“Starting the company seemed like the natural thing to do. I love to work with customers and help make their dreams a reality!” Al Stewart, Founder of Structural Buildings
We think it’s only proper that the first team member we feature on our blog in 2019 is Structural Buildings founder and CEO Al Stewart. Without Al, we wouldn’t have been able to provide superior quality, service and value to our customers these past 33 years. While Al is now semi-retired, he continues to have a strong presence at the company, fostering a fun and happy environment for team members and supportive relationships with customers and our suppliers. He’s also one of our top salesmen!
Commitment to Quality from the Very Beginning
Al says the decision to start Structural Buildings seemed like the natural thing to do. In the beginning, he and his team refined the post-frame construction process, committing early on to high-quality workmanship and materials. Al founded the Structural Buildings corporate office in Becker, Minnesota, where it remains today.
At first, Structural Buildings had its own lumberyard to ensure quality while keeping costs down. “We also did our own designing and computer drafting in-house,” Al remembers. “We were one of the very first companies—if not the first—in the St. Cloud area to use CAD. It was a big deal!”
Eventually, Al built relationships with lumber and other suppliers that were as committed to quality as he was. Al worked with these companies to develop new products, including glue-laminate columns and 28-gauge steel panels. We are proud to maintain relationships with many of these suppliers today.
Al’s Key to Success in His Own Words
“First of all, it’s not my success, but our success. I have always involved my team in decisions. They have been a big part of the company’s growth.
“Another key part of Structural Buildings’ success has been fostering good relationships with our customers and suppliers. I encourage my employees to go the extra mile for our customers because it is always, always worth it.”
Al on the Future of Structural Buildings
Today, Structural Buildings works with customers in five states. Al says he has no doubt that the momentum he and his team have built since 1985 will continue into the future. “I’ll always encourage all our employees to be ethical, happy and proud of what they do professionally and personally. After all, that’s what matters most in life!”
We think so, too, Al! It’s a pleasure to be a part of the team you’ve built. To discover for yourself Al’s commitment to quality and teamwork shines through in everything we do, contact a Structural Buildings team member today.
