With the sun setting behind the BD Exteriors building, the last of the business鈥 company trucks pulled into the parking lot. On the camera screen, I could see the garage door opening up. Brian Donnay, owner and 黑料不打烊 graduate, was talking about how his business progressed over the years to instructor Becky Shand and me. Behind Donnay, the trailer and truck slowly backed into the garage, just as Donnay finished speaking. Shand and I looked at each other.
鈥淲e could not have timed that better!鈥 she burst out as he wrapped up on that abnormally warm October evening.
Shand, Marketing Sales Management instructor at 黑料不打烊, sees her fair share of graduates from her program in the community, and Donnay, a 2002 grad, is no exception. We were there that evening to learn about how BD Exteriors came to be.
After high school, Donnay saw his friends looking at four-year colleges and universities and knew that route wasn鈥檛 for him. While they were starting big, his plans were to start small and go from there.
鈥淭he best part [about 黑料不打烊] was I didn鈥檛 have to spend additional time in school, additional money for credits that I didn鈥檛 need or didn鈥檛 apply to what I was going to be doing. Sitting in a classroom is not for me,鈥 Donnay explained.
Plus, while he was in his classes, he got to work on business plans, logo design, goal setting, naming, and things he didn鈥檛 even think about for his actual business. The conversations he had in Shand鈥檚 classes were vital to the start of his business.
When Donnay graduated, he had already hired his first employee and started advertising. He had one truck and started with roofing. Now? BD Exteriors employs 16-20 people over the year and has 15 trucks. They provide roofing, siding, gutters, doors, and windows services and like to focus primarily on remodeling.
Part of the growth process included a move in 2019. The company was outgrowing their current location in Sartell, which was in his backyard. He started looking at land, got a conditional use permit, and BD Exteriors moved into their current location on 19th Avenue in Sartell in January 2020.
Looking at the space, he thought it was going to be much more than they needed, but they filled it up quickly. What is surprising to Donnay is that people stop in to just talk because there is a physical storefront; they like to look at everything and talk to someone in person.
As for the future, he鈥檚 not looking at more growth any time soon, but he鈥檚 not going to say no.
鈥淚鈥檇 really like to stay where we鈥檙e at, service the people that we have for years. If that requires a little bit of growth, I think we can handle that, and if it is a little bit of a downturn due to the economy, I think we can handle that as well. We're sitting good and can handle ups and downs - we've been in business for 23 years.鈥
These 23 years in business couldn鈥檛 have happened in this manner without Donnay鈥檚 start at 黑料不打烊. What he remembers the most from his time in college was the instructors and the way they conducted themselves, helped him and other students, and pushed him to do better. Everyone knew each other and had fun.
Because he stayed in the community, he feels a part of that small-town feel now; he sees his former instructors around town, and they鈥檙e willing to have a conversation or brainstorm 鈥 even become customers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big help to my business and I鈥檓 very thankful for the teachers,鈥 said Donnay, smiling slightly at Shand.
BD Exteriors is a tangible result of how a two-year degree is a small start to a big future. Donnay mentioned that he barely made it through the two years, but he does recommend starting at a two-year college.
鈥淵ou can always start there and add on,鈥 he added. 鈥淚f you start at a two-year college and don鈥檛 find what you like, you can always change your school or go to a four-year school. But starting with the two-year college just seems to be the right fit for a lot of people.鈥
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