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The building products industry, at least by the count of one recent survey, has a tower full of optimists.
In fact, when it comes to annual sales, the survey, from Sarasota-based Brooke Chase Associates, a building materials executive search firm, was downright cheery. Nearly three-fourths of the respondents, 73%, say revenues increased at their companies in the last quarter of 2011. More than eight out 10, meanwhile, forecast a revenue increase in 2012.
A majority of the survey respondents are C-level executives or sales managers in the building products industry. Brooke Chase specializes in finding executives for firms mostly in the plumbing, cabinet, kitchen and bath segments of the industry. In addition to Sarasota, it has offices in Birmingham, Ala., Charlotte, N.C., Chicago and San Francisco.
Despite the hopefulness, though, this being the building industry, and this being a recession, some gloominess remains. For instance, 41% of respondents say their firm's 2011 revenues were below expectations.
Furthermore, an anonymous comment that followed that question sums up what many people, in any industry, are likely thinking these days. The comment: “Best thing to say about last year is it leveled off and didn't get any worse. First year in the last four years we were able to keep all our employees.”
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