Business View Magazine - Dec 2023

GULF COAST ALUMINUM Coast Aluminum is crafting a legacy of reliability, professionalism, and a genuine connection to the clients they serve. A JOURNEY OF INNOVATION The roots of Gulf Coast Aluminum trace back to CEO Thomas Davis’s personal journey, one that meanders through the world of internet marketing and eventually circles back to his family’s legacy in aluminum contracting. Working for his father’s company, Scott Davis Punta Gorda Aluminum, as a teen, Davis committed to himself to find a different path in life,startingbyenrollment inStetsonCollege. “I had one degree inmanagement, and the other one was in family enterprise, and I wanted to get away from the family business. So, I started the internet marketing company called Tag Media Group,” he recounts. Through this successful endeavor, Davis eventually realized that there were substantial profits to be made in the aluminum industry, and found himself drawn back to it once again, bringing his business partner, who was sceptical at the time, along with him. “I started bringing in revenue that way. After one month we made 12 grand just doing that, me picking up a random guy for help. And we made two grand in four months doing the web business. My partner got on board, and we went off to the races for aluminum.” In 2020 Davis bought out the partnership and continued to build on the exemplary reputation the company has today. EMPLOYEE-CENTRIC PHILOSOPHY As an employee owned company, Gulf Coast Aluminum currently has 45 people on its payroll. Prioritizing transparency, Davis stresses, “Every month I do a financial meeting, and everybody sees every dollar. I’m like, here’s how much money I made this year, here is how much money you made this year. If you want to make more money, or move to a different department, by all means have at it.” He notes that the number one issue when he took over the business in 2020 was finding employees. “It was really hard to find anybody that wanted to try hard and lived in southwest Florida. People that live here are really ambitious people, with a lot of common sense, and they’re going to get a college education and leave. There’s really not that much 33 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12