From Customer to Builder and Landlord: Fastenal’s Partnership with Clouse Construction in Northwest Ohio
When searching for solutions to problems, people often overlook the one that’s right in front of them—the one staring them in the face.
Not so with Jason Heaster, District Manager for Fastenal in Findlay, Ohio, who needed a builder to construct a fulfillment center in Bowling Green in Wood County. Instead of searching far and wide for a contractor, he hired one of his longtime customers.
“Clouse Construction had been our customer for years, so Lenny was the first person I thought of when it came to building and leasing a building,” Heaster explains, referring to company President and CEO Lenny Clouse. “So he’s our customer, builder, and landlord, too.”
For some people, playing this many parts might prove challenging. When it comes to Heaster and Clouse, however, it’s been smooth sailing from the get-go.
“There have never been any issues that we haven’t been able to overcome easily between the two of us,” says Heaster, who has served Fastenal for 29 years. “Lenny does quality work, and he’s straightforward, very down to earth, and easy to work with on projects.”
Perhaps OSHA awarded Clouse Construction its “preferred partner” rating, at least in part, because of these qualities. The company was the first general contractor in northwest Ohio to receive this honor, which is bestowed upon companies with superior safety training, management, and performance.
In addition to the fulfillment center in Bowling Green, Heaster hired the company to build three more in Findlay, Fremont, and Upper Sandusky.
“They’re sales and distribution offices,” Heaster says of the buildings. “We sell to local manufacturing plants and house products specifically for their needs, whether that be nuts and bolts, power tools, or safety supplies. Then we deliver those products from these buildings to customers.”
When Heaster approached Clouse to build and lease these four buildings, he provided designs and then trusted Clouse and his team to work their magic.
“On each of those four occasions, they’ve taken our design and improved it a little bit and then agreed to lease the building back to us once they’ve completed the build-out,” Heaster explains.
When asked how Clouse Construction improved Fastenal’s designs, Heaster mentioned alterations to office layout and location, as well as strategic placement of overhead doors. The goal of these changes? To idealize the use of space in the buildings.
While Fastenal brought its own designs to the table, Clouse Construction brands itself as northwest Ohio’s premier design-build contractor. In other words: No design? No problem. The company transforms concepts into designs and designs into buildings that satisfy clients.
Clouse Constructions has developed projects through the design-build process for a variety of clients, including DS Brown, the North Central Ohio Education Service, Legacy Farmers, TH Plastics BG, Charter Steel, Union Bank, Cygnet Sod, Vehtek, Ag Pro BG, Historical Construction & Equipment, and Sunrise Co-op, to name a few.
Any companies in Northwest Ohio interested in joining this growing list of satisfied clients can contact the experts at Clouse by clicking “Get Started” here.
Of course, Clouse Construction is not limited to general construction and design-build projects. The company’s services include site selection/feasibility, construction management, steel erection, design/engineering, site development, flood mitigation, demolition/fire restoration, and more.
When considering Clouse Construction for any of these services, anyone hunting for high praise for the company might want to listen to Jason Heaster. When asked if he would recommend the company to others, he responds without hesitating, “Absolutely.”
