Vestis Systems launches ready-to-install balconies

Spokane-based Vestis Systems Inc., an aluminum fabrication company that builds canopies and sunshades, has added ready-to-install balconies to its product line, said Dan McGee, Vestis general manager and co-owner.

The company plans to begin marketing the new product line soon, McGee said.

“Now we are switching modes to start building up a marketing campaign and website,” said McGee.

The all-aluminum balcony system is primarily targeted for multifamily residential construction, with orders anticipated to range from 30 to 200 units, said McGee.

The balcony prototype measures 4 feet-by-7 feet, and the company recently has completed shop drawings and engineering for a second prototype that measures 4 feet-by-9 feet, McGee said.

Vestis Systems will provide installation brackets for contractors to pre-install them during the framing stage of construction, McGee said. The balconies then will be delivered ready to install on the brackets.

“It’s a pretty fast process,” he said. “One of our goals is minimizing our time on-site, whether it’s us or someone else.”

The prefabricated product also will minimize the number of subcontractors needed to build a balcony on-site, he said.

Vestis has sold the prefabricated balconies to contractors working on projects in Boise, Idaho, and is in conversation with local contractors, McGee said.

While building codes and requirements vary from city to city, Vestis now has a design base that is scalable to different jurisdictions needs, he said.

The price for a balcony starts at $2,000, subject to the current cost of aluminum, and goes up from there depending on size, McGee said.

Vestis has 16 employees and occupies an 11,000-square-foot building with a 5,000-square-foot mezzanine located at 213 E. Ermina Ave. That location is north of Gonzaga University, in the Emerson Garfield neighborhood.

“We have different mentors who are helping us implement lean manufacturing,” he said. “It’s awesome to do a lot in a little space.”

Vestis’ annual revenue is trending positive and the company has a healthy backlog of work, McGee said.

“It’s the largest amount (of work) we’ve ever had,” he said.

Vestis Systems purchased the assets of longtime Spokane manufacturer F.O. Berg Co. in April of 2013.