Wooliver Roofing moved to Lanesborough in the 1970s.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — A century-old business has set the stage for long-term sustainability with the purchase of a competitor.
Douglas J. Wooliver & Sons Inc. purchased Doxsee Roofing, Inc. of Bennington, Vt.
The family-owned roofing business closed on the deal on Oct. 25 and it will allow the company to bid on projects they previously were too small to complete.
"It's kind of the the start of a new generation," owner Matt Wolliver said on Monday. "It puts us in a better position to be able to go after more long-term jobs."
Wooliver Roofing, which is owned by Mike Wooliver and his two sons Matt and Chris, has been in business for 105 years. In the last five years they found the business growing and added on a repair division, which allowed them to do smaller jobs.
Now, they are looking to do large roofing jobs such as schools with the acquisition of their rival.
Doxsee will continue to operate as they have been in Bennington but since Wooliver owns equipment they don't and vice versa, the united company will be able to share tools and employees to widen their market.
"We've competed against them for a long time," Matt Wooliver said of the 29-year-old Doxsee. "They're really very much like us."
Both companies specialize in commercial and institutional roofing. Doxsee was formed in 1983 by Brian Doxsee, who along with Vice President Kendra Manning will continue to run the Bennington office.
Wooliver Roofing was formed in 1907 and has stayed in the family since. They began in Pittsfield and in the 1970s moved to Lanesborough.
"There has always been a Wooliver here," Mike Wooliver said. "They started with a horse and wagon and were getting paid in hay and oats."
Despite more than 100 years of business, Matt Wooliver said the company could not handle large projects because they had too few people on staff. Now, the company nearly doubles their employment with the addition of Doxsee's 17 employees.
They have been working on the deal for six months after hearing Doxsee was "quietly" on the market. Wooliver recently reeled in the roofing contract for the new Stetson Library on the Williams College campus and with that, the owners knew they needed more employees.
The company now has the most employees they've ever had with a total of 41 after the purchase. Mike Wooliver estimates that with the additional jobs the company can now do, they'll be able to grow the workforce even more next summer.
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