From its beginnings in Bettendorf in 1985 to its modern Davenport home, explore how Suburban Construction Inc. grew from a small local family business into an established Quad Cities exterior remodeling company.
The Growth of Suburban Construction Inc.
From Bettendorf to Davenport: How Suburban Construction Has Grown Since 1985
Suburban Construction Inc. began in Bettendorf, Iowa, in 1985 and has grown alongside the Quad Cities for more than four decades. From its early days as a small family business to a large Davenport facility with showroom, warehouse, training, and operational space, the company's growth reflects decades of serving local homeowners while continuing to invest in the community.
A lot can change in more than forty years.
Products improve. Neighborhoods grow. Technology changes. Customer expectations rise. Businesses either adapt or get left behind.
Suburban Construction's history is a story of adapting while remaining rooted in the same Quad Cities market where the company began.
What started in Bettendorf in 1985 eventually expanded into Davenport, grew its product offerings and operations, and developed into the established local exterior remodeling company homeowners know today.
It Started in Bettendorf in 1985
Suburban Construction was founded in 1985 by Brian D. Girskis in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Before starting the company, Brian worked in the window and siding industry and saw an opportunity to build a local remodeling business around quality products, professional installation, and dependable service after the project was complete.
That idea became the foundation of Suburban Construction.
Read more about the history of Suburban Construction .
The Early Business Was Truly Small
Like many family businesses, Suburban Construction did not begin with a large showroom, warehouse, and training center.
The company's earliest years were focused on building customer relationships, completing projects, and developing a reputation one homeowner at a time.
As demand increased, the business needed more room to support sales, installation, material handling, and customer service.
Those early years created the foundation for the growth that followed.
Bettendorf Gave Suburban Its Start
Bettendorf was more than simply the company's first address.
It was where Suburban Construction began building relationships with Quad Cities homeowners and developing its reputation for windows, siding, doors, and exterior remodeling.
Those early customer relationships helped establish the foundation for the expansion that came later.
Growth Eventually Led to Davenport
As Suburban Construction grew, the company eventually needed a location that could support a larger operation.
The move to Davenport gave the company additional room for sales, customer service, product displays, material coordination, and installation support while keeping the business firmly rooted in the Quad Cities.
Davenport became Suburban Construction's long-term home and positioned the company to serve homeowners throughout both Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.
Davenport Created Room for the Company to Expand
A growing remodeling company needs more than office space.
Windows, siding, doors, gutters, trim, accessories, tools, and job-specific materials all require organization and operational support.
Moving into larger Davenport facilities allowed Suburban Construction to expand the behind-the-scenes systems needed to support more customers and more complex exterior projects.
The Company Grew Beyond Windows and Siding
Replacement windows and siding have long been central to Suburban Construction, but the company's exterior product offerings expanded as homeowners' needs changed.
Today, Suburban Construction works with exterior projects including:
- Replacement windows
- Vinyl siding
- Composite cladding
- Steel siding
- Entry doors
- Patio doors
- Seamless gutters
- Gutter protection
- Soffit and fascia
- Exterior trim and related improvements
Expanding the product mix allows homeowners to address more of the exterior as one coordinated project.
Product Technology Changed Along the Way
Exterior remodeling today looks very different from exterior remodeling in 1985.
Window glass packages have improved. Siding choices have expanded. Composite cladding and modern steel siding provide design and performance options that were not part of the typical homeowner conversation decades ago.
Doors, insulation systems, flashing materials, gutter protection, and exterior accessories have all continued evolving as well.
Continued growth has required Suburban Construction to keep learning and adapting along with those changes.
Homeowners Began Expecting More From the Buying Experience
Homeowners today have access to an enormous amount of product information before they ever contact a contractor.
They want to compare colors, profiles, warranties, energy ratings, installation methods, and product options before making a major investment.
That makes a professional showroom especially useful because customers can see and operate products in person instead of relying entirely on websites, brochures, and small samples.
Continued Growth Required Another Major Investment
After years of continued growth in Davenport, Suburban Construction again reached the point where additional space could support the next stage of the business.
The company invested in its current North Harrison Street location and created a much larger facility designed around the needs of a modern exterior remodeling operation.
The move represented one of the largest physical expansions in the company's history.
The North Harrison Facility Expanded the Customer Experience
One of the biggest advantages of the Davenport facility is the ability to display exterior products at a more useful scale.
Homeowners can visit the showroom and compare windows, siding, doors, gutters, colors, finishes, and exterior options before making final decisions.
Instead of trying to imagine an entire project from a small sample, customers can see products in a setting designed specifically for home-improvement decisions.
Take a closer look at our Davenport showroom .
More Warehouse Space Supports More Projects
Exterior remodeling requires a significant amount of material coordination behind the scenes.
Windows, siding, doors, gutters, accessories, trim, and job-specific components need to be received, organized, protected, and prepared for installation.
Expanded warehouse capacity gives Suburban Construction more room to support those operations while keeping important functions together at one Davenport location.
Training Became an Important Part of Continued Growth
Growth is not only about completing more projects.
Installation practices have to continue improving too.
Training space gives installers and staff opportunities to work with products, review installation practices, learn about new systems, and stay current as manufacturers and exterior products continue evolving.
Investing in training helps connect the product the homeowner sees during the sales process with the installation they receive at their home.
Growth Came One Installation at a Time
Large local businesses rarely grow because of one project or one advertising campaign.
They grow through thousands of individual customer experiences.
Every window installation, siding project, door replacement, gutter job, service call, referral, and repeat customer becomes part of the company's reputation.
Over more than four decades, those individual projects have helped build Suburban Construction into the company it is today.
Repeat Customers Helped Drive the Growth
Home improvement often happens in stages.
A homeowner might replace several windows first, return later for an entry door, and eventually complete siding, gutters, or another exterior project.
Those long-term customer relationships are especially important to a local remodeling company.
Referrals from past customers also help introduce the company to new homeowners throughout the Quad Cities.
Growth Did Not Mean Becoming a National Franchise
Suburban Construction has grown substantially while remaining independent and locally owned.
The company is not a national home-improvement franchise.
Decisions involving products, employees, installation standards, service, training, marketing, and customer experience continue to be made locally.
Learn more about the ownership of Suburban Construction .
The Leadership Evolved While the Local Focus Remained
Founder Brian D. Girskis established Suburban Construction in 1985.
His son, Brian "JR" Girskis, grew up around the company, later joined it full time, and became part of the next generation of leadership.
Today, JR Girskis serves as President and Owner alongside Vice President and Co-Owner Darin Wilson.
The leadership structure evolved as the company grew, but ownership and day-to-day decision-making remained closely connected to the Quad Cities.
The Service Area Grew Beyond Bettendorf and Davenport
Suburban Construction's roots are in Bettendorf and Davenport, but the company serves homeowners throughout a much broader portion of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois.
Communities in and around the service area include:
- Davenport, Iowa
- Bettendorf, Iowa
- Eldridge, Iowa
- LeClaire, Iowa
- Blue Grass, Iowa
- DeWitt, Iowa
- Muscatine, Iowa
- Clinton, Iowa
- Moline, Illinois
- Rock Island, Illinois
- East Moline, Illinois
- And surrounding Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois communities
Growth Also Means Becoming More Connected to the Community
A company that operates in the same market for decades becomes connected to much more than the houses it improves.
Employees and owners live in local communities, shop at local businesses, attend local events, and build relationships throughout the region.
That local connection gives an established company a strong reason to think beyond the current project and protect its long-term reputation.
The Suburban Construction Name Became More Recognizable
Decades of completed projects, local advertising, trucks on Quad Cities roads, customer referrals, and community presence helped make Suburban Construction a familiar local name.
Brand recognition takes years to build.
It also creates responsibility because every new installation becomes part of a reputation that has been developing since 1985.
The Davenport Facility Is an Investment in the Future
A larger facility is about more than having a bigger building.
It creates room for product displays, customer meetings, warehousing, employee training, operations, and the systems needed to support a growing remodeling company.
For a business that started modestly in Bettendorf, the North Harrison location represents how much Suburban Construction has evolved over more than four decades.
Bigger Does Not Have to Mean Less Local
Growth can create challenges for any locally owned business.
A larger company needs more systems, employees, equipment, inventory, and coordination while still maintaining the accountability that helped it grow in the first place.
Suburban Construction's goal has been to expand its capabilities while remaining locally owned and accessible to Quad Cities homeowners.
What Has Not Changed?
The locations changed.
The showroom grew.
The warehouse grew.
The product selection expanded.
But the core business remains familiar: helping local homeowners improve their homes with professionally installed exterior products.
From Bettendorf to Davenport: A Simple Timeline
- 1985: Suburban Construction is founded by Brian D. Girskis in Bettendorf, Iowa.
- Early Years: The business establishes itself in the Quad Cities and begins building a local reputation for exterior remodeling.
- Davenport Expansion: Growing operations eventually move to Davenport to provide additional room for the company.
- Continued Growth: Product offerings, installation capabilities, staffing, warehousing, and showroom operations expand.
- North Harrison: Suburban Construction establishes its current Davenport location with significantly more room for showroom, warehouse, training, and operational functions.
- Today: Suburban Construction continues serving homeowners throughout the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa, and Western Illinois as a locally owned exterior remodeling company.
How Can Homeowners Learn More About Suburban Construction?
Homeowners considering a window, siding, door, gutter, or exterior remodeling project can visit Suburban Construction's Davenport showroom and learn more about the company in person.
You can also review our history, meet the current ownership team, explore products, and research the company before scheduling an estimate.
Suburban Construction Inc. also maintains a Better Business Bureau business profile.
More Than Four Decades of Growth—and Still Local
Suburban Construction's history connects Bettendorf and Davenport.
Bettendorf is where the company began. Davenport gave the growing business room to expand. The current North Harrison facility provides space to support a larger showroom, warehouse, training operation, and team.
Through those changes, Suburban Construction has remained an independent local company serving homeowners throughout the Quad Cities, Eastern Iowa, and Western Illinois.
The next chapter continues from Davenport.
Come See How Suburban Has Grown
Visit Suburban Construction Inc. at 3602 North Harrison Street in Davenport, Iowa, to explore replacement windows, siding, doors, gutters, and exterior products in person.
Stop by the showroom or schedule a free, no-pressure estimate for your next window, siding, door, gutter, or exterior home-improvement project.
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