hit it off right away,” says sales engineer, Mark McSweeney. “You wanted to be on Bill’s good side, though. He was a great plant manager who really understood our processes.”
And like many FABCON jobs, tasks were accomplished by willing hands, no matter the job description.
“If they had production issues, they would call Bill or me,” says McSweeney. “We worked through a lot of issues, sometimes taking corrective action and sometimes preventive.”
Eventually the Indiana plant closed, meaning more work and more focus for Ohio. It was also a time for additional growth.
Room to Grow
The Ohio plant originally opened with a 600-foot bed and a handful of offerings. That would soon change.
In early 2000, FABCON began using Versacore+Green, the most advanced wall panel ever.
“That was revolutionary for FABCON,” says McSweeney.
Within a few years, another 600-foot bed was added. Then a 200-foot extension was added to one of the beds, then the other to create two 800-foot rolling beds. And finally in 2005, a 300-foot long bed was added to accommodate a 12-foot wide panel product.
“That helped us to service distribution centers, warehouses and other large projects,” says McSweeney. “The unique situation here is that our competition, ELB Precaster, did all 12-foot wide product and there was a demand in the market for it. That was the driver for us.”
“Those expansions created a panic because the people working in those areas just didn’t think they could do all of that,” says Hunt. “But that proved to them that they could do it. Then it became a 7 day-a-week operation. That’s a lot of product to turn out.”
The offering was still somewhat basic compared to today’s choices: no exposed aggregate, no brick panels, no fancy finishes. Just wall panels.
Ronda Link remembers it well. She had quit her job with American Precast and was hired on by FABCON to work as a project manager. She didn’t know then she would spend the next 20 years at FABCON.
“The big change was going to multiple shifts,” says Link. “That was a huge change in the environment. We didn’t have just 9-5 shifts anymore. We also improved the quality of the product at the time. It reduced the number of panels we couldn’t use.”
Link remembers her time at FABCON fondly. She also credits the company for her son, Rick’s longtime career there.
Rick came on board in 1988 to help in the field and eventually made his way into the plant. He moved to Pennsylvania to open the Mahonoy City plant, and then back to Ohio. 27 years later, Rick is now the plant manager in Minneapolis.
“You can’t believe how excited I was to see Rick flourish,” says Link. “I’m very proud of him. Mike LeJeune gave Rick and I multiple opportunities and we’re very grateful.”
Rick Link recalls the challenges related to growth and the level of commitment from his colleagues required to meet the expectations.
“We would have been alright maintaining the status quo but the officer group always challenges us to go to the next level,” says Link. “We have high standards and great history of performing well. The team they assembled at the time could handle the stress and that’s what got us through.”
It was a team that didn’t know what it was capable of until they were asked to perform at a higher level.
“You couldn’t satisfy enough customers and you never had time for a dull moment,” says Hunt. “You wondered where the day went every day. It was challenging but exciting. You went home satisfied because you got a good day’s work in.”
Moving Forward
Over the years, the offerings expanded, more finishes were added and new customers signed on, including Geis, Duke Realty, Browning and Opus. A 20-year timespan also means a changing of the guard.
Ronda Link retired in 2002 and Hunt in 2012. Rick Link now manages Minnesota. And the new Ohio plant manager, Don Burns, just started his role, ushering in the beginning of the next FABCON-Ohio chapter.
“The Ohio plant was a smart, strategic growth move that put us in position to be a stronger competitor in the marketplace, ”says Houtman. “It continues to be a great example of efficiency and profitability.”
“We’ve come a long way from the plain, gray wall,” says Hunt reflecting on 20 years of work. He still likes to look at the buildings he helped construct as he’s driving around town. And he’s looking forward to the next 20 years of watching FABCON grow, evolve and thrive.
FABCON Ohio By The Numbers
Number of Buildings Constructed: 1,500
Revenue: $665 Million
# of Customers: 750
Key Clients: OPUS, Duke Realty, Prologis, Geis Companies, Exxcel Project Management LLC
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