Manufacturing: BRYAN FAIRBANKS

Founded on sustainable principles in 1996, composite decking and railing manufacturer Trex debuted this year on IndustryWeek’s list of the 50 best-performing U.S. manufacturers, ranking at No. 6, just behind mega-companies like Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

An alumnus of the University of Dayton and the University of Pittsburgh’s business school, Fairbanks has served as Trex’s president and CEO since April 2020. He joined Trex in 2004 as director of financial planning and analysis, going on to serve as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Trex has benefited from the pandemic-era increase in home improvement spending; the company hasn’t been significantly impacted by supply chain issues because 95% of its raw materials come from the U.S.

In January, Trex broke ground on a new $7 million, 64,000-square-foot global headquarters in Winchester, expected to open in mid-2023. Last year, Trex announced it will build a $400 million production facility at Arkansas’ Little Rock Port.

At the end of March, Trex reported the previous 12 months’ revenue at $1.19 billion, a 35.9% year-over-year increase, and the company anticipates double-digit revenue growth for this fiscal year, Fairbanks said in Trex’s first-quarter earnings call.