Business View - November 2015 107
but be a separate entity. Barrera says they look forward to
the payoff in efficiency from new equipment, and increas-
ing revenue 30 to 40 percent. They’d also like to get in
on the ground floor of upcoming projects in their own city.
Jacksonville is growing – bringing in more work and more
jobs for the community.
Allstate Steel is like a big family, with many long-time em-
ployees and little turnover. Suggs believes in keeping her
people happy. “We’ve implemented a lot of incentive pro-
grams for workers, and Eddy and I work together to ensure
everyone is satisfied with what they’re doing. We commit
to our customers to finish the project on time and in bud-
get. Our employees are willing to put in extra time to do
that.” Finding new workers to take the place of retirees is
a difficult task. Most steel companies pass tradespeople
from one shop to another, following the jobs. Allstate is
currently working with the University of North Florida to
find young people interested in this field of work, so they
can train them in the shop.
One last piece of advice from Suggs: “Marketing is a big
deal, especially in our business. With a product like steel,
you need a good website to draw people and build sales. If
your name is out there and they know you’re a substantial
company, they tend to give you a chance to bid their work.
The days of door-to-door sales are long gone.”
PREFERRED VENDORS
Suwannee Iron Works & Fence, Inc.
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neefence.com
MANUFACTURING
