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Fuog Interbuild Started Small and Makes It Big
Fuog Interbuild Started Small and Makes It Big
By Sebastian Langenberg
Fuog Interbuild based in Purcellville started as a niche business, but through the principles of client satisfaction, hard work, and completing a finished product that stands the test of time, the company grew into a one-stop, high-end construction operation. A firm that began by doing pole barns quickly grew into building wineries, breweries, residential and commercial buildings.
John L. Fuog started the business in 1981. He said that after only four months of working for another builder, he saw the potential to go out on his own. He started small, doing barns on the side, but he was able to go full time in less than five years.
“When you’re young, you don’t know any better and just do it,” he said, adding that “1981 was a recessionary year. So it’s the worst time to start, but everything is up from there. It can’t get any lower, so it’s all good.”
Fuog Interbuild has grown steadily over the years, expanding to steel buildings as well as pre-fab housing. Steel construction allowed the company to break into the commercial space market and they also were one of the few builders creating two-story, wood frame commercial buildings.
“And our manufacturer told us we were the only ones in the country doing that type of application with this type of construction.” Fuog said.
Always thinking about the future, Fuog brought on his first partner, Tom Miller, twelve years ago, then added another, Rickey Schooley, five years later.
“They’re younger than I am,” he said. “They’re very smart, dynamic people.
Both men brought in new ideas and new employees to help propel the company forward. For example, the firm has recently started installing septic and drain fields, something most builders usually outsource.
This recent expansion is a part of a philosophy of trying to get as much as possible under one roof to keep the quality high and client satisfaction even higher. For example, Fuog has its own excavation crews as well as in-house carpenters.
“We have our own employees to do the bulk of this work, and that really is a value added benefit for our customers,” Fuog said. “We don’t have to second guess what’s going on. We don’t have to wait for subcontractors to get on the site.”
Fuog Interbuild’s work is visible all around Northern Virginia. One of their biggest projects was a data center in Leesburg that consisted of 25 separate buildings and was constructed over two phases.
About twenty years ago, the company added pre-fabricated housing to their repertoire.
“It just kind of happens,” Fuog said. “Somebody says ‘can you do this?’”
They don’t say yes to all projects, but carefully consider whether they’ll be able to put up a quality building.
“We’re very proud of the things that we’re doing.,” Fuog said. “And we take them very seriously.”
That quality work stands out, having won many National Frame Building Association awards, ranging from a helicopter hangar to Middleburg’s Mt. Defiance cidery barn just east of the village.
“We’ve done over 3,500 buildings,” Fuog said. “And we are exceedingly proud of what we’ve done and what we have yet to do.”
