Summerville / South Carolina / United States
Buzz Withers began his career, in 1969, as a licensed residential contractor, building high-end custom homes in the foothills of Virginia. In 1982, he changed his focus to custom millwork and opened his first shop at Pawleys Island. In less than a year, his business demanded a larger building, which was situated in Charleston, a dominant market for historic restoration. He then adopted the name Withers Industries, Inc, based on a drawing done by his son of a huge corporate-like building that bore the name Withers Industries, Inc When Buzz opened the doors in 1982, he had a few small machines, until a twist of fate occurred that proved to be the pivotal point of growth Withers Industries. The twist of fate? A tractor-trailer full of Italian woodworking equipment was involved in a traffic accident on the outskirts of town. Inside the trailer was a Molder, Gang Rip, Table Saw and Louver Groover along with various feeders and smaller equipment. It all appeared to be a mess and most people wouldnt have touched it with a ten-foot pole. But, not Buzz, he saw an opportunity and bought the whole lot for $13, 000. Needless to say he got it all working and believe it or not, all of it is still in use today. The millwork portion of the business began to grow rapidly through exterior shutters, doors, sash, molding as well as custom wood manufacturing. In the early nineties, the interior shutter market started to grow. Withers was at the forefront of the market, implementing software, refining the manufacturing process and creating retail catalogs. Buzzs son, Pat, was instrumental in learning everything about shutters and shutter construction. Soon after, interior and exterior shutters dominated the production of the shop. In June of 2000, Buzz handed the business down to his sons, Pat and Randy and one year later, Withers Industries moved to a new facility in Summerville and began to bolster its molding division. Withers Industries is a leading manufacturer of custom interior and exterior shutters as well as intricate custom millwork.
