# Forging the Future of a Family-Owned Business

Customer Spotlight: EC Fence and Ironworks – Norristown, PA

Like so many businesses, it all started in a garage.

Gwen and Erik Sims hadn’t always envisioned starting their own business, but after a friend’s request for a custom piece of metalwork, everything changed and EC Fence and Ironworks was born.

The couple started small, fabricating designs in the garage of their home after regular work hours at their day jobs, and often well into the night.

“We would create completely out of our garage. I would chalk a design all out on the floors of the garage and then sweep it up and do the next one,” says Erik. “We had three different places where we would keep materials, and that’s how it all started.”

But as word of their product grew and orders increased they quickly began to grow and needed to begin truly building the business. At first, they used credit cards to finance purchases for supplies, materials, and space. And, at one point they used the funds from selling their home to complete a contract, hoping to complete the order before needing the money for the final payment on their new house.

“It hurts to think of the interest payments on those credit cards or some of the risks we took at the beginning because we didn’t know what we were really doing,” says Gwen.

A Growing Business. Now What?

With a growing business and needing a more complete financial plan to harness the momentum of their effort, Gwen contacted her long-time bank, Penn Community Bank, to see how they could help.

The pair agrees it was really the line of credit and partnering with Commercial Banker Nicole Boytin that took EC Fence and Ironwork’s growth to the next level.

“The access to capital, the expertise, everything. It’s just been amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish as we’ve developed this relationship,” says Gwen. “Nicole provided a supreme comfort level and had the knowledge to handle all of our crazy ideas.”

Today, EC Fence and Ironworks is a certified Women Owned Business (WBE) which specializes in industrial and commercial fencing and ironworks. It employs nearly 50 staff at a more than 8,000-square foot facility, complete with everything from fabricating space to dedicated areas for specialty work such as stainless steel and CNC machining.

“It doesn’t feel like there is a year – or even a month – that goes by that we’re not growing,” says Erik as he rattles off a series of recent acquisitions and new projects, like his new miscellaneous metals business. Among the company’s biggest – and busiest – divisions are its work for the Homeland Security Department and automated gate services.

“We’ve been able to make investments and expand our focuses in part because of working with Penn Community Bank.”

Like a Family

As a growing family business, it’s no surprise Erik and Gwen’s son is taking an interest in the family endeavor as part of the production team. But, their EC Fence and Ironworks “family” is more than just the Sims’.

“We are a really tight knit business – we wouldn’t be where we are without this group,” says Gwen. “For us, we wanted to build a place that felt like family and we’ve placed a lot of emphasis on putting people first. That extends to our relationship with Penn Community Bank and what we’ve been able to do together.”

That emphasis is clear as they point to team members who have grown in their roles within the business, others buying their first home, and even being a part of helping other individuals start their own businesses.

The success of Erik and Gwen’s business has enabled them to give back to their employees, as well as the community – from supporting local youth sports teams and serving on the boards of nonprofits, such as NOVA and Elmwood Park Zoo, to putting their professional skills to work in helping build the Charles L. Blockson Exhibition, one of the world’s largest collections of African American history and culture.

“If you would have told me all those years ago that we’d be sitting here today talking about a successful business that is really our passion, I wouldn’t have believed you,” chuckles Gwen as she reflects on her company’s unique story.

But there is no doubt that, with the help of Penn Community Bank and the commitment of the Sims family, EC Fence and Ironworks is a business as strong as the metal they work.

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