Although it isn’t taking on water, Premier Performance Interiors is at a tipping point.
The Sarasota-based manufacturer of upholstery and seating systems for the boating industry, founded in 2001, has made a name for itself with boat builders located in Florida and nationwide. It has earned a reputation for a quality product and on-time delivery, and the company has been growing about 20% a year for the past several years.
That’s a good thing, but it also presents new challenges. “If you’re going to continue to grow 20% a year, you’re going to hit different levels as you go,” says Lee Wingard, president and co-owner of PPI, which does about $8.5 million a year in sales. “And we’ve come to that next level. We’re taking all the steps needed to keep up with demand.”
In addition to demand, the company also seeks to avoid a repeat of 2017, when it turned down a significant amount of work, more than seven figures. Executives say they passed on the jobs because they didn’t have the space or capacity, problems being solved with additional space and greater efficiencies, including new software to track inventory….