Schena Roofing & Sheet Metal Company has been a fixture in Chesterfield, Mich., for 45 years. The union-affiliated commercial roofing and sheet metal contractor covers all of Michigan, as well as parts of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. As a very rough winter turns to spring, CEO Anthony Schena is looking at a strong backlog of work and projects the company will do $10-12 million worth of business this year. According to Schena, business is booming and morale is high — exactly as he envisioned in the teeth of the Great Recession, which put the company to the ultimate test.
The recession was particularly tough on the Detroit area, as the automotive sector was extremely hard hit. “In 2009, it got to be devastating,” Schena remembered. “I’d say 80 percent of this industrial subdivision was gone. Every day it was a new company going out of business, and it was getting frightening. I was wondering where not just my company was going, but our industry and the whole state. It was time to start really making some tough decisions.”