GET DAILY REPORT FREE
Gainey’s Concrete in Holden has taken a strategic and methodical approach to growth over the last 20 years or so, and it’s made all the difference.
It wasn’t always that way. For several years after its founding in 1981, the company served a primarily residential clientele with needed, but widely available, precast concrete products with limited growth potential. Following the untimely death of company founder Richard Gainey in 1994, his children ran the company over the next decade, struggling but surviving.
CONNECT WITH US
Top Executives: Greg Roache, President; Lisa Roache, Chief Executive Officer
Address: 28021 Coker Vail Road North, Holden, LA 70744
Phone: 225.567.2700
Website: gaineysconcrete.com
“I was 24 at the time,” says Gainey’s daughter and current CEO Lisa Roache. “Our first years were very trying. Through it all, we had some great mentors and got some great life lessons.”
The trajectory of the company radically changed, though, in 2003 when she met her future husband, Greg Roache. A chemist by education, he brought with him a wealth of experience in the corporate world, along with a more technical and strategic focus.
“They were on life support,” says Roache, current president of the company. “They were primarily selling a variety of small concrete products to the residential market with a relatively low barrier to entry and low profit potential.” Two other business lines were operating inefficiently and needed work.
To turn things around, Roache completely threw out the old business model and began transforming Gainey’s into a business-to-business enterprise, serving primarily owners and contractors. The company also constructed a crane building that enabled it to begin casting manholes, catch basins and heavy custom work within an enclosed facility.
“When we hung our first bridge crane in the building, direct labor went down 42 percent,” Roache says. “We took what was a commodity and made it profitable by lowering the cost to produce.”
A new path forward
It laid the groundwork for the evolution and growth of the company. Today, they’re riding the wave of unprecedented growth in the industrial sector, supplying two LNG plants and providing underground installations for a large data center. In just the last year, their revenue skyrocketed some 45 percent, and they’re currently planning a second location in Pensacola and considering expanding their footprint in Holden.
Fortunately, they were strategically prepared for the ramp-up. Gainey’s had beefed up their manpower and provided the necessary training, while also building a team of young leaders who are excited about the company’s future.
It’s Gainey’s innovative spirit that defines them. They take a proactive approach to their client relationships by providing them with workable solutions to real-world problems. Case in point – when microbial-induced corrosion began to damage concrete structures some 15 years ago, they incorporated antimicrobial admixtures and waterproofing into their processes to protect their products.
Additionally, they supply patented elevated precast platforms—used to elevate equipment in flood-prone areas—and are nationally known for their proprietary wastewater treatment plant technology.
Despite the challenge, they’ll quickly dive into a project and help an owner or contractor devise solutions. Greg Roache typically leads the effort, backed up by a design manager, vice president of operations, plant manager and CAD drafters. “We all get together and talk about it,” he says. “We just bounce ideas off of each other and great things happen.”
FROM THE PRESIDENT
“What sets Gainey’s apart is our loyal customer base, which values quality and service. We solve real civil engineering challenges, including corrosion protection for wastewater structures, where failure is not an option. We collaborate closely with engineering partners to develop structures that are practical and easy to install, welcoming opportunities to convert cast-in-place designs to precast. We think like contractors because constructability matters. We have multiple certified riggers on staff to address lifting challenges. We’re driven by EOS, supported by a passionate young team and experienced leadership, committed to remaining privately owned, and we stand behind every product we build.”
GREG ROACHE
