Building Zone Industries

In 2016, we erected 3 million square feet of steel. In 2020, we are on track to install over 20 million square feet.” In addition to the speed at which BZI can finish projects, Barlow believes that the company is successful because of several other attributes. “I think that the most important point, when it comes to our business, would have to revolve around our culture - the commitment to continuous improvement and the commitment to hard work,” he maintains. “We have a slogan: ‘Teamwork, Innovation, and Action.’ We feel like that really defines who we are. The commitment to the team – we do that by looking to attract a younger workforce and building a results-driven work environment. That’s a key component. The innovation – we could not scale like we are without an innovative environment. It’s not just a piece of equipment - it is systems thinking and the contributions we get from all areas of the organization that contribute to better processes. It’s very non-conventional. Action is really about the energy - our average employee age is in the mid-20s. That’s very different from your conventional erection company. Most people in our industry are in their 40’s and 50’s. Our entire workforce, by those standards, is a very young, high-energy, active workforce. Those are the most defining elements of our organization.” Going forward, Barlow says that the focus is on scaling up its systems, building out more teams, and leveraging its relationships so that the company can take as much of the market as possible. “Also, over the next five years, or so, we intend to regionalize across the U.S.,” he adds. “Right now, we have teams that move wherever the next job is. So, one of our next steps is to regionalize, where we can get dedicated resources to specific regions to try and build a sustained presence in each of the regions. Based on those opportunities, we feel like we can continue this growth momentum for several years.”