Economic forecast: Storm protection products firm readies itself for big year

Company: Brian Rist founded Storm Smart in 1996. He’s since helped grow the company, which manufactures and installs hurricane protection products, into one of the largest businesses in its field in Florida. With some 200 employees, it had record sales in 2018 and 2019 — $50 million and $49 million, respectively. That’s up from hovering between $22 million and $38 million in the previous five years. Part of the increase stems from a new line of Storm Catcher wind abatement screens, in addition to other innovations.

Storm Smart posted strong growth again in 2020, Rist says, up 46%. That growth came with some whiplash, and pandemic-led challenges. “To say 2020 was the craziest year of all time is putting it lightly,” Rist says. “Early on we thought the phones were going to stop ringing. All of us thought there would be no business in March. Then, all of the sudden the phones went on fire. Everyone was staying home and they wanted to do work in their house.”