COVER STORY | LOCAL PROFILE
Plyler Entry Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017 with family members Justin, Paige, Jeff and Jordan Plyler, shown here in the company’s corporate headquarters in McKean Township, Pennsylvania.
50 YEARS STRONG Third-Generation Company Marks Major Milestone With New Name, New Look Jeff Plyler has many reasons to be excited about the future. Not only has his Northwest Pennsylvania-based company rolled out a new name, Plyler Entry Systems, and logo to match, it is also marking 50 years of continuous operation — a major milestone for any small business in America today. For half a century, the Plyler name has been synonymous with successful family ownership and recognized as the overhead door company of choice for customers throughout the tristate region. Today, Plyler is literally “opening the door” to a new era, one only shared by a minority of small business owners. Of the nearly 90 percent of U.S. companies that are family owned and operated, experts estimate only one-third of companies will make it past their 10th anniversary. But for those who do, family businesses, such as Plyler Entry Systems, continue to be a key driver for the local economy. Plyler, chief executive officer of Plyler Enterprises, is proud of how far the company, started by his father, Ernie, has come and how it has thrived and flourished since it was established in McKean in 1967. Plyler keeps it simple when he describes his company’s secret to success — a commitment to treating people fairly and top-notch customer service that has given Plyler a reputation for quality and reliability time and again.
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NOVEMBER 2017 • mbabizmag.com
“After 50 years, we still have customers that have been doing business with us since Ernie was involved,” says Plyler. “We are very proud of these longstanding relationships, which have contributed to our growth.” Today, Plyler Enterprises employs 55 people throughout the operation — Plyler Entry Systems locations in McKean and Hadley, Pennsylvania, Overhead Door Company of Jamestown, New York, and Tri State Door, its wholesale operation in McKean. The company is led by Jeff Plyler and President Jerry Dill, an Erie native who was appointed to the position two years ago after a nationwide search. Also heading up the executive management team are Plyler’s children — Justin, vice president of Finance; Jordan, vice president of Sales, and Paige, vice president of Sales and Marketing. Plyler says he is proud of the legacy of leadership that is continuing with the third generation of Plyler family members. Each of his children is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University, Plyler Enterprises includes Plyler Entry Systems in McKean and Hadley, Pennsylvania, and Overhead Door Company in Jamestown, New York. The company’s corporate office and showroom is centrally located off Interstate 79 between Edinboro and Erie.