In their annual Inc. 500 issue, Inc. magazine recognized La Crescenta, Calif-based Pacific Pavingstone as one of America's fastest-growing private small business construction companies for 2004. With 92.5 percent annual growth and revenue reaching 6.1 million in 2003, founder Terry Morrill prides himself on moving well over 350 tons of material a week for residential custom driveway and patio paving stone jobs throughout the Los Angeles area.
Terry started Pacific Pavingstone with his son Trent in June 1999. They built the company on three basic principles: 1) Deliver a great product, 2) Never spend more than they make, and 3) Reinvest profits back into the company.
With one crew, a beat up 1973 Chevy, and an assortment of tools, they started installing paving stone driveways and patios out of Terry's garage. Their great products and exceptional customer service gave way to many referrals and soon they had more work than they could handle.
Terry attributes their phenomenal success to the company's management system. "We developed a strategy to expand to seven paving stone crews, move into larger facilities, and update our equipment, all without ever borrowing money," Morrill says.
As they continued to grow and hire more crews, Terry adopted a philosophy that ensured the high quality the company was known for wouldn't suffer. "We only hire and train our own crewmembers in true old-world artisan style," he says. "We refuse to use sub-contractors."
Further growth occurred when Terry's second son Chad joined them and started California Waterscapes in June 2001. Using the same business principles, he built that division into one of the largest pond and waterfall installers in the country. Starting from small ponds priced at $3,000 to large projects valued at over $100,000, California Waterscapes continues to grow and installs nearly 200 waterfalls and ponds a year.
The most recent addition occurred in early 2002 when Morrill Landscape Group was created, headed by Ken Bilheimer. Ken brought over 20 years experience as a landscape contractor and an extremely wide knowledge of residential landscapes.
"We're really a pretty ordinary company. It's not like we have some revolutionary product. We just have a system that works" Terry says. Today, Pacific Pavingstone is building a new, state-of-the-art office and warehouse facilities, which will house all three companies by the end of 2004. With 85 employees, including 11 fully equipped crews, they are anything but ordinary.