Often when companies succeed, you can chalk it up to good chemistry. For DuxxBak Composite Decking, the journey started with a proprietary formula for composite decking materials and is entering a new chapter thanks to business chemistry with AmeriLux International.
Both Green Bay companies have been in business for 20 years. For DuxxBak, the product mix changed when it was looking for a use for an unlimited supply of paper mill sludge. Chemists discovered a combination of virgin plastic, rice hulls and reclaimed sludge from paper mills that created a durable, strong composite material.
The rice hulls contain naturally occurring silica, which is an enemy of mold and mildew. The reclaimed mineral from the paper industry is a patented element called BioDac, which bonds with the other compound ingredients to create deck boards that boast a unique rigidity. The virgin high-density polyethylene is the same material from which milk jugs are made and provides consistency in the finished product.
The product is extruded in the Green Bay facility into planks designed in a unique interlocking design. The resulting product proved perfect for decking that is impervious to the elements and repels moisture, like water off a duck’s back.
“The compound is the magic,” says DuxxBak President Brandon Beard. “Everybody else uses wood flour or some other components. But when the rice hulls mix with the polyethylene, it becomes a different type of structure that’s extremely dense and could be viable for a lot of different products.”
Other decking materials that use recycled plastics may have inconsistent appearance. For DuxxBak, the product goes through a rigorous melting, chopping and extruding process to get an even mix of ingredients and coloring before being sawed into planks. The finished planks are hollow, meaning lower freight costs, but boards hold up under 1,200 pounds of pressure.
A finished structure can support a hot tub, big grill or deck party, plus the interlocking system creates a dry space beneath a deck for storage or living space. But installation requires specific training on building and pitching the structure to repel water.
The company has realized steady growth in two decades, and during that time leadership upgraded equipment, fine-tuned staffing and added production shifts. One month after Beard started with the company, he got a call from a corporate buyer at Lowes that resulted in distribution of DuxxBak through the home improvement giant’s contractor channels.
“The dollars are in the retail store, but that’s a heavy lift — especially with a product as unique as this. You can’t put it out to the masses without educating them,” Beard says.
For future growth, the company is targeting owners of higher-end housing who will most likely work with contractors for installation. Contractors will want to buy the product from a dealer, and dealers will seek out building materials distributors.
That’s why DuxxBak leadership recently formed a partnership with AmeriLux International. AmeriLux began as a distributor for building materials and plastic sheet products, then evolved into a service provider offering transportation, logistics and networking services. Under the partnership, AmeriLux will distribute DuxxBak products nationwide.
“It’s the chemistry between what AmeriLux has to offer and what we have to offer,” Beard says, “and the two of us said we’ll build the landing gear when we get in the air, but let’s just take off. Getting to the contractor level is key on what we need to do.”
Beard acknowledges that contractor education and training is also critical to differentiating the product and ensuring correct installation.
“DuxxBak is interested in going from a niche product to a namebrand product in the industry, and it has the legs to be a national brand,” says Matt Balzola, vice president of sales for AmeriLux. Balzola adds his focus will be on developing contractor and professional channels as well as expanding availability through retail channels like Lowes and Home Depot. It’s a dual strategy of creating customer demand while educating contractors about a unique, American-made product.
“You can’t only focus on demand, and you can’t only focus on supply,” Balzola says.
Balzola says the goal is to move the brand from one that has pockets of raving fans to a product that’s in demand from contractors and distributors. This journey will require significant growth in distributor networks in the U.S. and Canada.
“We’re taking reclaimed products out of a landfill and using virgin plastic to make sure it never goes back into a landfill,” he says. “It’s a balance to use materials that otherwise don’t have a function, and we’re ensuring this deck is the last deck that you ever put on a house.”
AmeriLux International became the master distributor for DuxxBak Composite Decking products this past summer. The company offers six composite deck profiles in a variety of finishes, as well as commercial decking and deck railings and accessories.
