Sloan Fencing - Boise
For a family with four generations of construction experience working for others, it was only natural that Ed and Sue Sloan seek to set up their own small construction business to help their four sons pay for college tuition bills. The family began working with the Region III Idaho SBDC in Boise and in 1991 formed Sloan Forest Construction Inc. with the mission of preparing logged areas for tree replanting.
Brice Sloan (age 19 at the time), Greg Sloan (17), Collin Sloan (12) and eventually Rusty Sloan (at the time age 10) built fire-breaks and piled brush and experienced almost immediate business success working for local Idaho timber mills. The business did more than provide college money - the brothers actually employed four other people at one time.
As Idaho's logging industry began to collapse, all their mill clients either went out of business or closed logging operations. Because the brothers enjoyed working together on difficult, outdoor projects, they sought similar business opportunities. Using the Better Homes and Garden Guide to Building Fences as their installation guide, a friend hired them to build a stock (for cattle) fence up an Oregon mountainside. The four brothers then won a U.S. Forest Service contract to fence a riparian area in remote Eastern Oregon. They were suddenly in the fencing business!
For the next several years, the brothers worked part time while attending college. In a close partnership with SCORE associates and the Boise Idaho SBDC, the partners obtained a Public Works license so they could pursue larger fencing projects for state, federal, local government and commercial/industrial clients.
Idaho SBDC assistance has since helped them build a shop and office building, and they have continued to build their business and their reputation for providing a quality product. In 2002, Sloan Fencing Company was named the Idaho Association of General Contractor's (AGC) Specialty Contracting Member of the Year. The company has grown from two employees in 1991 and revenues of $25,000 to 24 employees during the past year. Sales grew to $3.5 million in 2004, and were on course to exceed $4 million in 2005.
The one constant throughout this long-term expansion has been the company's continued assistance from the Idaho SBDC and the Small Business Administration. The SBA has provided guaranteed loan financing. The Idaho SBDC has helped the company improve its budgeting process, predict cash flow needs and develop strategies to integrate new management team members. Today the company specializes in building security fencing for government and private agencies.
