Husky Foundations. Inc. is located in Buford, 30 miles north of downtown Atlanta. and services all the greater metropolitan Atlanta area. Gottlich opened the doors at Husky Foundations in 1985, and in just 12 years, has steered the company in a methodically planned growth program which has positioned it as the price and market leader of its industry in Atlanta.

A native of Atlanta, Gottlich graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, majoring in Industrial Management. After a two-year stint with Texaco, he joined Symons Corporation, a modular form supplier, where he became the Atlanta account manager.

"I realized then that there was a large untapped market out there," Gottlich recalls. "Many times, as a big commercial project began to wind down, there was less need for large amounts of manpower and equipment. General contractors would let people go and send equipment back, but they would invariably need to recall labor and equipment to do miscellaneous site work."

Realizing that he could save the general contractor both time and money by offering a service to correct those inefficiencies, Gottlich focused on small commercial concrete wall work on large commercial projects and incorporated Husky Foundations, Inc. in 1985.

Husky operated as a subcontractor for a residential poured wall contractor as well as doing work for commercial contractors during its first year, and then began subcontracting directly with residential builders. Today, their contract mix is 70 percent residential and 30 percent commercial.

Although Husky's business is primarily residential, Gottlich feels that commercial work is what gives his company the cutting edge. "I got my start in the commercial business and I am at home with it," he says. "Many wall companies are not used to the more detailed, complicated commercial projects, and having to deal with involved contracts and stringent quality and safety requirements. Small companies just can't deal with the incredible complexities of commercial projects and their forming applications. But we have found that our commercial business has been a great source of training for our people, as well as sharpening our residential work to a very high degree."

Gottlich is dedicated to raising the standards of his industry and runs his highly structured business with maximum efficiency, monitoring his operations through job-cost reports and efficiency and utilization reports which are reviewed at monthly meetings of Husky's department heads.

Efficiency means producing the desired result without waste, and that boils down to saving Husky's customers time. Todd Gottlich, who joined his brother in the business in 1988 as vice president, explains: "Time is of the essence to the builder. The faster he can get his foundation in, the faster he can begin construction. The size of our operation gives us the capability to get his job done quickly."

Husky Foundations now runs seven wall crews and eight footing crews. Another wall crew and two additional footings crews are slated to be added this spring. Between their equipment, including a fleet of over 30 vehicles, and their forms, Husky has made a financial commitment to the industry of well over $2 million.

In keeping with the company's professional image, all equipment is clean, well maintained, and replaced often. "That is an indication to all who see our equipment that ours is a professional company which takes pride in what it is doing," Gottlich comments. It also indicates the importance Husky Foundations places on safety.

Matt Gottlich is convinced that, although the foundation phase of construction is the most important part of the building process, it is the one aspect of construction the builder knows the least about. "In my view," he says, "that is the most important part of any residential or commercial project. Everything sits on that foundation. That is why we employ a level of commitment that cannot be surpassed. We work closely with our builders through our account managers from beginning to end on each job."

At Husky Foundations, the account manager is more than a salesman. He is the first line of communication to the builder. Not only does he quote the job and get the sale, he has to know the wall and footing business, and how its application will impact each job. Todd Gottlich notes, "We work with the builder from the moment he gets his plans and gives them to us. We arrange scheduling and make sure the job is complete and correct." The account manager even handles billing and collecting, so it is personalized service from start to finish.

"We schedule our jobs up to a month in advance," says Kent Timmerman, Husky's field manager, "and if we tell the builder we will be there, he knows we will be. We stress quality, checking every job before the concrete is poured. Supervisors double-check the work on completion. I came to Husky because I believe that Matt Gottlich runs this business the way a business should be run. Husky has a great reputation. Our builders know they are going to get the product and the service. We have the experience, the personnel and the equipment to give our builders quality in a timely fashion."

Business is booming at Husky Foundations. It is just completing four apartment projects, all done simultaneously, and is doing the tennis stadium for the AT&T Challenge at the Atlantic Athletic Club.

The future is also looking good. Plans include a new and bigger facility as Husky continues to expand its business. "We hope to be operating in at least one out-of-state location three to five years from now," Matt Gottlich confides, "and we will continue to deepen our penetration in the Atlanta market. We are also diversifying into equipment leasing.

"Atlanta has always been a positive market, even in the down times. It is the best market in the country and I am happy to be here to experience it," Gottlich smiles. Atlanta can rest assured that Husky Foundations, Inc. will continue to provide the experience, professionalism, communication and quality work that brand its foundations with Husky's stamp of excellence.