Clark finds solution with Viking Metals

Viking Metals is a solution to a problem Barry Clark was having with his construction business.

Clark builds metal buildings of all sizes with his company, Stable Stock Construction. He needs his supplies when he needs them. Deliveries coming in late or incomplete cost him time and money.

“I have been in the construction business for 20 years,” Clark said. “I use a good bit of metal. A problem with a delivery could add another week to a job. It was dragging things out. I started thinking, how I can eliminate this?”

His solution was to start his own company that manufactures metal products, and Viking Metals was born. Viking is a standalone business. It will supply both Stable Stock and other contractors.

Viking Metals is located at 219 Lewis Avenue in Philadelphia in the an old Wells Lamont building. Viking manufactures high-quality metal materials in-house, including siding, roofing and trim for buildings, shops, barns and houses. They also sell a variety of accessories needed for projects including color screws, flashing, high-temp boots, caulk and garage doors.

“Viking Metals has been in the making for about a year,” Clark said, adding they found the building a started a company offering custom metal fabrication made with state-of-the-art equipment. “All siding, roofing and trim are made in-house.”

The company’s goal is, when an order comes in, the product is delivered that day or the next.

“Last September, we ordered our first piece of equipment,” Clark said. “We get the metal in flat coils. The machine runs it at 114 feet per minute. It forms the tin and cuts it to the lengths that are needed. We opened the door May 1.”

The project is a $908,000 corporate investment and will create 15 jobs. Clark recently purchased the building and the 2 ½ acres it sits on from the city of Philadelphia for $130,000. That was added to the investment amount.

“I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the city of Philadelphia, David Vowell and the Community Development Partnership team, East Central Planning and Development District, building official Jay Eakes, the Mississippi Development Authority and Gov. Tate Reeves,” Clark said. “This project has been a dream come true, and we are excited to be open in Philadelphia.”

That’s how and why the business was started. So how did Clark come up with the Viking name?

“I’m adopted,” Clark said. “I was born in New Orleans. My parents, Chester and Lou Clark, adopted me and brought me to Union when I was 5 months old.”

He was curious to find out about his family origins and decided to take a DNA test.

“It turns out I am 99% Scandinavian,” Clark said. “I am of the last Vikings. I started wearing a hat with horns.”

Clark said he already has plans for expansion and that includes later purchasing more equipment and constructing another building on the site.

“We are getting into the market at a slow pace,” Clark said. “We are running orders, crawling right now until we get all of our people trained. But I feel like the future is bright for this company.

“My intention is to sell every piece of metal within 100 miles of here,” Clark said. “I just have to figure out how to do it. My main concern is time and quality and catering to these contractors. They are getting the best piece of metal they can get at a good price. And we can deliver it that day or the next.”

Right now, Clark and six employees are operating the business. Buck Fanning runs the machines and turns out the product.

“It is a technical business and Buck does a great job back here,” said Clark. “He worked for me on the construction and I moved him here.

“We had technical guys come in and it didn’t take him long to really figure out how to run the machines. He programs all of these machines to do what it needs to do.”

Fanning had no previous experience in metal fabrication.

“This is something that came up and I wanted to try it,” said Fanning who has worked for Clark for nearly four years. “I still have a lot to learn but I have gotten the hang of it. I learn something new every day.”

Mayor James A. Young said Viking Metals is a great addition to Philadelphia.

“Not only are they putting people to work but they are making things,” Young said. “Manufacturing has always been a mainstay in our economics, whether it is lumber, metal, or motors, whatever. That’s the key to our stability. We want people to feel like they can come to this county and this city and be a welcomed part of our community. We are looking for high-paying jobs, technical jobs. We are thankful for Viking Metals and to anyone else out there looking, we say that Philadelphia’s doors are wide open.”