Jack Sturdivant: 50 years of metal buildings

by Mark Robins | 3 June 2019 12:00 am

In 1969, four days after Jack Sturdivant’s 20th birthday, his father, C.O. Sturdivant, president and owner of Houston-based Whirlwind Steel[1], a manufacturer of power fans and louvers, and pre-engineered metal building systems, passed away suddenly. Unbeknownst to Jack, C.O. bequeathed the entire company to him, which he remembers as being “a complete surprise.”

In spite of this unexpected inheritance, Sturdivant has turned Whirlwind from a small regional company into a national business that is now one of the largest continually family-owned and -operated steel buildings and components manufacturers in the industry. On August 14, 2019, Sturdivant will be celebrating 50 years in the metal building industry, all with Whirlwind.

Sturdivant has been instrumental in growing Whirlwind from a $600,000 annual revenue company in 1969, to a high of $165 million dollar company in 2008. Originally having only a production capacity of 10,000 square feet, it now boasts over 450,000 square feet. Now called Whirlwind Steel Buildings and Components, the company has plants in Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia and Minnesota. Under Sturdivant’s leadership, Whirlwind has manufactured over 40,000 buildings and shipped countless metal roofing, siding and component products to customers and job sites all over the U.S. and internationally.

Sturdivant Success

Part of this growth is attributed to Whirlwind moving from being not just a metal building company, but also eventually selling metal components: sheeting, purlins, trim, etc. “In the late 1980s we moved into the component business,” Sturdivant says. “We were doing about $15 million a year, but after we moved to components it leapt to $165 million in the mid-2000s—a big key to our success. We always sold a few components, but we decided to make a mainstream move into it.”

I’ve always felt the metal building industry and the metal component industry produces well-designed, very efficient and economical products for public consumption. These are probably better designed that a lot of other forms of commercial construction. I’m proud of the fact that I work for a company and an industry as a whole that does this.“

Jack Sturdivant, Whirlwind Steel

Sturdivant knows strong, quality relationships are required to build strong, quality products, and he has built lifelong relationships with customers, coworkers and partners to do this. This is evident in the brand commitment that appears across all Whirlwind communications: We’ll Do the Right Thing Commitment.

“I’ve always practiced that,” Sturdivant says. “There’s always going to be problems in the construction business; it’s not an exact science. How did you handle those problems? Our team is empowered to quickly resolve issues that arise and make things right. I’ve always seen fixing a mistake promptly and correctly is a better asset for your image than doing the job right to begin with. That [brand promise] is part of our company philosophy; we’ve now memorialized it and incorporated it.”

Sturdivant claims his company’s growth has been organic. “We didn’t go public, we didn’t buy other companies—it’s been all internal growth.” But Whirlwind’s growth hasn’t been without challenges. “The economic crunch in the 1980s challenged everybody and almost sank us, but we got through it. Again, in 2008 our business dropped off dramatically.” He has also experienced the volatility of steel prices. “For 35 years of my career steel prices were very stable. You could sell a job in January and not ship it until August and you didn’t have to go to the customer for a price increase. But in 2004, steel prices would ramp up and down 100 percent within a 12- to 18-month period; it continues to be that way. You have to manage that very effectively or you won’t make it with those pricing changes. If you get on the wrong side of the pricing curve in purchasing your materials you will be losing money at an incredible rate.”

Family Run

For 64 years, three generations of Sturdivants have ensured Whirlwind’s success. Jack’s son Ty joined the company in 2001 and Jack mentored him to become president in 2012. In addition to employing his son, Jack is proud of the fact that he has over 300 employees at Whirlwind, 25 percent of which have been there over 10 years. “I’d like to think they’re treated like family here,” he adds.

The Sturdivants continually demonstrate it is still possible for a family-owned and -operated business to compete successfully in an industry that like so many others, often feels driven by consolidation. “A lot of times, family-owned businesses get weaker throughout the generations because they didn’t go through the school of hard knocks and didn’t pay all the prices as previous generations—not with this family,” he says. “My son is a fantastic businessman. He’s been with the company for 18 years. He’s doing most of the heavy lifting and I still have a number of areas that I tend to. He’ll be a better businessman that I am.” Working together, the Sturdivants are preparing for the fourth generation to be in a position to carry on a family legacy defined by fairness, quality and always doing the right thing for their customers.

Source URL: https://www.metalconstructionnews.com/metal-construction-hall-of-fame/jack-sturdivant/

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