A North Natomas manufacturer of columns, trim and other architectural products is moving to Lincoln to share space and collaborate with Gladding, McBean Co.
GC Products Inc. is scheduled April 1 to begin operating from 12,000 square feet within Gladding, McBean’s clay products factory, one of the largest manufacturers in Lincoln.
For Gladding, McBean, the move means more products under one roof and a leg up on competitors. For GC Products, the move means cheaper rent and access to more resources.
“They can build on our name,” said Bill Padavona, general manager and vice president of Gladding, McBean, noting his company’s 135-year history. “We thought there would be some synergies.”
A division of Pacific Coast Building Products Inc., Gladding, McBean has 110 employees. That’s down from an average of 240 workers between 2001 and 2007.
With 42 employees, GC Products is a large and welcome addition to the city of Lincoln, said Steve Art, the city’s economic development director. He estimated that GC Products will be the city’s fifth- or sixth-largest manufacturer in a field of about 20. It will pay good wages, comparable to those at Gladding, McBean, he said, and some of its employees are considering moving to Lincoln or neighboring communities.
Since it began in 2003, GC Products has grown steadily except for last year, when sales were flat compared to 2008.
“In today’s economy, that’s like growing,” said John Coburn, company president and majority owner.
The specialty products manufacturer, which also employs Coburn’s two sons and his wife, anticipates hiring about eight people by the end of this year. Sales should grow by 5 percent to 7 percent, Coburn said.
“There’s not a lot of people who do what we do,” he said. “We stay busy. This year’s looking pretty good.”
Big projects include providing materials for Thunder Valley Casino’s expansion, the Palladio at Broadstone shopping and entertainment complex in Folsom, the Westfield Galleria at Roseville expansion, and a new building for the University of the Pacific in Stockton. A few weeks ago, GC Products landed a $300,000 contract to supply materials for the new Seattle headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
GC Products, whose business is 90 percent commercial, also works on a lot of hospital seismic upgrades.
“Their quality of work is outstanding,” said Doug Elmets, Thunder Valley Casino spokesman. The United Auburn Indian Community, which owns the casino, “really wanted to use local suppliers, local contractors. This is a good example of that.”
With the move, GC Products will make custom products that Gladding, McBean can sell as a private label through its terra cotta division. The two companies potentially could share some design, drafting and engineering services, Coburn said.
GC Products will put the money it saves on rent into expansion, he said. While GC Products is losing about 4,000 square feet, it actually gains some production floor space because it can use an acre outside at Gladding, McBean, Coburn said.
Padavona of Gladding, McBean said he’s glad for the opportunity to work with GC Products, which he described as a “nice family-run company.”
The partnership should help Gladding, McBean compete against other suppliers.
For some buildings, for instance, clients buy terra cotta materials from Gladding, McBean and other architectural elements from other suppliers. By offering clients additional products made by GC Products, Gladding, McBean has a better opportunity to make both sales while saving the client the inconvenience of buying from two different suppliers, Padavona said.
It’s still uncertain how much Gladding McBean will buy from GC Products.
“We’re in the very early stages,” Padavona said. First, Gladding, McBean wants GC close by and to build a relationship with the company. Then, the two companies can “build a market together.”
Read more: Gladding, McBean partners with Natomas firm – Sacramento Business Journal: