Man with a plan

The recession bombarded impact-resistant window and door manufacturer PGT Inc. in a way that few other Sarasota-Bradenton area firms experienced.

The lifeblood of the firm's business model, new housing starts, plummeted 90% nationwide over six months in 2008. PGT President and CEO Rod Hershberger likens a decrease that quick and steep to going from 60 miles per hour on a highway to six with one slam of the brakes.

It's no surprise, then, that PGT sales fell 55% in three years, from an all-time high of $371.6 million in 2006 to $166 million in 2009. The company, which manufactures and sells multiple lines of high-end doors and windows to a network of dealers, laid off about 40% of its 2,500-employee workforce during the recession.