Officials of Carport Central in Mount Airy, from left, owners Jay Lara and Albert Lara and general manager Jeffrey Trenter, attend a recent awards ceremony when it was recognized as one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region. – Submitted photo
Unlike the vehicles they may house, steel carports and garages aren’t built for speed — but this hasn’t kept a local business dealing in those and other products from making a “Fast 50” list.
Carport Central, based on South Main Street in Mount Airy, has been named one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in the Piedmont Triad Region of North Carolina, including being ranked among the top 10.
To be eligible for Fast 50 honors, an entity is required to be a private, for-profit company headquartered in that region and must have completed at least three full fiscal years and earned at least $2 million in revenue during 2018. Carport Central earned nearly $6 million.
Smith Leonard PLLC, an independent accounting firm based in High Point, verifies and ranks each company for Fast 50 consideration using a formula that examines both dollar and percentage growth.
Officials of Carport Central attended a recent 21st-annual awards ceremony at High Point University during which companies on the list were recognized.
Carport Central was started in a small house office in 2014 by brothers Albert and Jay Lara with two sales associates, and now has several locations in its overall operation, according to General Manager Jeffrey Trenter. The company lists 44 employees in this area.
“We’re building a plant in Texas right now and we started a Pennsylvania division,” Trenter said in September when updating the growth of Carport Central, which serves 48 states.
Carport Central is one of the largest online providers of metal structures in America, which has its own manufacturing plant, tube mill where the square tubing for the buildings is made and a company that builds and installs structures, Trenter said.
In addition, Carport Central has its own web-design, digital marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) operations.
Since its founding, Carport Central’s owners say they have endeavored to find new ways to do business in the highly competitive metal buildings industry based on innovation and exceptional service.
BBB recognition
Making the Fast 50 list is not the only achievement for Carport Central of late. It also received the 2019 Torch Award for Ethics from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) earlier this year.
This is the highest honor the BBB presents to a business, which signifies the recipient believes in and consistently practices the high standards of honesty, integrity and transparency promoted by that organization.
The company has maintained an A+ status with the Better Business Bureau for the length it has been in operation, according to Trenter.
Carport Central also supports many local charities and events, such as Toys for Tots, the annual Mount Airy Parks and Recreation Easter Egg Hunt, Alzheimer’s and autism walks and the Vittles for Veterans Golf Tournament, among others.
Officials of Carport Central in Mount Airy, from left, owners Jay Lara and Albert Lara and general manager Jeffrey Trenter, attend a recent awards ceremony when it was recognized as one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad region.
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.