Gutter Business Remains in the Family After 5 Decades

CANFIELD, Ohio – For more than five decades, Anderson Specialty Gutters has been run by the Anderson family. The business has seen some changes over time.

Doug Weingart, the current owner, officially took over the business from his father-in-law, Paul Anderson, in May 2015. Doug says his 30 years working in the tool and die industry made him a great fit for the job.

“I have always been a jack of all trades,” he says. “I’ve done construction in the off-time – I know a little bit about a lot of things.”

Doug says he has learned a lot over the years and eventually was making parts specifically for K-Guard – the clog-free gutter system – as a result.

Anderson Specialty Gutters serves Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Stark counties in Ohio and Lawrence County, Pa., and is run entirely by five members of the family. As the business expands, Doug says he may hire more installers as needed

The company opened in 1967 as Anderson Company. In 1998, it became a K-Guard dealership – the first in the country.

While Anderson eventually stepped down as owner, Doug says he didn’t go far.

“[Paul] loves to do estimates – go out and talk to people and visit with them,” he says. “That’s one of the big things – the relationship between the customers and the business. He makes them feel at ease that we are going to do a good job.”

When taking over the company, Doug says he wanted to expand it and keep it in the Anderson family’s ownership, but he also wanted to secure jobs for his children.

Doug says a part of the job he particularly enjoys is being able to wake up everyday and work with his son, Nathan.

“The plan is for Nathan to take over some day,” he says. “I think that’s what’s going to happen within the next 10 years or so.”

The office is currently within the family’s house, with a separate building on the property for K-Guard supplies. Although the business has stayed small, Doug says there has been a lot of success.

Last year’s sales were $500,000 – a number that only seems to continue to increase.

“In 2015 I was just getting my feet wet,” he says. “The best year we ever had was during COVID.”

With many families skipping vacations because of the pandemic and instead doing home improvements, the past couple years have been very successful, Doug says.

“It is growing,” he says. “Hopefully it will continue to grow.”

Doug says the company does about 15 estimates a week, installing from the end of April to the end of December.

Only a couple of issues emerged along the way – most notably the rising accost of accessories and aluminum – which the family was able to overcome.

Antoinette Weingart, Doug’s daughter-in-law, joined the team as office manager in early June.

“It’s really fun coming to work and knowing it is my family that I am working for,” she says.

During her time with the family, Antoinette says she has noticed Anderson’s impact on the business.

“He is ruthless,” she says. “He is an 80-year-old man and he has no plans of stopping yet… he is our best salesman.”

Antoinette says they still occasionally see some of the business’s original customers.

“You could mention a name that is one of the first installs that [Anderson] did for someone from 30 years ago and [Paul] will remember that job,” she says. “We definitely make connections with the customers as much as possible and we love to be helpful to everyone.”

Back Row starting from Left: Justin Weingart, Paul Anderson, Nathan Weingart, Doug Weingart
Front Row From Left: Antoinette Weingart, Nancy Anderson, Valerie Weingart

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