Family-Focused Simpson Sheet Metal Experiences Continued Growth
Barbie Simpson has been a mainstay at Simpson Sheet Metal since she was 16 years old. Her parents, Bill and Nancy, founded the Santa Rosa-based business in 1981 and hired their only daughter to help in the office as the fledgling company got off the ground.
“I went to school until noon and then I came to the office and started learning the basics, like filing and paying bills,” Simpson said. “Then I graduated from high school, spent 18 months at a business college earning my degree in accounting, came back to work and have been here my entire career.”
What originally started as a small team of six has expanded to nearly 75 employees today, including Simpson’s son, daughter and each of their spouses. Even her new baby grandson comes to work every day, and Simpson happily reserves a spot for his pack-and-play in her office. Truly, the family legacy continues on! “Most people have been here for many, many years and they feel like family,” Simpson said. “We’re really involved in the lives of the people who work for us. That’s a priority for me and was the root of how my dad started things here.”
Sadly, her father passed away more than a decade ago, and Simpson became the owner and CEO of Simpson Sheet Metal a handful of years later. She worked to complete the rigorous Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certification process, an important designation that offers a supportive network of other women entrepreneurs and has helped her secure some project bids for the company.
As a woman in a typically male-dominated industry, Simpson has faced some unique challenges — but all in all feels like she’s where she belongs.
“If anything, I’ve had a lot of praise from people like my dad’s colleagues who are older. I’ve been accepted, and I’ve been really blessed in what I do,” she said. “I also think a lot of our success has been because of how I approach business. I trust my gut and follow my heart, and it’s allowed us to flourish and find the great employees who want to work for us. Business has grown 8-12 percent year over year since I took over.”
Some of that growth includes the commercial department and custom fabrication shop. According to Simpson, the company recently invested in a second plasma cutter to keep up with the influx of work and current trends. Simpson Sheet Metal is also performing quite a bit of work on high-end custom homes, local wineries and schools.
“Prior to COVID, we did a great deal of school work in surrounding counties, like upgrading HVAC systems,” Simpson said. “Now, there’s a new wave coming through from all the schools trying to upgrade and clean their air systems and make them more environmentally friendly. We’re getting calls for a lot of retrofits, changeouts, purified air systems — everything the government wants for schools.” No matter the client, Simpson Sheet Metal is committed to their customers and their community.
“We do great work, we’ve got a great team and we’re surrounded by great people,” Simpson said.