The Zinger Sheet Metal of 2018 likely bears little resemblance to the company brothers Henry and Harold Zinger started out of a residential garage in 1954.
But today’s Zinger Sheet Metal Co. Inc. probably doesn’t look a lot like the company of just 20 years ago, either, says David Capestany, the current owner and grandson of Henry Zinger.
Almost 65 years after Zinger got its start in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the third-generation, family-owned company has evolved into a contractor that surprises many with the breadth and variety of projects it handles, according to company officials.
“There’s probably very few other companies our size that have the capabilities we have,” Capestany says. “We’re always trying to stay ahead of ourselves.”
Zinger has changed a lot from the heavily residential fabrication and installation work it performed for much of its existence into one that today is 90 percent commercial and fab-only. Much of the switch occurred during the last 13 years, as the company has seen revenues grow from around $1.2 million in 2005 to an estimated $3.5 million today. It operates out of a 20,000-square-foot sheet metal shop.
Although the Zinger name has stayed, for the last 35 years, it’s been a member of the Capestany family that has owned and operated the business. Nelson Capestany, David Capestany’s father, purchased the business in the early 1980s.
Nelson’s entry into the duct fabrication industry came via marriage; he was engaged to Henry Zinger’s daughter and needed a job. His future father-in-law offered him work painting the company’s building.
“He saw the way I worked, I guess, and he said, ‘Hey, you want to try sheet metal?’” Nelson recalls. “I didn’t really have a trade.”
Nelson found he liked the work and his career was underway.
It was during Nelson’s time running the company that Zinger Sheet Metal got a reputation for making a lot more than ductwork.
“I didn’t care … if a guy wanted a piece of metal or an S- or drive cleat,” Nelson says. “I’d give him the same service. That’s how we built our business.”
Then and now, Zinger specializes in custom and unusual projects.
“We’ve made everything from windmill parts to airplane parts,” he adds.
A look at the company’s website, www.zingersheetmetal.com, lists some of the unusual work the company has performed, including making metal wildlife feeders, kitchen components and frames for fireplaces.
It’s not uncommon for Zinger to accept work that’s considered small by contractors of a similar size while projects valued at more than a million dollars are simultaneously in progress for high-profile clients who prefer to remain anonymous.
It’s all part of the company’s “partnership” customer philosophy, David Capestany says.
“Whatever piece that we can play to help them boost their business and help them be more profitable,” he says. “Let’s figure out what we can make for you.”
Zinger-made metal has been used on projects throughout mid-Michigan and west and south to the state line. It’s even shipped product as far as Dallas.
“Because all we do is fabricate, we have to be everything for everybody,” David says.
Nelson says he’s pleased with how the company has grown and changed, especially under the guidance of his son, David.
“When I bought the business from my father-in-law, it was a ‘shop,’” he says. “And I think I brought it from a ‘shop’ to a ‘company,’ and (David) brought it from a ‘company’ to a ‘corporation.’”
David bought Zinger from his father in 2013, although he says he had unofficially been running the company for five to six years before that. Today, David says he couldn’t picture himself doing anything else.
“When you’re 14, it’s probably the last thing on Earth you want to do,” he says. “And when you’re 37, it’s the only thing you want to do.”