If you happen to find yourself in central Virginia, don’t be too surprised if you spot a few people out sporting hats or shirts with Capps Home Building Center emblazoned on the front. That’s just the kind of brand that Capps has built over nearly five decades: one that people are proud to wear.
President Bruce Shelton, who has been with the company since 2007, said Capps’ culture has been the mainstay that keeps the business growing.
“When you look back at the growth, not only of the brick and mortar portion of it, but the people that we’ve been able to add to the Capps family, we’ve been blessed,” Shelton said. “I think it’s for us, the biggest challenge was to make sure that we maintain the culture that was established 46 years ago: one of service to others.”
Founded as Moneta Building Supply in 1978 by Dave Cappellari, Capps rebranded in 1997, moved its main location to Smith Mountain Lake in 1998, and has spent the years since carefully expanding its base.
The business offers a wide variety of products, including windows and doors, decking and railing, lumber, flooring, siding, paint, stone, and more. The company also provides estimating and installation services and local contractor recommendations for DIY customers.
Shelton said one of the biggest drivers of their success has been the investments they make in people.
“One thing that makes us unique is we take care of our employees first and our customers second, which may be a little backwards to how most people view it, but we figure if we’re doing a good job taking care of our employees, then they’re going to do a good job taking care of our customers, so we really try and focus on the employee experience first.”
A presence in the community
In 2023, Capps opened its newest location in Troutville, VA, which Chief Operating Officer Ryan Cappellari said has already surpassed expectations.
“Between our new Troutville facility and our installed sales division, those are the two fastest growing segments of our business, and that’s allowed us to stay diversified and grow even in these kind of uncertain economic times that we’ve experienced this year,” Cappellari said. “We’re trending in the right direction from a growth standpoint. But more importantly, our concern with growth is being able to carry over our corporate culture and Troutville has not only adopted that, they’ve really taken it to heart and spread that throughout the community, which is really exciting to see.”
The company is also very active in the community, according to Marketing Specialist Allison Szuba, and participates in the Roanoke Regional and the New Valley River home builders associations, as well as working with nonprofits like St. Jude and Habitat for Humanity. That involvement has helped build Capps not only as a business, but also as a well-known brand.
“We have a lot of wearables, and we see a lot of people wearing our clothes all over town, sweatshirts, hats, T-shirts, and we want them to be proud to wear that Capps logo wherever they are,” Shelton said. “I think that the biggest surprise for us in moving to the Troutville location was the reception we got from the entire professional community, and how well known the Capps brand already was from how we had serviced those customers for the previous 45 years.”
Investing in human capital
Even with challenges in the labor market, Shelton and Cappellari said continuing to invest in people with innovative benefits has helped them retain employees.
Along with the company’s work with nonprofits, Capps also give each employee a paid day to volunteer in the community for a cause or organization of their choice.
“We figure, there’s power in numbers, and there are a lot of nonprofits and charities that desperately need volunteers to come in and help them achieve their missions, and so we offer an eight-hour community service day to all of our employees each year,” Shelton said.
In addition to volunteer time, the company also offers employees the opportunity to continue education and build skills that can help them with their careers, both now and in the future.
“If they want to get a degree in a field that’s relative to what they do or what they could do next within Capps, then we do have an educational reimbursement program here to help defray some of the cost of them being better for themselves and being better for us as well,” Shelton said. “It could be as simple as getting a CDL, or getting a master electrician’s certification or dues for a public speaking class or anything like that. If they feel like they need strengthening in certain aspects of their lives, and it could be a blend between personal and professional improvement.”
The company is also in the process of establishing a scholarship program in the community to encourage students to pursue trade careers in the industry.
When asked about additional growth in the future, Shelton reiterated that while new locations are on the table, they won’t happen without the right people in place.
“We want to continue to staff ourselves with individuals that really get jazzed up to go help others with their project, whether that’s in the retail or professional side of our business. That’s the biggest challenge companies will face as they grow, is just to preserve the culture that’s been intact.”
Get to know Capps Home Building Center
Year founded: 1978
Ownership: Family
Number of employees: 103
Locations: 3
Co-op/buying group: Do it Best, LBM Advantage
Customer mix: 85% Pro / 15% DIY
ERP software: Epicor BisTrack
Top 3 brands by revenue: Marvin Windows, TimberTech Decking, YellaWood
