When the Better Business Bureau (BBB) trusts you with an office renovation, you know you’re doing something right. “The BBB regional office in Cleveland was relocating to a more central location within the city. The nonprofit called on us to…

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To encourage someone to keep trying after a disappointment or failure, often people will console: “When a door closes, a window opens.” In the case of Suntrol Company (Suntrol), a window-tinting opportunity opened.

When Tom Froelich, of Youngstown, Ohio, started working as a roofer while still in high school, he just wanted to make some extra money. He never dreamed he would discover his calling. But the trade he learned 40 years ago at his father-in-law’s…

Metis Construction Services (Metis) is a WBE-certified commercial general contractor based in Kent, Ohio. The company operates on a foundation of service to clients, their community and each other. Personal relationships and collaboration are…

When it comes to tackling monster projects, Pavement Maintenance Specialties knows there’s nothing that defeats a good team. “Our employees work seamlessly together. We’re family here, and it carries out onto the job site. Clients tell us over…

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Picture a father and son playing together on the floor. Now fast-forward about 20 years and the scene repeats, but it’s not really play, it’s work. It’s fun and rewarding teamwork to fulfill the mission of their company, CCC Flooring.

Fifteen years into his career in abatement and demolition, Shawn McGinness decided it was time to leave his stable job at American Service Group Inc. (ASG) to strike out on his own. In 2004, he established Environmental Demolition Group, LLC…

For Rycon Construction, Inc. (Rycon), no job is too small— or too large. “We help our clients with whatever they need, whether it’s adding a doorway in a wall or managing construction of a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing plant,” says David…

Glenn Pickens, President of Icon Interiors Inc. in Cleveland, Ohio, says he always knew he’d work in one of the construction trades. “My dad was a commercial roofer,” he recalls. “When I was a little kid, I loved going with him when he’d do…

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When Cleveland-area builders call Jamie Pickens in for new projects like restaurants and apartments, it’s because they know his JP Electrical Services Company (JP Electric) will be there from start to finish, providing electrical infrastructure…

Coal was king in 1915 when Walter Tucker founded W.L. Tucker Coal in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The company, built on reliability and hands-on service, provided furnace coal to residential and commercial customers.

Shane Allyne stumbled upon his life’s calling early in life, but it happened in a rather unlikely place: while traveling in the back seat of his father’s truck. Shane’s father worked in the construction industry, and he recalls listening…

The folks at Sable Asphalt & Concrete of Akron, Ohio, like to say the company is known for quality, consistency and customer service. The owner-operated company, founded in 1988 and incorporated in 1990, provides parking lot sealcoating, asphalt…

It’s hardly surprising that after 30 years, the company that brothers Paul and David Kitzmiller started isn’t exactly the same business it was when they first got to work in the Cincinnati area. After all, CORE Resources, Inc. (CORE), is a business…

One might say John Hansen has cruised into success as a Founder and the President of Suntrol Company and Custom Tint, Inc. (Suntrol), a leader in Ohio’s window film industry celebrating 45 years. That’s because the origins of his dream began…

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In today’s tight labor market, attracting highly qualified workers is akin to fishing in a sea swarming with hungry sharks, all ravenous for the fresh talent bobbing before them. While other industries may offer enticing bait, the construction…

Despite what some outside of the AEC industry may think, the door manufacturing and supply business is complex. Those in the industry, however, understand that doors are a working piece of furniture that look nice, but need to function properly…

The work may not always be simple and easy, but the philosophy that drives the success of HEPA Environmental Services, Inc. (HEPA) is: Making commitments and keeping them. For 16 years, Rick Kuhlman and his team have been doing just that,…

As a general contractor, Carra Builders Commercial Construction Co. (Carra Builders), located in Clayton, Ohio, enjoys stability and success from 38 years in the construction business. What makes the company exceptional is the staff’s ability…

When a customer succeeds, ABC Supply Co. Inc. (ABC Supply) succeeds. “Founders Ken and Diane Hendricks created ABC Supply Co. Inc. to be a true partner for contractors. Their success is our success,” says Scott Morgan, Managing Partner for the…

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When it comes to business, Christopher Lee operates his professional life using the same principles that guide his personal life: Find solutions. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Treat others with dignity and respect. Take pride…

In 1980, firefighters in northern Ohio formed AA Fire Extinguishers on the premise that they were uniquely qualified to help businesses meet their extinguisher needs. The idea clearly worked, because almost four decades later the company has…

After suffering a motorcycle accident, Josh Hillard’s life and career were turned upside down—but not in the way one might expect. As fate would have it, that accident set him on the path to founding his own company, ACM Innovations. Hillard,…

Electronics and technology have always been a central part of Timothy “Tim” Smith’s life. As an adolescent, he took electronics classes. When he was a young man, he joined the U.S. Navy and became a navigation electronics technician. By 2011,…

Growing up, Charlie Borsukoff always knew he wanted to work in the commercial construction industry, just like his dad. Today, Charlie is President of JCI Contractors, Inc. (JCI), the company founded by Chairman and CEO Chuck Borsukoff, his…

Asphalt paving has long been a tough, dirty job built around heavy equipment, labor and large quantities of material. Yet, behind the pavers, rollers and the dozers, the world of asphalt is about people—at least that’s what the owners of Empire…

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For many companies, the red tape that comes with government contracts is too great an obstacle to overcome. For IAP Government Services Group (IAP), that same tape marks out a path to success.

For Linda Nichols, the writing was always on the wall that one day she would own her own business. And now, six years after incorporating LAAD Sign & Lighting, Inc., the success and hard work of the entrepreneur is showing up not only on walls,…

For two decades, Gulu Electrical Contractors, Inc., based in Youngstown, Ohio, has grown steadily as a provider of electrical services for residential and commercial customers. With Gary Gulu at the helm, the company has succeeded through a…

Charles Schulz Building Company has undergone a number of significant transformations. First started by Charles Schulz Sr. and his son, Charles Schulz Jr., as a small surveying and bricklaying team in 1937, the business evolved into a commercial…

The father-and-son team of Jeff and Zack Mitchell has channeled its passion for the newest products and the best customer care to develop a family-focused atmosphere at Westland Heating & Air Conditioning (Westland).

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Perfect Power Wash started as a college research project on entrepreneurship and eventually became the largest power washing company in Northeast Ohio, serving tens of thousands of business owners and homeowners each year.

With a contagious, upbeat attitude and a relentless can-do spirit, CCC Flooring’s (CCC) founder and President Craig Adams simplifies the complex.

After almost 30 years of running Westlake, Ohio-based Qualified Interiors Inc. and completing interior finish projects—from the Goodyear Theater in Akron to the Residence Inn Akron Fairlawn­­—Bill Pfeiffer faced his toughest test in the fall…

Greenheart is the name of a tropical hardwood—one of the oldest, rarest and hardest woods found. So, when Brian Angelilli incorporated his second-generation construction company in 2009, he chose a name that represented solid strength—GreenHeart…

Lee Franciscus, CEO of Franciscus Inc., built his roofing business on the philosophy that a rewarding work relationship is one that allows people to have family time and successful careers in which they’re well compensated. This formula has…

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There probably couldn’t have been a worse time for Ryan Temple to acquire a business, but in 2008, the Ohio State business graduate decided to invest in a wholesale security equipment company in Cleveland. Despite the financial crash and resulting…

For Jim’s Mechanical Services, success in business comes down to a simple credo: “We do what we say we’re going to do,” says Patrick O’Connor, President of Sales. “It’s as simple as that. Customers know when they contract with Jim’s Mechanical…

It’s unusual to find a business only 10 years old that can boast a three-generation family legacy in the industry. And it’s rare to find a success story for a commercial construction business started in the midst of the economic recession. But…

When speaking to the key factors leading to his firm’s success, Charles Marshall, CEO and Founder of Beacon Marshall, Inc. and its subsidiary companies, states, “Give clients what they really need to achieve, what they really want. We build…

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There is little good that typically comes out of taking a hockey puck to the face. Unless, of course, you’re a member of the Faciana family, which owns SDF Construction, LLC in Cleveland, Ohio.

Have you ever taken a hard look at the effectiveness of your company’s marketing efforts? If you haven’t, now is the time to do so, as this is primarily how businesses communicate with existing and prospective customers, as well attract the…

Shopping in a big box store or major department store can mean one-stop shopping for everything from tires to tube socks. But rarely do people think about how well the building runs while dozens of staff members and hundreds—if not thousands—of…

When Dave Gutfranski founded Coastal Quality Construction, Inc., he fully expected business to be slow. It was late in 2009, at the official end of a crushing recession. “Everything was down, people were cutting numbers,” Gutfranski says. “I…

Take a drive through the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, with John G. “Greg” Frost, Founder and President of Frost Building Maintenance Inc., and almost every 30 seconds he can point to a structure his company has worked on. Warehouses, apartments,…

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Pay attention. Listen to your customers. Learn as much as you can about the industry so that your decisions will help to advance it. These are the words of wisdom that inspire many business decisions made by Robert F. “Bob” Belden, President…

Ohio Awning & Manufacturing Co. in northeastern Ohio combines the craftsmanship and integrity of the 19th century with the technology and innovation of the 21st. One of Cleveland’s oldest continuously operating companies, it was formerly called…

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