Jim Sipes, owner and president of Nebraska Seamless Inc., believes in testing the products his company sells and installs. In fact, he and his wife live with those products in their home.
“I have three gutter systems, five types of siding and four brands of windows in my house,” Sipes said. “My wife’s not happy about it, but it gets the job done. Everything’s white, so it all blends.
“Our products are thoroughly tested, not only by the manufacturers but also by our company, to make sure they perform the way the manufacturers say they do.”

Sipes and his wife Shera, the company’s vice president, started Nebraska Seamless Gutters in 1996.
“We started the company by investing $500 out of our own pockets,” Sipes said. “We’ve increased sales every year for 10 years between 14 and 67 percent.”

Nebraska Seamless has grown from $30,000 in sales in its first year, September through December 1996, to more than $3 million in sales anticipated in 2006. First-quarter sales were up 37.8 percent over the 2005 year, which saw an increase of 17.8 percent over 2004.

Industry wide, sales were down 20 to 30 percent last year, Sipes said. Increases in fuel and material prices took their toll on many companies.

Sipes attributes his company’s growth to providing quality products as well as a customer care program available 24/7.
“This morning I received a call about a siding repair issue, and we’ll take care of it today,” he said. “That’s the way we do business. We believe in old-fashioned values. My dad raised me to do the job right the first time.”

Nebraska Seamless installers follow written requirements on how specific products must be installed, then sign and verify that the work was done properly.

The company guarantees its workmanship for the life of all products the company sells. In the industry, many companies offer only a five-year to 10-year workmanship warranty, even on products with lifetime warranties, Sipes said.

The firm added the Nebraska Custom Siding and Windows division in 2000 when Nebraska Seamless became Lincoln’s exclusive dealer for Gorell Windows. Gorell has received three Energy Star Partner of the Year awards from the U.S. Department of Energy for its contributions to energy saving and environmental protection.

In January, Nebraska Seamless became the state’s exclusive dealership for Cyclonic 50 tri-polymer siding, which carries three patents and a lifetime warranty.

Last year Nebraska Seamless opened a sunroom division with aluminum and vinyl selections.

“Our sunrooms are the most efficient in the industry,” Sipes said. “They’re rated over 40 percent more efficient than a home. They’re the only sunrooms with triple-pane windows, but they cost the same as others in the industry. They look like part of your home when we’re done – not like a trailer stuck on the back of it.”

Other recent changes included building a 900-square-foot showroom and expanding the company’s total space from 1,500 to 8,000 square feet.

The addition of digital imaging last year allows customers to see what their choices of siding, windows, gutters and trim will look like on a photo of their home.

“In five years I’d like to have a full-size showroom on Interstate 80 and eventually be a full-service home improvement company offering everything from hot tubs to soft water systems,” Sipes said.

Nebraska Seamless is known for restoring the exteriors of historic homes, Sipes said.

“We restored a 125-year-old home and made it look identical to its original in appearance, with the same colors and everything,” he said. “Last night we started a project in Milford on a home that’s 125 to 130 years old. We’ve created a lot of tool and die work so we can mimic the wood craftsmanship from years ago with metal.”

Homeowners make up 80 percent of Nebraska Seamless customers, Sipes said. Twenty percent of business is installing gutters as new homes are built.

The company works primarily within 75 miles of Lincoln, increasingly in Omaha, and occasionally west as far as North Platte and east of Glenwood, Iowa.

Sipes entered the industry in 1980 as a teenager – a “cut boy” for a brother-in-law who installed siding.

He started his own business because “I like taking something ugly and making it look beautiful,” he said. “I like to look back and see what we’ve accomplished, and I like to see people grow in the business.”

Sipes has 32 employees including two quality assurance inspectors, a production manager, an office manager, warehouse manager, three sales representatives and 24 installers.

“Ten years ago I had no idea the company would be where it is today,” Sipes said.

He said he practices customer principles described in the book “Raving Fans” by Ken Blanchard.

“Customers aren’t just those who buy our products,” he said. “Our customers include the guy sweeping the floor in the bay and the truck drivers who deliver our products. They do better work because you treat them right, and they care for you.”

Nebraska Seamless is a member of the Home Builders Association of Lincoln and is listed on the Better Business Bureau honor roll. The company donates funds to support the People’s City Mission homeless shelter, schools and the Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics.