Throughout the 70s and 80s, the family’s company grew, with Larry – recently home from service in the Vietnam War – now involved in day-to-day operations. The company was branching into different sub-specialties, increasing its customer base, and setting sales records. Finally, Larry presented his parents with a challenge: “It got to the point where I said to them, ‘you know, it’s kind of like playing poker – you either raise or you fold. And it’s about time we built a nice shop for ourselves.’” They increased their square footage, built a fabricating shop, invested in equipment, and did very well for a very long time.

By the early 90s, Larry’s parents were deceased and he was running the company with many of the people who had been with them for many years. Business was good until the economic bust in the 2000s – one that hit many in the construction industry hard. By 2007, Larry had been faced with some tough decisions, leading to significant downsizing and having to say goodbye to a lot of those loyal employees. It was a difficult time in his career.

Soon after, he made the decision to switch from the contractor role and become a broker for Star – a job he still maintains today. His business is still called United Progress and his relationships with the people at Star still stand strong. “Marcy Turner and Dave Severance – I can’t live without either one of them”, says Larry, “Marcy solves all my problems and fixes some of my screw-ups,” he laughs, “but they both just get things done and they still make it fun.”

As for Larry’s future in the metal building industry, he says retirement is near: “One of these days, I’m going to go to the furniture store and buy a rocking chair.”

We say well deserved, Larry. And if you happen to pick the wrong rocking chair … well, we’re not sure Marcy can help you with that one.