The Sky is the Limit
Merger of Industrial Skylights and Leslie Skylights creates bright future
There are some partnerships in life that are just meant to be. Sometimes, it takes a while to get there. In September of 2018, Industrial Skylights of San Marcos, California, and Leslie Skylights of Oceanside, California, merged together under the Industrial Skylights name.
For John Buell and Larry Niggli, the owners of each company, respectively, it took three tries over a 23-year relationship to finally bring their talents together.
In this case, the merger not only made the company bigger, but Buell is the first to say, it got better and more efficient.
“A partnership between us has always made sense because we complement each other with our strengths very well,” Buell says. “I love building, designing, talking to my customers. I love the creative process and all that goes into it. My struggle is that I have never enjoyed the administrative side of the business. While I have done it, I have always felt I brought more value to figuring out how to help architects with their skylight design, in a way that will maintain their vision. Larry is the perfect addition to our company. He can’t wait to talk to the employees, smooth out the day-to-day operations and make our company more efficient. His production and structural leadership allow me more time to be creative and solve problems. I know my weaknesses are his strengths.”
Long Time Coming
The relationship between Buell and Niggli dates to 1995, when Buell sold Niggli small skylights. In 2002, Buell was ready to move on from his prior employer, so he contacted Niggli looking for work.
“When I first approached him, Larry had just recently purchased the company from the prior ownership and the timing wasn’t right,” Buell says. “I was looking for an eventual path to ownership, and while it didn’t work out at the time, it started a relationship of trust.”
Attempt No. 2 came in 2008 after Buell had started Industrial Skylights, but Niggli again declined the merger because of a recent property purchase.
Last year, Buell decided to give it one more shot. Finally, all the stars aligned perfectly.
“I want to retire in a few years. I felt our company had plateaued, and I’m not at the age where I wanted to invest in the creative side to make it grow,” Niggli says. “John is quite a bit younger and has the energy and desire needed. It was perfect timing for both of us and our companies.”
Indeed.
Buell says his own company would have done $1.7 million last year, and Leslie Skylights about $1.2 million. Together, they expect to exceed $3 million in revenue in 2019 and hope to at least double that by the time Niggli retires.
“John’s company was rock solid,” Niggli says. “It was a natural fit. I saw by merging the two companies I could bring stability into the system and processes with a steady management style that is complemented by John’s vision of growth and creativity. It is a win-win.”
Buell agrees. “We created a partnership where our goals match up, and I value what Larry has built in Leslie Skylights. We both see the potential to grow in this market. This partnership has put all the pieces in place to do that right now.”
A Common Bond
In reality, the partnership works for the simple reason that both share a passion for skylight architecture and exceptional workmanship.
“The cool thing about a skylight is that it allows you to bring an outdoor feel to an indoor space,” Niggli says. “You can bring the outside, inside, and you can do it in all sorts of creative ways that are architecturally pleasing to the eye.”
Niggli points out other benefits. In addition to bringing architectural beauty to projects, skylights help save on electrical costs because they provide natural lighting. The natural light can aid with heating and cooling, and it also promotes better health, he says.
The skylight industry is making some remarkable improvements, too. Photochromic glass, which dims like a pair of glasses when the sun gets brighter, is now an option, as is thermochromic glass, which darkens and lightens based on temperatures.
Buell loves it all.
“I believe an architect’s vision and intent are crucial to a successful project. Our company motto has always been ‘Bringing Light to Your Vision,’ “ he says. “For us, that means trying to understand what the architect’s or client’s intent is, and then doing our best to bring that idea into existence.”
Many of the projects take ingenuity and a high level of professionalism. TOLO Architecture has used Industrial Skylights in the past, and the company’s owner, Peter Tolkin, says Industrial Skylights never disappoints—regardless of how complex the project is.
“John has been a true partner when it comes to collaborating during the design process. I see him as a real innovator; he is constantly taking on new challenges as well as refining his products,” Tolkin says. “The professionalism of Industrial Skylights during the construction phase is also commendable, so I have no hesitation in bringing John into a project. His quality of installation and level of service and care are rare in our industry.”
Tolkin says he intends to use Industrial Skylights on his own home remodel in the future.
Know What You Want
Buell’s success nowadays is based upon referrals and a track record for helping to realize architects’ visions. He says the fact that he has reached this point is nearly as remarkable as the work he and his company perform.
After he was turned down by Niggli the first time in 2002, he was let go after 10 months from a different skylight company.
Jobless for the first time since he was 12, Buell took the opportunity to go on a two-week camping trip by himself in the redwoods of Northern California to gather his thoughts.
During the trip, he decided it was time to start his own company, and in May 2003, Industrial Skylights came to fruition. To make ends meet, he took a job waiting tables at night and ran his skylight business during the day.
“I would buy skylight frames from various skylight companies, including Leslie Skylights,” Buell says. “It took about two years before I could fully support myself and let go of that nighttime job.” His current goal is to grow the company for both Larry and himself and all his employees and their families.
The Future Looks Bright
In the past, each improved the functionality of the skylights they manufacture, sell and install.
“We have come up with completely unique methods for creating electric operable panels in multibay skylights,” Buell says. “We can build them in such a way as to ensure the pieces sit flush and do not break the plane of the rest of the fixed lights when they are in a closed position. We have pushed the envelope in exterior glass-floor skylight designs. Leslie Skylights has also done this regarding a new breed of rolling skylights that utilize a quiet and reliable belt-driven system.
“We will continue to innovate and bring beautiful new designs to the custom skylight market. We know architects are always pushing the envelope, and we will help make those dreams become reality. We believe that true quality is the graceful blending of both form and function. Skylights should interlock with the integrity of the design, as well as execute the job of bringing light in, and keeping the rain out.”
After 23 years, the long-term professional colleagues turned business partners are finally doing all this together.
The future has never looked brighter.