Precast Inc. - November/December 2008 - (Page 38) “WE LEARNED A LOT FROM THE FOUNDERS: THAT CONSISTENT, CONSERVATIVE GROWTH WAS HEALTHY. WITH REALLY, REALLY AGGRESSIVE GROWTH – WELL, YOU COULD GET LUCKY AND SCORE A HOME RUN OR YOU COULD GET KILLED.” – DOMINIC GIROTTI “Absolutely!” he said. “After a couple of years, I knew it was the best decision I could have made.” New agenda takes flight “We wanted to grow the company consistently,” Dominic said. “We learned a lot from the founders: that consistent, conservative growth was healthy. With really, really aggressive growth – well, you could get lucky and score a home run or you could get killed.” In the early 1990s when Dominic took over Hy-Grade Precast, cash flow dictated the growth rate. Hy-Grade grew under Dominic’s direction, but it grew conservatively, with available capital. Dominic’s initial agenda was to expand the existing product line and expand the customer base. “Coming out of the telecommunications business, one of the first initiatives was creating adaptations to an existing product,” he said. “We modified our small utility buildings to serve applications in the telecommunications industry. Hy-Grade had made utilitarian buildings before, but with very few value-added amenities.” Dominic focused on providing the most value-added options for customers. Adaptations to utility buildings included insulation and mechanical and electronic outfittings. “Stretching” products for new markets Dominic and Mike started going after bigger and more specialized applications. Where the elder Girotti brothers had already fought their tough battles in the precast industry, the young Girotti cousins were new owners who were hungry for business opportunities. They “wanted to take the world by the horns and run with it,” according to Dominic. “We started with the utility buildings and expanded their potential applications in different industries. We developed a hazardous material storage unit, for example,” he said. “We’re a licensee of Easi-Set for both A HY-GRADE PRECAST CONCRETE UTILITY BUILDING IS BEING HOISTED ATOP A 155-FOOT-TALL CEMENT STORAGE SILO AT A LAFARGE CEMENT MANUFACTURING PLANT IN WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO. WALTER STECYK, MASON, ADDS A LAYER OF GRANITE VENEER TO THE EXTERIOR OF A UTILITY BUILDING. 38 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 | PRECAST INC.
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