A walk through the plant floor at Corrim quickly reveals there is more than meets the eye for the fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) doors they manufacture.
CNC operators create precision panels and frames with openings for hardware and mechanisms. Craftsmen paint, finish and pack the doors, which are all custom orders and specific not just to the job, but to the opening they will fill.
It’s a niche Corrim has filled since it was founded in 1982, according to John Morelli and Mark Miller, employees who became owners in January 2019.
Corrim is an acronym for “corrosion immune,” and the company’s focus is on commercial doors and frames, with additional FRP products such as window frames and louvres.
They are typically used in high moisture environments such as car washes, water plants, food, pharmaceutical and paper plants, aquariums and animal enclosures, but also in geographic areas that may face flooding or tropical weather.
“When hurricanes went through Sarasota (Florida) last year, there was a beach and racquet club that flooded to about door handle height,” Morelli says. The Corrim doors were unscathed, and the business owner decided to replace all doors with their products.
It’s the type of repeat business the company seeks, according to Miller, who says the doors are built to last.
“We’re in this for the long haul; we want to put a door in the opening once,” Miller says. “We like hearing from people again — we would like them to purchase from us again — but we only want to put one door in that opening.”
The business is split between renovation work and new construction, with the company selling to the builders who install the product.
Because the doors are custom manufactured, Corrim can meet unusual specifications for openings. Beyond color options, it offers door core options for impact resistance, fire resistance and temperature moderation. The doors meet building and insurance specifications for hurricane-prone as well as fire-prone areas.
Corrim has provided doors in all 50 states, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, Guam and the Marshall Islands — all with a staff of 36.
Miller says the company’s willingness to listen and meet customer needs extends to its sustainability efforts. The company installed solar panels outside its plant and LED lighting inside. Because FRP doors have a longer lifespan than doors made of other materials, the company estimates it diverts approximately 4,500 tons of waste yearly from the landfill.
Corrim benefits from cost savings but also is responding to customers who ask about its sustainability, as architects and builders consider more eco-friendly construction.
“We rely on customer feedback,” Morelli says.
