UPPER BURRELL: Custom Patio Rooms, a rapidly growing Penn Hills company wanting a larger share of the patio market, plans an expansion into the Westmoreland Business & Research Park. Within five years, the company hopes to add 100 employees at its proposed manufacturing and distribution center. It will start immediately with 15 employees, according to Rick Zollner, company operations manager. Zollner said Custom Patio Rooms plans to break ground at the 7.15-acre site by the end of November and to have the facility up and running within the first four months of next year. The reason for the expansion is keeping up with the market. Zollner said the company is growing by about 40 percent per year. “The only thing holding us up is room,” Zollner said. The proposed facility will be built in phases, with the first phase being construction of a 30,000-square-foot building. Over time, the company plans for a 100,000-square-foot facility, Zollner said. Expansion will happen “as the business grows,” he said. The company began about 14 years ago and has moved into three states in addition to Pennsylvania: Ohio, New York and Maryland. Custom Patio Rooms will do between $18 million and $20 million is business this year, Zollner said. The company’s largest competitor is Cleveland-based Patio Enclosures, which has been in the market since 1966. Patio Enclosures will do about $80 million in business this year, according to Pat Springer, company advertising director. Zollner said Custom Patio Rooms’ expansion should help his company corner a larger share of the patio market. The business park site offers what the company needs in terms of utilities and access, for good growth, he said. About 1,200 people are employed at the business park, according to the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp.

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