Fuldner family grew EFCO from $5,000 to more than $200M a year

EFCO is known for its energy-efficient products — a result of thermally-improved framing and accessories throughout the manufacturing process.

The company was started in 1951 by Terry Fuldner and George Eberle. The friends borrowed $2,500 apiece to form the company and began selling windows for a manufacturer in Florida and to lumber yards and home improvement contractors in the St. Louis area. The company became a corporation in 1953. In 1954 the company moved to a 5,000-square foot building in St. Louis County to accommodate new aluminum products that required a bigger manufacturing facility. In 1955 the company began making residential windows and purchased the tooling and inventory of Melco Window Company of Magnolia, Ark. as part of the expansion.

EFCO moved to Monett in 1957. The city had just lost the Frisco Railroad company as one of its chief employers in the area, and EFCO’s arrival reinforced that workforce with an 18,000-square foot plant that began operating with 25 employees. The company expanded another 25,600-square feet in 1961 with the addition of a contract to construct aluminum cargo boxes for aircraft parts. The new plant held two more production lines and etching tanks. A second plant was started in Aurora solely to make windows for metal building manufacturers. By 1968 the company was bringing in revenues of about $3 million.

In 1962, Eberle sold his stock and left the company. The Fuldner family retained ownership of the corporation. Founder Terry Fuldner was honored as “Small Businessman of the Year” by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and inducted into the Glass Hall of Fame in 1997.

The plant was again expanded in 1972 to include a new integrated horizontal paint line which allowed architectural products to be offered in a variety of colors. This expansion increased sales, and a change to thermally-broken aluminum frames that made the manufacturing process more energy-efficient also provided revenue growth. By 1981, sales had grown to $17.5 million annually.

Two 125,000-square foot plants were built in Monett in 1981 and 1985 to accommodate the company’s growth. Curtain wall products were added to the line in 1986, which was also the year current CEO Chris Fuldner became president of the company and assumed management of its operations. Terry Fuldner eventually retired from the company in 1999, handing over the functions of Chairman of the Board and CEO to Chris Fuldner. In 1987 the company expanded yet again with another 50,000-square feet to accommodate a 2,500-ton, seven-inch extrusion press. The growth throughout the 80s progressed steadily so that in 1990 the company was bringing in $90 million in annual revenues.

A plant was built in Chicago in 1990 and in Oklahoma City in 1992. Also in 1992 the company completed the world’s largest window replacement project: Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village in New York City, consisting of 58,416 window units.

Throughout the 90’s, EFCO continued producing custom products and eventually became a $100-million corporation midway through the decade. The Monett plant again added 50,000-square feet, and three other plants were placed in Verona, Va.; Dallas, Texas; and Barnwell, S.C.

The year 2000 saw EFCO move into the $200 million range, and in 2001 the company purchased two CNC-controlled machining centers for storefront and window production. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003. With facilities totaling 901,000 square feet and about 1,800 employees.