Summary:
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley sat down with Adam Zambanini, President of Residential Products at Trex Company. Trex is an alternative decking company that is one of the greenest companies in the world. Trex has been around for 25 years and recently is expanding into Arkansas. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, and Adam discussed what it’s like to work at Trex, why they’re expanding to Arkansas, and what the future of the company holds.
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Show Notes:
(1:37) Trex to Arkansas
(5:48) Adam’s Origin Story
(8:33) The Entrepreneurial Spirit
(10:48) Breaking Ground in Little Rock
(18:51) Experimenting with New Materials
(21:55) Finding Success at Trex
(25:20) Why Arkansas?
(31:27) The Future of Trex
(33:53) Advice to Younger Self and Closing Remarks
Links:
Quotes:
“So what we’re doing is we’re trying to create an outdoor living experience, right? We don’t want to be just the decking and railing manufacturer. We want to be the solution to that threshold, to your back door.” Adam Zambanini, (5:14)
“I always tell people if there’s something you can’t accomplish at Trex, it’s kind of on you because the way we’ve built this company is there’s been a lot of very, very smart people. There’s been a lot of ideas and…there’s a lot of collaboration throughout the walls of Trex. And so no idea is a bad idea. It’s kind of our culture…there’s a lot of support across the organization.” Adam Zambanini, (14:16)
“We love to get consumer feedback and we love to get contractor feedback because we don’t exist without that consumer or that contractor.” Adam Zambanini, (17:55)
“We don’t just want to just launch new products for new products sake. It’s launch the right product…that the consumer wants. So we spend a lot of time and energy on those new products.” Adam Zambanini, (33:37)
Bringing the Greenest Decking Business to Arkansas
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley sat down with Adam Zambanini, President of Residential Products at Trex Company. Trex is an alternative decking company that is one of the greenest companies in the world. Trex has been around for 25 years and recently is expanding into Arkansas. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, and Adam discussed what it’s like to work at Trex, why they’re expanding to Arkansas, and what the future of the company holds.
All about Adam
When Adam graduated from Penn State with a degree in mechanical engineering, he didn’t know what he wanted to do for work. He got a job working at Flambeau, a fishing and hunting company, and then went on to work at Rubbermaid. Rubbermaid’s commercial division, where Adam worked, was in the same town as Trex, so Adam got to watch Trex grow up. As he did, he became more interested in the company and eventually joined the team at Trex. Adam worked in product development and marketing before landing his current role as President of the Residential Division. Altogether, he has been at Trex for 17 years. Adam is excited about the entrepreneurial spirit at Trex, the ability to learn and grow, and the possibility of new innovations and products.
What is Trex?
Trex is a company that makes alternative decking materials including decking, railing, pergolas, outdoor lighting, and more. As a company, they are recognized as one of the greenest in the world because they use recycled wood and plastic and they have never cut down a tree. To make Trex, the recycled materials are mixed together and pushed through a machine and then coated to make them stain, scratch, mold, and fade resistant. Not only is Trex a good choice for the environment, it is also a good choice for the consumer because it is low maintenance.
The Environment at Trex
There are many aspects that make working at Trex an exciting opportunity. One is that the Trex culture attracts the entrepreneurial spirit. There is a lot of support among employees, so people are willing to ask questions and help others as they figure out solutions to the company’s biggest problems, such as supply chain issues. Another exciting part of working at Trex is that the company goes through a 3, 5, and 10-year strategic plan. This helps ensure that they are always providing innovative opportunities and products and staying aligned with their goals.
For the future, the people at Trex are excited about exploring new ways to use their sustainable materials beyond decking. With representation in about 50 countries already, Trex also hopes to grow internationally. They expect to provide customers with new products and ultimately give customers the experience they hope for.
“So what we’re doing is we’re trying to create an outdoor living experience, right? We don’t want to be just the decking and railing manufacturer. We want to be the solution to that threshold, to your back door.” Adam Zambanini, (5:14)
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