We recently connected with Holly Gotfredson and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Holly thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

A life event in my mid-thirties gave me the experience and strength needed to step out in faith in the business world ten years later. My husband and I always wanted to have a large family. We struggled with infertility for several years and our miracle child, Leigh, was born. As she grew, we knew we wanted her to have a sibling so we went through several fertility treatments and procedures. When none of that worked, we looked at adoption- calculating the risk, fear, and trying our best to plan for all contingencies. We wound up spending the next two years on an international adoption. We carefully planned and completed paperwork each step of the way. Once we completed the process, we were approved for two children and traveled for almost three days to a village in Kazakhstan.

When we arrived, the representative from the orphanage informed us that no one knew we were coming. No one had read our homestudy and there were no children cleared at that time for international adoption. We were devastated.

It took us almost ten days to leave the country and return to the states. When we arrived home, our daughter Leigh asked where her brothers were. It was so tough to break the news. We were grief stricken. Several months went by and we tried to figure out if we were even going to continue to pursue adding to our family. A lady from church approached us and shared information about a hosting program for older children from Latvia, Russia and the Ukraine. We had a decision to make – could we overcome fear and risk, taking another chance that it could all end in failure? We stepped out in faith and hosted a 13 year old girl from Latvia. She was sweet, kind and immediately bonded with my younger daughter. We knew in a heartbeat that she was meant to be our daughter. And Kazakhstan? Well, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. If we had not failed there, we would’ve never considered adopting an older child. And the paperwork we had for Kazakhstan allowed us to be grandfathered into Latvia, granting us custody of Alex, our now daughter, in four months!

Ten years later I again had to carefully consider risk, fear and trying to plan for all contingencies when I purchased American Metalcraft, Inc.The lessons learned and wisdom earned in Kazakhstan returned.

It was a leap of faith, but after closing on the company, I never looked back.

I had learned a lot from working in the industry over the last decade, and learned even more moving into a business ownership role. In 2021, despite a supply chain shortage and more importantly a PAINT shortage, I took another leap of faith and purchased our metal coating and finishes company, Finishing Dynamics. I have to admit, I was afraid, especially not knowing when supply chain would return to normal and what the future held for the economy. But deep down I knew it was worth it to say yes. We wound up having our second best year in the history of the company in 2022.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I graduated from the University of Georgia with an Art History degree. About as far from metal manufacturing as you can get – or one would think. I worked in the art world for three years and moved to a career in marketing and adversiting in the real estate industry. After getting married, I started working with both companies part-time in 2004 – doing small office and marketing projects as needed, with very little experience in the metal or construction world. I worked hard with what I was given and had a natural curiosity to learn more about the architectural aluminum manufacturing and coating process as well as the industry. With a background in art, marketing and accounting I learned creative, critical and analytical thinking which are key skills in the A/E/C and manufacturing worlds. Both my husband, father-in-law and key leaders of our companies, took time to mentor and educate me about the businesses.

As the years went on and continuing to learn, I began to become more involved in business development, shaping the mission statement and vision for American Metalcraft, Inc as well as its sister company Finishing Dynamics. As I moved up into several leadership roles, I realized how much I had fallen in love with the industry. The artistry in what we do and just the whole process from design to delivery is fascinating. I also love being a part of projects all over the country such as Fort Bliss Hospital in El Paso, Westminster Highschool, Mercedes Benz stadium and headquarters right here in Georgia, Philly Live Casino in Philadelphia, San Franciso State University, Purdue University and more. In 2017, I decided to become a permanent part of the business and purchased American Metalcraft Inc. from my family. As a second generation owner in a family owned business, I knew I had big shoes to fill and took that responsibility very seriously. Forging long term relationships with architects, designers, installers and general contractors has been key to our long term success.In considering how to nuture those relationships even more, I created accredited classes for tarchitects, as well as presentations/training classes for the installers and GC’s that want to learn more about our products.

In 2017 after the company purchase, my team and I worked together to devise an aggressive marketing strategy and business plan to really put our company brands at the top of everyone’s material supplier list. Upon implementation, we saw record breaking sales – the largest sales we have ever had in the 36 year history of our companies. That was definitely a proud moment and with that momentum we’ve experienced continued growth and expansion.

Last year, I purchased the majority ownership stake in our sister company Finishing Dynamics. It was a big leap given the supply chain shortages especially in the paint world, but I have absolute faith in our teams, our process, our customers and what the future holds.

Have you ever had to pivot?

During the pandemic, the PVDF resin used in all extrusion and coil coatings was in short supply. The country that has the main supply shuttered all but a few of their manufacturing plants. What plants remained then sent much of their supply to the electric car battery industry. Almost eight months prior to this event, we had purchased and installed a state-of-the-art mix and match system, which allowed us to match up to 60% of solid paint colors in house. This new capability turned out to be a huge blessing as we moved towards 3rd quarter of 2021 when the resin shortage had a huge impact on our industry.

The three major supplies of extrusion and coil coating had to pivot quickly in order to protect their supply while also trying to keep their coaters across the country moving forward.

We also looked at potential alternative coatings we could offer. Our team put our heads together and realized that we could add FEVE (fluoropolymer based) coatings as an option if the PVDF color choice had a longer lead time than desired.

During this very uncertain time we were able to utilize cutting edge technology and an alternative coating option to overcome supply chain challenges.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Be authentic. Be vulnerable. One of the most important things I’ve learned in leadership is that if I expect my team to be real with me, I need to be real with them. Our leadership provide psychological safety for all team members. That means they each feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas on how we can improve our processes, what’s working and what’s not. It also allows them to share personal struggles they may be experiencing. In sharing those challenges, we can come together as a team to support and encourage that person.

I’m not afraid to admit that sometimes I don’t have the answer. I make mistakes. I am still a work in progress. I’ve found that when I embody a spirit of humility and teachability, my team follows suit. I’ve had some life events the last few years that have brought challenges. It’s been so encouraging and strengthening to know my team is there to support and encourage me.      

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.americanmetalcraft.com
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/american-metalcraft-inc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-gotfredson/

Image Credits
Abstract Photography, Inc.