Ahead of the Curve

By Sheila LaMothe

In 1974, Chuck Sterling and Paul Balliette founded S&B Metal Products, housed in a small, rented building in Macedonia, OH. Just a few years later, the pair began expanding their contract manufacturing company, gradually increasing their footprint, capabilities, and locations.

It’s always interesting to hear how partnerships started. Often, it’s where and when you least expect. In my twenties, I was invited to join a co-ed softball team. Not because I was good, but because they needed a minimum number of women in order to play. Enticed by the pizza and beer that followed each game, I signed up. Little did I know my less than stellar skills as our team’s catcher would lead to meeting my husband of 25 years.

The business partnership between Chuck and Paul also began on a softball field. Teammates in a church league, Chuck had a background in manufacturing and Paul in sales. They decided to combine their talents and start a company together. With humble beginnings, S&B Metal Products offered manufacturing services to local companies. After experiencing some growth, in 1978 Chuck and Paul rented additional space in Twinsburg, OH, but it was in the mid-80s when the pair invested in S&B’s first significant expansion. Making the decision to stay in Twinsburg, they broke ground on a new, much larger building, a building S&B still calls home today.

Welcome to the Sunshine State
After spending a few vacations in Florida, Chuck noticed the growth the state was experiencing. Chuck and Paul felt it was an environment where a new manufacturing company could flourish, and in 1986, S&B took its expansion out of state to Lakeland, FL.

Turns out, Chuck and Paul were on to something. If you were to ask the average person which industry makes the highest contribution to Florida’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), most would make an immediate connection to beaches, Mickey Mouse, and citrus fruit—but they’d be wrong. According to the 2023 Florida Manufacturing report compiled by Florida Commerce, manufacturing has surpassed tourism, agriculture, and transportation in terms of impact on the Sunshine State’s GDP. In fact, the report shares that Florida’s manufacturing output grew from $43.5 billion in 2014 to $73 billion in 2022, representing a 67.8% growth rate over nine years, significantly outpacing all other leading manufacturing states. Add to that, in September 2023, manufacturing employment in Florida reached 422,800, surpassing both Georgia and New York to become the tenth largest state for manufacturing employment in the U.S.

As S&B continued to expand, it did so in Florida, adding locations in Bradenton (1998), Daytona Beach (2002), and Apopka (2018). Certainly, the growth of Florida manufacturing has expansion, but as current President Brent Cessna shares, “The weather in Florida is much nicer than the weather in Ohio, so that didn’t hurt either.”

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
Over the years, S&B’s Twinsburg plant added capabilities, making it a full-service operation. As S&B expanded into Florida, Chuck and Paul made the conscious decision to continue with the proven model of the Twinsburg facility that had served them so well. Brent explains, “Each manufacturing plant is set up in the same way with like capabilities.” Today, production processes include programming, laser cutting, sawing, bending, welding, CNC machining, and assembly.

While the facilities vary in size, with Bradenton being the largest and Daytona the smallest, setting the plants up with similar capabilities enables work to be shared between the plants, and according to Brent, it often is.

That’s not to say there aren’t any differences between plants. For example, S&B added liquid coating to their Twinsburg, Bradenton, and Lakeland plants. In 2005, powder coating was added in Twinsburg, and shortly after, in Bradenton. Brent shares, “The driving force behind transitioning from wet spray to powder coat was customer driven. Several of our larger customers began requiring their parts that were once wet sprayed, to now be powder coated.” Liquid coating was phased out of the Twinsburg and Bradenton facilities, leaving Lakeland as the only location that still offers it.

A Company Within a Company
Finding more and more customers requiring a coating on their product, S&B acknowledges how important it is to have the capability in-house. While offering powder coating helps S&B to be a true one-stop-shop for its customers, coating S&B fabricated parts wasn’t the impetus for adding the process. When the powder coat operations opened in Twinsburg and Bradenton, it was driven by a desire to take on custom coater work. In fact, they were set up as individual companies under a name with no connection to S&B Metal Products—National Powder Coat.

Brent shares, “National Powder Coat in both Ohio and Florida have their own tax ID and their own customer base. The hope was that if the powder coating operation was set up as a separate company, it would increase opportunities, maybe even bringing in work from competitors.” According to Brent, in any given month, S&B manufactured product may only account for 50% of National Powder Coat’s total sales volume. “We didn’t want the coating operations to live and die by the work they are fed from S&B. We want them to survive on their own,” Brent explains. And yes, National Powder Coat does coat parts for S&B competitors that do not have the capability in-house.

Man’s Best Friend
Over the years, unique projects have passed through S&B’s shops, many with connections to Florida icons. Disney’s 100-year anniversary celebration featured topiaries fabricated by S&B. Hop in the car and an hour and fifteen-minute drive northeast of Disney (depending on traffic) brings you to Daytona International Speedway. If you are lucky enough to have access to the indoor suites, you will find another S&B project: the decorative stainless-steel cladding and railings incorporated during the latest remodel. From Daytona, head down to the Space Coast where components fabricated by S&B for NASA were launched into space and are currently orbiting the earth on the International Space Station.

When you think of sheet metal fabrication, it’s probably safe to say it’s unlikely our four-legged friends come to mind. But in the case of S&B, they should. Looking to partner with a precision fabrication company to manufacture their pet grooming and veterinarian products, PetLift approached S&B in 2009. Offering everything from grooming, exam, and surgery tables to tubs and cages, PetLift products accommodate pets of all sizes, from tiny kittens to massive Great Danes.

On any given day, a walk through the PetLift section of the Bradenton plant will brighten the day of all animal lovers. It’s not just the thoughts of cherished furry family members that come to mind when seeing pet related products on the shop floor, it’s also the rainbow of colors they come in that lifts spirits. Thanks to in-house powder coating, groomers can order tables in any color their hearts desire, from hot pink to purple to bright green.

Over the course of the partnership, S&B was presented an opportunity to acquire PetLift. Determined to be a good business decision, PetLift is now an S&B company and continues to be a leader in the industry. If you are keeping track, that’s three companies under the S&B Metal Products umbrella: fabricator, custom coater, and OEM—quite a trifecta.

A Golden Opportunity
2024 marked a major milestone for the company started by two softball teammates. Under the leadership of Paul Balliette’s son Charlie, who took over as CEO on January 1st, S&B Metal Products celebrated its 50th anniversary. However, steering the S&B ship was not always on Charlie’s radar.

Before starting his junior year at Ohio State, Charlie worked as a general laborer in the Twinsburg plant, getting some time on the press brake and laser. The following summer, he entered Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. “I didn’t really have any plans to take over the business at that time. My immediate plans were to go into active duty with the Marines after the events of September 11, 2001,” shares Charlie. After serving on active duty from 2005 to 2014, Charlie was hired as a baseball coach, teacher, and athletic administrator at his high school alma mater. While he admits he still didn’t really have a long-term plan, Charlie was happy he found a soft place to land after active duty, something he shares wasn’t a given for many of his military peers.

In 2020, Charlie rejoined S&B in the human resources department. “While not my best strength, being in HR gave me the opportunity to meet everyone in the company and not be a disruption to operations,” he explains. Charlie thinks that deep down, he always wanted to be in the family business, noting, “I certainly didn’t want to see it sold.” Hoping to continue his family’s legacy, Charlie is well aware of the impact engaging the next generation has on S&B’s continued success. S&B’s management team fears the current labor shortage is only going to get worse. Looking to combat this trend, the company supports initiatives to educate young people about the high-quality careers manufacturing offers.

For the past two summers, S&B has opened its doors to the State College of Florida (SCF) Futuristic Finishing Camp. A co-branded initiative between SparkForce—the FMA Foundation, and the Chemical Coaters Association International Finishing Education Foundation (CCAI FEF), the camp held at SCF provides a hands-on introduction to manufacturing and industrial finishing to kids ages 12 to 16. After touring S&B’s fabrication operations, kids have the opportunity to clean parts in preparation for finishing and try their hand at powder coating. “By inviting kids into our shop, they can see our high tech equipment in action. The hands- on activities reinforce engagement and generate a sense of accomplishment,” explains Charlie. Expanding its involvement with SCF’s finishing camp in 2025, campers will spend more time on S&B’s shop floor taking a part through the complete fabrication process, before powder coating it and taking it home.

Celebrating the company’s rich history while keeping a steadfast eye on the future has S&B Metal Products well positioned to continue doing their part in keeping the wheels of American manufacturing turning for many years to come.

Sheila LaMothe is editor of Powder Coated Tough.