30 years ago . . .

When three Penfield Township men got the notion to start their own business they kept one common thought in mind: “What do we have to lose?”

In spite of their calm reserve, partners Larry Rader, Jake Smith and his son, Scott Smith, soon were to learn they had everything to gain.

Thirty years ago this coming spring, Scott, Jake and Larry made the decision to quit their jobs with a poured wall contractor in Bath, Ohio and start their own concrete poured wall company in Penfield Township. Modern Poured Walls, Inc. was formed with the three partners, five employees and the equipment necessary to construct high-quality poured wall basements. During its initial year of business, Modern Poured Walls was hired to pour 150 basements.

As Scott Smith looks back at the company's 30-year-old history, he remembers that he and his partners jumped into the business with few fears. “When we started this business we were so young it didn't matter…Larry and I didn't have anything to lose. It may have been a little different for my dad because he owned a home,” said Scott who got his share of business startup money by obtaining a $4,500 loan (with 22 percent interest!) and using his old car and a stereo as collateral.

Modern Poured Walls would undergo many transformations and a lot of growth. In the early 1980's, the company's partnership made a change, with Jake selling his share of the business to Scott and Larry. Later in the decade, they gradually would accept new responsibilities for the business, which would take them out of the field.

“Both of us really love this business.” Smith said. “When we first go to a site there is just a hole there and when we are done there is something where there was nothing. We are constantly moving equipment, so we are always in a different place. We're like big kids with a huge sandbox.”

During the mid-1980s to the present, Modern Poured Walls added Excavating and Concrete Flatwork to their offering of construction services. Ten years or so ago, a Waterproofing department was added. “From 1985 until now we added other services as the need arose and the time was right,” explained Smith.

At the end of 2003, Larry retired leaving sole ownership of MPW to Scott.  MPW now boasts a staff of more than 200 employees and nearly as many trucks and vans. The business constructed nearly 1,000 poured basements in 2005 and, according to Smith, “We poured 56,000 cubic yards of concrete in just footers and walls.  That is enough to concrete a 12-foot wide driveway from Cleveland to Akron or from Wellington to Mansfield."

Modern Poured Walls handles both residential and commercial work, although residential business makes up 85 percent of the company's volume.  The company travels to construction sites from Twinsburg to Marblehead and from Lake Erie to Mansfield.  Word of mouth has been a big factor for the company, which added a sales department several years ago and does a small amount of marketing.

“This business has been a source of a lot of amazement and pride in what we've accomplished as a company,” commented Smith on Modern Poured Walls' success. “We have a good solid Midwestern economy and haven't had the ups and downs they've had on the coast.  Lorain County is a good place to be in business – good help is available and the people here have good values.

“We've chosen to buy good equipment and use modern technology in our business, and people want to work for us. With the equipment we have, we virtually can't be stopped from working unless we have below-zero temperatures or rain,” comments Smith.

“Our success is not due entirely to our own efforts. We worked hard but there are other factors. I believe God has had a hand in things that have happened to us. We've worked hard and made a lot of mistakes…sometimes I think we've succeeded in spite of ourselves,” concluded Smith.