As Darian David and his wife, Jamie, were considering buying Precast Concrete Company in Creston, Iowa, they had no idea what steps were needed to get the ball rolling. The previous owner wanted to sell his company to someone local he could trust and that he felt would run it the same way he had for the past thirty years. Darian and Jamie knew they were the perfect fit, but werenāt sure where to begin.
Jamie had worked with the SBDC at previous jobs and suggested they check it out. Darian began meeting with former SBDC Regional Director Dave McLaren at the South Central Iowa SBDC office a full year before actually purchasing the company. Dave helped with everything, from helping Darian develop a business plan, to crunching numbers from previous company tax returns to determine the companyās value, to helping the Davids obtain financing to purchase the business.
When asked to describe his experience working with Dave and the SBDC Darian said, āIt was awesome! I would recommend the SBDC to anyone that is looking to buy or sell, needs a little help expanding, or for anyone doing anything at all with a small business. I think every business owner should have someone there like Dave to help them and offer different ideas or solutions. It wouldnāt have been that much fun at all to do it on my own.ā
The Davids purchased Precast Concrete Company in March 2015. The business employs both Darian and Jamie full time. The company also has four other full-time employees. Darian imagines that as the business expands he will have to hire more people in order to meet demand.
Currently, Precast Concrete specializes in Trigard burial vaults, septic tanks, and steps as their main product lines. The company markets its services via word of mouth, an ad in the local calendar, and in a couple of plot books. The Davids are working on developing a company website for both advertising and service efficiency.
The business contributes to its community by donating cement benches and bird baths to various community fundraisers including for the volunteer fire department and the local private school.
After owning the business for just over a year, Darian and Jamie still consult with the SBDC. New SBDC Regional Director Brandi Shay has already assisted them with several accounting questions. In the future, Darian hopes to add one or two new products to the business as well as expanding its clientele.
āIt is just wonderful that the SBDC is there and I feel that more people should know about them and their services they have to offer,ā says Darian.
To learn more about Precast Concrete Company, LLC, and their concrete products, contact Darian at (641) 782-4515 or precastconcretecompany@gmail.com.
