Loading ...Doug Caudle is president of Piedmont Fiberglass, located in Taylorsville, N.C. The company began in 1972 and focused primarily on composite boat repair. Now, focused mostly on architectural products, the company relocated from a small shop in Mooresville, N.C. to a 170,000 sq. ft. facility in Taylorsville, located approximately an hour away.
Caudle says that while the new facility has many modern applications, his goal is to keep doing business the old fashioned way—attention to detail and strong customer relationships. “We have quadrupled in floor space, and invested heavily in ventilation, production flow and worker safety,” he says. “Although we have slightly fewer people, the larger facility allows us to be more efficient with space and our time, opening us up for more business.”
According to Caudle, business is difficult, but he tries to find new ways to stay competitive. “Right now is difficult because folks aren’t spending money. They want our products, but can’t afford it at the moment. Until they can, we are staying in front of via the Internet in ways, as a small business, we can afford,” he says. “For example, we use cost-per-click ads on Google. We also continue to diversify to expand our market appeal. We are focused on the architectural industry more than the boat industry because that is where I believe we will see a quicker recovery.”
One thing on Caudle’s wish list however, is something beyond his control. “Regulation is one thing that I see being the industry’s Achilles heel,” he explains. “We are heavily regulated and that often makes the process slow and full of red tape. I hope we, as an industry, can find ways to streamline regulation because that would really help our businesses to grow.”
