TUMWATER - Truss Components of WA Inc. makes trusses - wood frames t hat give the roof on a house its slope and structure.

The company, which has operated a Tumwater manufacturing plant since 1992, has benefited from South Sound’s growing real estate market.

Before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Truss Components produced trusses for an average of 115 homes a month, said General Manager Chad Johnson.

To boost the post 9/11 economy, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates, and real estate became the next hot investment.

As a result, Truss Components saw its business increase from an average of 115 homes a month to an average of 175 homes a month, Johnson said.

In the process, the business went from one that was busy only in the summer to one that was busy all year, he said.

Trio of locations

Truss Components has three branches, including Redmond and Cornelius, Ore., where Johnson got his start in 1986 at 19. Ten years later, after stints in production, delivery and sales, Johnson became the general manager of the Tumwater branch in 1996.

Today, the business, which grows to 45 employees in the summer, serves mostly South Sound builders, but it also has worked with builders in Ocean Shores and in the Central Washington town of Quincy.

One of its customers is the Olympia branch of Adair Homes, a Vancouver, Wash., company that builds 100 to 115 homes a year, said Sam Hyatt, construction superintendent of the Olympia branch.

“What sets them (Truss) apart is their ability to service us as customers,” Hyatt said. “They handle problems very well and are good to work with.”

When building a home, timely delivery of a truss package also is important, Hyatt said.

“They (Truss) guarantee a certain turnaround (time),” he said.

Competitors

Thurston County’s rapid real estate development has spawned competition for Truss Components. One such competitor is Tru Truss Inc. in Lacey.

“Everyone has their list of customers,” said Rob Harmon, Tru Truss’ general manager. “We’re not always competing for the same jobs, but it happens on occasion.”

The bigger challenge to South Sound truss makers, Harmon said, is the arrival of out-of-area companies such as Tri-County Truss, a business that works closely with the state’s largest home builder, Quadrant Homes.

Johnson also has his eye on the recently slowing Thurston County real estate market.

After expanding his production capacity, Johnson has watched as business has dropped from an average of 175 homes a mo nth to 125 homes a month. Truss Components grew to meet the demand of 175 homes a month, but has settled for fewer orders as the pace of home sales has slowed, Johnson said.

“It feels a lot slower because our comfort level is higher,” he said.

Rolf Boone covers business for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5403 or at rboone@theolympian.com.

Business profile

Name: Truss Components of WA Inc.

Business: Truss manufacturer

Address: 5232 Joppa St., Tumwater

General Manager: Chad Johnson

Staff: 35 to 45

Hours: Truss runs two shifts, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Materials: Truss uses 250,000 board feet of wood per month.

Market: Mostly residential homes

Niche: Complex truss designs

Source:

http://www.theolympian.com/102/story/65414.html