See it through

A business on two continents, approaching $60 million in combined sales, can trace its birth to a family of impatient — yet opportunistic — entrepreneurs.

The company, Origin, got its start building indoor pools in and around London. Some higher-end clients, says executive Neil Ginger, sought better track doors to get to the pool area. They sought something wide and sleek, but also functional and safe. Ginger and the team, including his father, uncle and his cousin, Victoria Brocklesby, found a German manufacturer that made aluminum bifolding sliding doors. Customers loved them.

One problem: The German supplier quickly ran out of inventory. “That was the seed that started Origin,” says Ginger. “There was a lack of an ability to buy them from someone else. We weren't looking to start a business.”