Specialty Fabrics Review July 2020 - 36

NECPA

A C E N T U RY O F S U C C E S S

Futureguard Building Products Inc.
We continue to
see year-over-year
growth aided by
our commitment to
high-quality products
and service to our
customers.
ED KEOUGH, FUTUREGUARD
BUILDING PRODUCTS INC.

W

hile family-owned company
Futureguard, Auburn, Maine, is
still in its "young adulthood" after being in
business for 37 years, it has already flexed
the adaptability muscles often required for
long-term survival. "We are a picture of a
company that's evolved," says Ed Keough,
vice president of sales.
The company began as a building
products distributor selling primarily
to home improvement contractors.
Among its various original offerings were
aluminum awnings that it purchased
from another company. When that
manufacturer retired, owner Don Buteau
bought out its equipment and began
manufacturing aluminum awnings and
door canopies. "As you fast-forward on
the timeline, he was selling not only
to contractors but to the builder supply
companies in the days before [big box
stores]," says Keough. "That was a good
solid business."
The evolution to Futureguard's current
focus on custom awnings, canopies and

screens-and away from traditional
building products-involved a few more
steps. First, its aluminum awnings found
a larger audience: "Don connected with
the owner of Home Depot at a national
building show when they had eight
stores," says Keough. When those stores
started asking for fabric awnings in
addition to aluminum ones, Futureguard
began making fabric window awnings
and canopies, then slowly moved into
retractable awnings. Over time, the
company has continued to invest in its
manufacturing processes, which include
part machining and milling as well as a
new advanced powder coating line.
"We continue to see year-over-year
growth aided by our commitment to
high-quality products and service to our
customers," Keough says. In addition,
Futureguard has expanded its product line
to include exterior vertical solar screens
and formed a partnership with Draper
Inc., a large solar screen company.
Looking toward the future, Keough
says, "The industry itself is very viable but
I don't anticipate it will grow at a super
strong pace," adding that dealers will
continue to offer diversified products.
When it comes to dealing with COVID19, Keough is hopeful that there will just
be a little bit of a delay in terms of demand
and in the ability to sell. He says, "A very
big hope is that this 'staycation' mentality
will also give a boost" to the industry.

YEAR FOUNDED: 1983
ORIGINAL PRODUCTS:
Building products

TOP: Futureguard regional sales managers at an IFAI expo (left to right):
Ed Keough, Brett Hebberecht, Kevin Thomas, Landon Luiten.
BOTTOM: A Futureguard employee operates one of the company's acrylic fabric
glue "welders" used to make retractable awning fabric tops. Photos: Futureguard.

CURRENT PRODUCTS:
Stationary and retractable awning
systems and screen solutions
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 100+

36 REVIEW JULY 2020

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6/19/20 11:16 AM
Specialty Fabrics Review July 2020

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