A Life Long Lived, a Company Set Apart

In an industry that requires competition and innovation, one man separated himself from all the others for over forty years: Dwight Hikel. Many in the industry know his story but some may not. Shelter Systems Limited started out as a small, 14,000-square-foot plant in 1976 and has grown into a cutting edge, 120,000-square-foot truss manufacturing facility. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident.

“Dwight was a very innovative man,” said Scott Stevens, president of Modu Tech in Baltimore, Maryland. The company, under Dwight’s direction, “collaborated for years with a large diversity of experts while designing their plant, and they implemented many best practices, including waste and material management. Through their collaboration with MiTek, they developed a material stacking system that was the first of its kind.”

Gary Grossman, president of American Pride Builders in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, couldn’t agree more. “He was a gadget man. He learned how to use modern technology as it came. If you look at all the things that happened in his life—television, computers, smart phones—he kept up with the times,” Grossman said. “Look at what he then did in his business using that technology.”

What Dwight did with the new Shelter Systems Limited plant, with the help of his son Joe, Grossman says, amounts to creating the one of the most efficient operations in the industry. From the lumber-stacking process to the reduction and reuse of waste materials, Dwight’s adherence to lean manufacturing pays dividends in material and time saved. Possibly the greatest accomplishment is the speed at which material goes through the plant.

“The way they track and report labor is pretty remarkable and, as far as I know, he was one of the first guys to do it,” Grossman said. “They studied how long a component or sub-component lies before being touched again. Dwight and his family drove that down to a four-minute increment.”

That small of an increment means not only more efficiency for a component manufacturer, but also less waiting on orders for general contractors and framers. Bruce Jones, president of Bruce L. Jones, Contractor in Hanover, Pennsylvania, says component manufacturers who can operate that efficiently get more interest from contractors out in the field.

“I have a hundred guys out framing and ninety percent of my roof and floor systems come from Shelter. Because of their expertise we pay a little more, but it’s worth it to us, especially with how quickly they can fulfill orders,” Jones said. “When you receive trusses from Shelter Systems Limited, the expertise of their company shows in the quality of the product you receive on site.”

Anytime component manufacturers can make that kind of impact, they’ve added value to the services they offer and, in turn, appeal to more and more clients. The Hikels model that truth.

A close second to his innovative thinking was Dwight’s ability to unify. Everyone who came in contact with him agrees Dwight was open, honest and genuinely concerned with sharing information. Jones says Dwight’s most influential characteristics all have to do with people.

“One, Dwight knew how to put people together who worked well and could network. Two, he always had a positive attitude: ‘Bruce, we can do this. Let’s challenge ourselves and figure this out together,’” Jones said. “Three, to be an entrepreneur, you can’t be scared of change and new ideas. And he embraced it, not only to make his company better but to make people associated with him better.”

The ability to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, has fostered a long list of repeat clientele over the years and, more so, a loyal workforce. “I was at their plant recently, and as I was looking around, I realized he built his company around guys who stayed there for years. And now some have kids who are working there too,” Jones said. “His employees were family, and he respected them and took pride in them.”

“He’s been an absolute pioneer of the industry,” Grossman said. “He was a remarkable guy; there’s no doubt about that.” The truss manufacturing and framing industry is better because of Dwight’s forward thinking, and those who worked with him are better for knowing a man of his caliber. In Hikel’s own words: “It was business doing pleasure with ya.”