April 23, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode, David Lopez, founder of DL Metal Design, shares his entrepreneurial journey, revealing how he turned challenges into opportunities. Co-hosted by Sam Maddula Pharm.D, this conversation highlights David’s path from a beamline operator to business owner.
David’s first business, a failed Quiznos franchise, became a $100K lesson that fueled his drive in the metal industry. Despite launching DL Metal Design in January 2020 amidst the pandemic, his lean startup model allowed him to thrive as industries recovered. By 2024, David projects $10-12 million in revenue, overcoming a 40% drop in 2023.
David’s proactive response to the downturn is a key moment in this discussion. Rather than panic, he used the opportunity to restructure his company, hire key personnel, and build a management system that could operate independently of his direct involvement.
Looking ahead, David envisions a $75-100 million diversified conglomerate. His strategy of balancing cash-flow positive units with his main company’s payment structure is key to his long-term vision.
Key Takeaways:
- How David launched a steel business just before the pandemic—and why the timing worked in his favor
- The hidden challenges of rapid growth and why working capital is everything in construction
- Smart diversification strategies that balance risk and reward in uncertain economies
- The real reason sales lagged after early success—and how he fixed it
- Why a downturn can be the perfect time to restructure for future scale
Don’t miss David’s advice on trusting yourself and acting sooner! Listen to the full episode to learn how to make your next big move in business.
About David Lopez:
David Lopez is the founder of DL Metal Design and a seasoned leader in the steel industry since 1997. He started as a beamline operator and worked his way up, eventually managing teams responsible for over $400 million in revenue. With a career spanning executive roles and industry leadership, David deeply values the mentors who have shaped him along the way. Outside of work, he is passionate about coaching youth sports and enjoys hiking, biking, and traveling with his wife and kids. With a B.S. in Business Management from Northeastern University, David brings experience, leadership, and a love for teamwork to everything he does.
Connect:
Website dlmetaldesign.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/dl-metal-design
This episode is brought to you by DL Metal Design; A Turnkey Steel and Glass Subcontractor You Can Trust. Visit dlmetaldesign.com to learn more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:00):
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management orPeasley Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, authorand financial advisor, Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
(00:21):
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
the stories behind their success.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights and a little fun.
Now let's dive in Good morningAmerica.
Marc Bernstein (00:41):
How are you?
I'm Marc Bernstein.
This is Founders Forum andwe're broadcasting today out of
sunny southwest Florida on 103.9, b103.9, on HD2 radio and many
other stations, and we're onPodcast USA many other stations
(01:02):
and we're on Podcast USA, andwe'll also be returning soon to
WWDB, also part of Beasley MediaGroup in Philadelphia, in short
order.
So today our guest is DavidLopez, and I'll introduce him
more formally in a minute, andwe also have Sam Maddula in the
studio, because we often do twoshows together.
We're going to do two showsthis morning with these two
(01:25):
gentlemen, and so they'll bothbe in attendance for each
other's show, so I'll sign inwith both of them.
Good morning, Sam, too.
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (01:32):
Morning.
How are you?
Marc Bernstein (01:33):
Good morning Marc, good morning guys.
So the topic of the day thatI'm thinking about is abundance,
and on the other show we'regoing to talk about abundance.
But here we're going to talkabout abundance, but here we're
going to talk about, maybe, lackof, or people's feeling of
constraint.
Um, and you know one of thereasons I was thinking about
this this morning?
Because my wife sent me alittle text about matcha tea,
(01:55):
and I'm a drinker of matcha tea.
I'm not a coffee drinker, so Idrink it and I, you know I think
it's got a lot of great healthbenefits.
But I, um, she warned me thatsupply is getting short because
in japan they're not drinking asmuch, they're drinking less
matcha tea and other things fromaround the world, but world
demand is getting getting verylarge and so the supplies are
(02:18):
short.
So she said you better stock up.
You know it's not gonna beenough, and I thought it's like
I'm feeling constrained aboutthis, you know so.
So I am going to stock up.
Announcer (02:23):
It's not going to be enough, and I thought I'm
feeling constrained about this,so I am going to stock up.
Marc Bernstein (02:29):
But I think there's a lot of constraint
around.
One of the things is tariffsthis whole issue of tariffs and
taxes and things that are goingto happen, and people feel that
I think they're missing out onsomething, they're going to lose
something or things are goingto cost more, which is a
constraint.
So and you guys both have hadbusinesses where I think you're
(02:50):
could be affected by that kindof thinking I know you have to
overcome it.
So I just wanted to get yourinput, starting with you, David,
about you know, abundance orlack thereof, and what you think
about the tariff situation andperception of it.
David Lopez (03:09):
I think the tariffs overall.
You know, like you said, youknow the first thing they're
going to do is, in my view,they're going to limit some
competition, right?
So you do put constraints onsupply immediately because you
know, as things get moreexpensive at least in my
industry you know there's a lagbetween when you sell, you get
awarded a project and whenyou're you get awarded a project
and when you're actuallybuilding it, right.
So for us, price changes have ahave a major impact on the jobs
(03:31):
that you bid six months ago or12 months ago.
Um, so prices for us are goingto go up.
Uh, supply overall will belimited.
There's a plus on my side,though, because we have a little
bit of the ability to pickdifferent shapes in the steel
industry.
So if one is constrained, I cankind of shift somewhere else.
So for us, the big concern isobviously going to be how high
(03:54):
do prices go?
If you're a company and youhave 10 competitors and then
tomorrow you have twocompetitors, you're going to
raise your price because you can, right.
So there's a little bit of that, but so far we haven't seen
that.
It's all time Right.
Marc Bernstein (04:12):
What I do like is you see some opportunity in
what could come out of it aswell, which is so you're looking
at it.
It's not just a one sided deal,correct?
David Lopez (04:21):
Be fearful, I think overall.
You know our prices obviouslygo up with prices, so there's a
little bit of a lag from thejobs we got awarded.
But then, you know, when thingsstabilize we kind of gain some
of that back.
It's just understanding.
You know you got to payattention to futures, what's
happening down the road, and atleast in business you can't
focus on what's happening todayand then think that that's
(04:43):
what's going to happen tomorrow.
It's really foresight, uh,understanding what the markets
did before and what they'regoing to do in the future.
Marc Bernstein (04:50):
Yep.
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (04:50):
Very good, Sam your thoughts you know,
regarding abundance, I thinkpeople are hurting right now.
You know, I just took an Uberhere and I think it costs
probably 25% more than it costme in the past.
And I think, when it comes tobusiness, you know I've been
through a down cycle before,like the 09, you know GF great
financial crisis and I thinkwhat you can do is like hold
tight, put your head down andwork hard and try to ride the
(05:14):
storm out.
You know you just need to domore with less, and the best
companies will survive and theones that are not lean and mean,
unfortunately, are going to gounder.
So it's kind of a stress test.
Marc Bernstein (05:25):
So what I got out of that?
It's not what happens to you,it's what you do with it,
exactly 100%.
Very good, Thank you.
So David Lopez is founder andpresident of DL Metal Design, DL
Steel Services and ElevationMetals, Trust Building and
LumaSky LLC.
(05:46):
And he is out of the LehighValley in Pennsylvania, which is
, by the way, did you fly fromPunta Gorda?
David Lopez (05:54):
I did not come to Punta Gorda.
I went into St Pete fromAllentown.
Marc Bernstein (05:58):
Oh, you did, Okay, from Allentown, because I
fly from Allentown to PuntaGorda, which is very convenient
for us anyway.
So David is the founder of DLMetal Design and a seasoned
leader in the steel industrysince 1997.
He started as a beam lineoperator and worked his way up I
think that's really interestingeventually managing teams
(06:19):
responsible for over 400 milliondollars in revenue, with a
career spanning executive rolesand industry leadership.
David values the mentors whoshaped him along the way.
Outside of work, he'spassionate about coaching youth
sports and enjoys hiking, biking, traveling with his wife and
kids.
He has a BS in businessmanagement from Northeastern
(06:39):
University in Boston right, yep.
And David brings experiencedleadership and a love for
teamwork to everything he does,so it's great to have you here
this morning.
Thank you very much, Marc, andso just tell me about your start
, because I know you didn'tstart out like at the top of the
heap, correct.
David Lopez (06:56):
You were a welder, if I'm not mistaken.
So you know.
I mean, if you go back toessentially the beginnings, I
would say it's my parents kindof gave me that personality of
hard work.
I was the first generation togo to college and during one of
those college breaks my brother,who was a Marine and then came
out and became a welder, saidhey, listen, why don't you come
(07:18):
work with me on your breaks?
You'll make more money, you'lllearn a trade.
So back in 1997, I did that,started as a beamline operator,
and the owner of that companysaid hey, I want to take you
through every aspect of thisbusiness.
You know, I want to teach youhow to weld and then go into
shop operations, go intoestimating and then eventually
(07:38):
become a project manager.
Marc Bernstein (07:40):
You were fortunate to have that mentor.
David Lopez (07:42):
Yes.
Marc Bernstein (07:43):
And you mentioned that.
That's one of the things thatyou're grateful about, and what
happened from there?
You were working for a coupleof companies.
David Lopez (07:52):
So I worked.
I became a project managerthere about the age of 21,
managing jobs somewhere in the$1 million to $2 million range,
top end.
Over time you get smarter.
I was probably being underpaid.
So in a little bit of researchI then moved to Philadelphia,
(08:14):
got a pretty quick raise, movinginto that market and then
became a PM for another firm.
And in the midst of that therewas a gentleman who worked for a
general contractor we workedfor who said, hey, I got a
friend you know, comes from along family business.
They want to really get intothe ornamental world.
He needs a good project managerand estimator.
You know, there's kind ofstarting this new division and I
(08:39):
went and met that person overmultiple meetings, that person
over multiple meetings we cameto an agreement and that's when
I went into ornamental metals,which is kind of what my company
does Correct?
That's where the metal designpart comes in, and over a span
of about 11 years between me andthe owner, we had about three
(09:00):
or four support staff in thatoffice.
In 11 years we had 60.
And I would say that wasprobably close to a $50 million
business unit.
Marc Bernstein (09:10):
And you eventually left that company,
correct.
David Lopez (09:13):
I did.
You know, for many reasons.
As you grow you get smarter.
I think in the metal side ofthe world, the person that
mentored me there was probablyone of the smartest people when
it comes to metal work that I'veever met.
So you know the foundation hegave me there.
Um, culturally we were not inthe same world, for argument's
(09:35):
sake, uh.
So at that point, as you know,I got to a specific point in the
company.
I was a chief operating officerin my early thirties there and
at some point decided, you know,we decided it was time to part
ways and I went and left thatcompany, and that's when you
started your company.
Announcer (09:52):
It isn't.
David Lopez (09:56):
So I took a few months off, enjoyed my family
and my kids, took a cruise.
But you know I couldn't sitstill for long.
So I did find a job withanother company.
They were interested in gettinginto New York City.
So they had never gone into theNew York market, knew that I
had spent quite a few yearsthere.
(10:16):
So I came into that company asthe VP of New York markets to
open up the New York market forthem and then to open up the New
York market for them and then.
So after that we did open upNew York.
It's a very, very viable marketfor them.
At this point.
You know there's a point inyour life where I always wanted
to start businesses.
To be honest with you, thefirst business I started was a
(10:38):
Quiznos sub in Philadelphia, nokidding.
And it was a $100,000 lesson onwhat not to do when you're
starting a business.
Marc Bernstein (10:49):
That's some of the best education.
David Lopez (10:50):
It was a very yeah, it was very good education.
So I always knew that I wantedto do that and I always talked
about it.
But I had a good executive jobright.
So you know, at that point Ihad started a family, I had kids
.
There's an expectation of whatyou are creating in that life,
you know.
So when I left that firstcompany, I had an opportunity to
(11:12):
say, okay, I'm going to startmy own thing.
But when this opportunity toopen up the New York market came
up, you know you have to weighthe options.
You know the risk involved instarting your own business right
you could lose everythingversus, you know, a solid
executive position to open up amarket that you're very
comfortable with.
So I went that way withaspirations of you know being or
(11:34):
having the opportunity to getto a certain level of that
company and making certain typesof money, or having the
opportunity to get to a certainlevel of that company and making
certain types of money.
And that's why I went there.
Marc Bernstein (11:42):
Why did you eventually leave there?
David Lopez (11:44):
So I would say we were two to three years in with
that company and I started myown design and engineering
business and that was when DLMetal Design pretty much got
created and, realistically,that's when the journey really
took off.
Marc Bernstein (12:03):
And I guess you got busy enough that then you
had to leave the other job tofocus on DL Metal.
David Lopez (12:08):
There was a little back and forth with that company
, but at the end of the day Ifinally went to my wife and said
listen, you know, I think Iwant to do this and I want to do
it right and I'm not going todo it small.
And she said you're never goingto be happy until you do it.
I know it risks everythingwe've made over our life, but go
.
Marc Bernstein (12:25):
You had wonderful support from your wife
.
I did Nice.
We were talking aboutrelationships earlier because
we're in a radio station with amorning show and they have a man
panel on every morning to talkabout relationships and Roger
and I were joking around withhim kind of, what side of the
fence will you be on in supportof marriage?
I know you're a supporter.
Yes, I know Sam's a supporter.
(12:46):
I know I'm a supporter, roger.
With that we're going to take abreak.
Announcer (13:12):
We'll be back in a minute on Founders Forum even
begins, saving time and avoidingerrors.
And with over 75 years ofcombined industry experience, we
deliver craftsmanship andaccountability that you can
count on.
Ready to elevate your nextproject?
Contact DL Metal Design todayat dlmetaldesign.
com, and let's build somethingexceptional.
Marc Bernstein (13:37):
We're back on Founders Forum with David Lopez,
our guest today, and SamMaddula is in the studio.
David, I know it wasn'tnecessarily a straight line of
growth in your company.
You had a few really good yearsand then I think it was 2023.
You had challenges.
Talk about that.
David Lopez (13:54):
Yeah.
So you know, like I said before, you know we put it pretty much
on the table, Right.
So, to be honest with you, thefirst challenge was I left the
company I was with in January of2020.
So, as we all know, thepandemic happened two months
later, Right?
So you know, the first thing ordecision we had to make is this
the right time?
And the owner of the pastcompany said, hey, listen, with
(14:18):
the pandemic happening, if youdecide you want to stay longer,
that's fine.
But in my head I said you knowwhat it's the pandemic this year
?
It's going to be something nextyear.
You know, I'm just going to dothis.
And it worked out to be verygood for us because we had no
overhead, right, we were justgearing up to get things going.
So that six month span ofgetting ready, you know, we
(14:46):
started to see industries startcoming out of that pandemic
shock and start moving again.
So for us, we were kind of in agood spot.
First year was a lot of setup.
Like I said, by year two wewent from, I would say, about
half a million in revenue thatfirst year, between actually
doing work in October to January, to the next year, about two
and a half million, that'sphenomenal.
And then the year after that,which would have been 22, we
(15:06):
actually shot up to about sixand a half million in revenue.
But one of the issues with thatis obviously scaling.
So companies have to learn, andI knew this very early.
Which helped us was, you know,working capital.
For us, is extremely important.
We're in an industry that lagsbehind payment versus services.
So in the construction industry, you're doing work, you're
(15:28):
financing that work until youget paid somewhere between 60 to
90 days later.
So working capital is king.
So for us, scaling wasimportant, but it also meant you
have to watch what you do.
If you're profitable.
There's one person that alwayslooks for their cut, which is
Uncle Sam, and you know that wasone thing we always kept in
(15:49):
mind as well how fast can wescale with our profits but make
sure that we can still pay ourbills on time and keep a good
reputation?
But what happened was we scaledrapidly, smartly, with money,
but there was too many peoplewearing too many hats.
So what happened was, when wegot so busy, production took all
of our focus and sales starteddwindling.
(16:10):
Because we weren't focusing onsales.
And if you know that part ofour industry, what you bid today
you get in like six to 12months.
So if you stop two months here,guess what?
You're going to have atwo-month lag down the road.
So we started seeing that.
At the same time, inflationshot through the roof.
Investors, even governmentprojects, started to stall to
(16:33):
see what was happening.
Should we wait until this comesdown?
Because obviously the value ofour money is nowhere near what
it was when we startedconsidering this project?
So it was a compound effect ofsales slowing because we were
focused on production, inflationslowing investment.
And then we saw essentially adip, probably about 40% a dip in
(16:54):
revenue.
Well, when I saw that coming, Itook that as an opportunity.
I said this is perfect, right,we've done good for you know,
three years, two and a halfyears.
At that point I'm going torestructure the company.
I can't be the sales guy andthe senior pm um, because it's
too much.
Marc Bernstein (17:12):
So, by the way, I believe you're still
profitable that you're, eventhough we were, we still ended
we 40% drop in revenue.
We probably increased our laborcosts by 30% and we're still
profitable at the end of thatyear.
That set you up for the comingyear.
David Lopez (17:29):
Correct.
So I took that 23 and I said,okay, focus has to go back to
sales so we can continue toscale.
But I'm going to take thisdownturn and we are going to
clean the ship up so that wehave the right people in the
right place.
So I hired a director of salesand estimating.
I hired a project manager,senior PM.
We started moving some internalpeople into higher positions
(17:50):
and then filling their positionsso we had this really core
group of managers that couldhandle any department without me
involved.
So, in other words, ifsomething happened to me for
argument's sake before thisrestructuring, the only real
answer would have been to windthe company down.
Whereas today if somethinghappens to me, we have that
structure in place.
(18:10):
The company can continuewithout me.
Marc Bernstein (18:13):
So when we last talked, I think you were on
track for 2024 to do like triplewhat you did in 2022, I believe
so right now.
David Lopez (18:24):
So we went down to about $3.5 million in 2023.
$24 ended probably about $7.5million and we're projected to
be, closer to somewhere between$10 to $12 million company this
year Excellent.
Marc Bernstein (18:38):
That's really great.
So I like to ask what strengthsdo you have to overcome
challenges?
One of the things I've seen thetheme is your ability to pivot,
both in 2020 again in 2022 23anything else you would add to
that?
What kind of uh skills you'vedeveloped?
David Lopez (18:54):
I mean you.
You can't say much aboutdiversification, right?
Because you know we're notfocused in one niche industry.
We have private clients and wehave a lot of public clients,
right?
One thing you can alwaysguarantee on a public job is
that you're going to get paid.
Private jobs tend to be alittle more profitable, happen
(19:17):
with a little less red tape.
But you know, if we have a 2008, you know you're not getting
paid.
So we diversify that way.
We also diversify what industrywe're in, right?
Certain industries actuallyshine when the economy depresses
.
A lot of people with a lot ofmoney spend a lot of money when
(19:40):
it's cheaper to get things.
So that ornamental metal worldactually starts ticking up when
you see prices come down.
So we try to stick to differentmarkets so you can actually see
that.
Marc Bernstein (19:54):
Sam, do you have a question for David?
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (19:57):
was just going to compliment him on the
pivoting idea.
That's pretty amazing.
I didn't think about how, likeyou just said, certain things
actually pivot upward when costis cheaper.
So when there's less people whohave money, then you have other
people who do have money on thesidelines that are going to
pick up those ornamental works.
That's pretty interesting tosee.
Marc Bernstein (20:18):
David, you've had a pretty remarkable first
five years in business.
I would say um a lot of growthand I know you're a guy that
looks forward.
We talked about that earlier.
If this were 10 years fromtoday.
So we're looking at it and it'salmost april of uh 2035 and
you're looking back on the last10 years, what would have to
(20:40):
happen in your life?
I'll ask you I'll make it broad, yep, but business family,
personally for that to look forthat to be a successful 10 year
period in your life.
David Lopez (20:50):
So I mean for me and my family, obviously, to see
my kids, you know, excelling inwhatever career they choose.
For me as a businessman, youknow, right now we're trying to
position the company.
So, we created multiple businessunits that are all complements
of the main business.
Some are immediate cash flowversus what we're in now.
(21:12):
So I told you it's kind of alagging company right.
We work, we invest in theproject.
We don't get paid until 60, 90days later.
So I'm also looking at businessunits that complement that main
company that are cash-basedbusinesses.
That means I build a product,you pay me, then I ship it.
That immediate cash flow helpsscale.
The larger company itselfbrings in faster cash flow, in
(21:37):
faster cash flow, and then we'retrying to essentially do a
conglomerate of companies undera holding company so that we are
also better positioned for bankfinance, right, Because that's
the cheapest one.
Marc Bernstein (21:48):
These cash-based business units would be things
like you would design productsthat would be sold online or on
catalogs or whatever.
David Lopez (21:56):
So some to architects, some are going to be
residential based so we cansell to you know.
So some are business tobusiness some will be um
essentially business tocustomers, um, but all of all of
them are essentiallycomplements of the main company,
and then we'll branch off theseare products that you'd have an
inventory, absolutely right, sothen you'd be ready to ship out
and get paid immediately I'mnot a steel guy trying to start
(22:19):
a steak shop, right, right.
So the whole goal is take ourexpertise that we have now and
build these additionalbusinesses.
Marc Bernstein (22:25):
You're not going back in the Quiznos business no
so that's great.
Anything else you'd like to addto that 10-year vision?
Anything else?
You see, how many employeeswould you have in the company?
David Lopez (22:37):
So I mean, you know , my goals are huge.
They change over time.
So the current goal in 10 yearsis, you know, hopefully to be a
company that's, you know,hitting that 75, 100 million
revenue between all thosecompanies and having them run
independently with their ownteams.
Like I said, certain things aregoing to be beneficial in
(22:58):
certain economies, others won't,but they'll all be able to
support themselves and eachother.
So that's the goal right now isto make the most out of what we
have, labor-wise,knowledge-wise, to start these
other business units and theneventually, you know, fill those
companies with additionalpeople.
Marc Bernstein (23:14):
By the way, an interesting thing.
So we talk about visions andwe'll ask people one year, three
year, 10 year?
That's usually the choices.
Yep, talk about visions andwe'll ask people one year, three
year, ten year?
That's usually the choices yep,and it's interesting, you pick
10 because and you said it'sgoing to change, it's going to
change yes because things arechanging so rapidly now it's.
It's almost hard to projectthree years today the way things
are, you know, because everyindustry is changing so rapidly.
(23:36):
Um, that it's that'sinteresting, but it's nice that
you have.
But I think you have a bigvision, very big vision To
fulfill.
It's how you're going to getthere.
That's going to change.
David Lopez (23:44):
Correct?
I don't think I feel verystrongly.
If you're not looking out thatfar, it's really tough to make
smart decisions now for whereyou're going to get.
We recently got approached bysomebody who had a very big
investor that was interested inmanufacturing firms and I said
well, I'm not interested inselling, but I'll talk to you
about where I want to be 10 to15 years down the road and maybe
(24:06):
you can start getting me therenow.
He said well, that's great.
A lot of businesses don't dothat and at the end of the day
they end up being worth a lotless because they didn't plan 10
years ahead of time.
Marc Bernstein (24:17):
So for me, it's where that's going they didn't
plan 10 years ahead of time, sofor me it's where that's going.
Yes, it's very interesting, soyou don't really know what that
looks like in terms of employees.
David Lopez (24:31):
You haven't filled out all the details yet.
I would say in 10 years, youknow, I want to be a 200 to 300
employee count company All inthe Lehigh Valley still keep it
concentrated.
Those other business unitsnational I'm going to be selling
all over the country Veryinteresting, that's great.
Marc Bernstein (24:44):
What do you foresee?
Any challenges, Of coursethere's going to be challenges.
Is there anything that you'reseeing up front you have to
think about?
David Lopez (24:50):
So I mean our core managers.
We've been really good atcreating that team.
You know, as you get that big,you really have to continue
finding those people you trusthave.
You know, as you get that big,you really have to continue
finding those people you trusthave the same vision as you.
So culture, super important tous.
You know, I'd rather havesomebody with one year
experience that culturally fitswith us than somebody who's been
in the industry 25 years butknows everything and it doesn't
match us.
Marc Bernstein (25:10):
That's a continuing theme on the show how
important company culture is.
Absolutely, you have.
We only have a minute or twoleft, Yep.
David Lopez (25:25):
If you could speak to your younger self, david,
what advice would you give you,which I imagine might apply to
your kids as well?
I mean, I would say trust inyourself and do it sooner, like,
in other words, I had thatopportunity after I left that
first company to do what I'mdoing now, um, but I was a
little worried about, you know,is it going to work?
Can I do that?
But you know stability and whatI'm going to, you know have.
Marc Bernstein (25:38):
Is it going to work?
Can I do that?
But?
David Lopez (25:39):
you know stability and what I'm going to, you know,
have for my family right.
They were already used to aspecific life and I wanted a
good life for them.
But uh, at the end of the day,trust in yourself.
You know, study, do the work.
If you're a hard worker, um,you know, don't waste time and
there's a lot of opportunity outthere.
You know free money grants thatpeople can get that I didn't
really know about back then it'sbecause I didn't take the time
(26:01):
to look as hard as I do now.
But uh, there's a lot ofopportunity.
Marc Bernstein (26:09):
Don't wait, do it where there's a will.
There's a way you got it outand do it.
Got it?
David Lopez (26:11):
Great advice, uh, last question favorite book, I
would say probably the biggestimpact book on me, is good to
great Um.
You know a lot, of, a lot ofleadership information came out
of that book for me and it'skind of how I look at the way I
culture my business right.
Marc Bernstein (26:25):
It's an amazing book.
Started out as a good book, butbecame a great book.
Anyway, that's all the time wehave today on Founders Forum, so
it was wonderful having youhere, David.
I appreciate that you traveleddown here from the Lehigh Valley
to Florida for the show.
You as well, Sam.
Thank you both and thank youall for listening, and we look
(26:45):
forward to seeing talking to youagain.
I don't know if we'll see you.
You'll see us soon.
We'll be on video soon, anyway,next week, and have a great
week.
David Lopez (26:54):
Thanks for having me, Marc.
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (26:55):
Thank you for having me as a guest.
Appreciate it, pleasure.
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Now let's dive in Good morningAmerica.
Marc Bernstein (00:41):
How are you?
I'm Marc Bernstein.
This is Founders Forum andwe're broadcasting today out of
sunny southwest Florida on 103.9, b103.9, on HD2 radio and many
other stations, and we're onPodcast USA many other stations
(01:02):
and we're on Podcast USA, andwe'll also be returning soon to
WWDB, also part of Beasley MediaGroup in Philadelphia, in short
order.
So today our guest is DavidLopez, and I'll introduce him
more formally in a minute, andwe also have Sam Maddula in the
studio, because we often do twoshows together.
We're going to do two showsthis morning with these two
(01:25):
gentlemen, and so they'll bothbe in attendance for each
other's show, so I'll sign inwith both of them.
Good morning, Sam, too.
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (01:32):
Morning.
How are you?
Marc Bernstein (01:33):
Good morning Marc, good morning guys.
So the topic of the day thatI'm thinking about is abundance,
and on the other show we'regoing to talk about abundance.
But here we're going to talkabout abundance, but here we're
going to talk about, maybe, lackof, or people's feeling of
constraint.
Um, and you know one of thereasons I was thinking about
this this morning?
Because my wife sent me alittle text about matcha tea,
(01:55):
and I'm a drinker of matcha tea.
I'm not a coffee drinker, so Idrink it and I, you know I think
it's got a lot of great healthbenefits.
But I, um, she warned me thatsupply is getting short because
in japan they're not drinking asmuch, they're drinking less
matcha tea and other things fromaround the world, but world
demand is getting getting verylarge and so the supplies are
(02:18):
short.
So she said you better stock up.
You know it's not gonna beenough, and I thought it's like
I'm feeling constrained aboutthis, you know so.
So I am going to stock up.
Announcer (02:23):
It's not going to be enough, and I thought I'm
feeling constrained about this,so I am going to stock up.
Marc Bernstein (02:29):
But I think there's a lot of constraint
around.
One of the things is tariffsthis whole issue of tariffs and
taxes and things that are goingto happen, and people feel that
I think they're missing out onsomething, they're going to lose
something or things are goingto cost more, which is a
constraint.
So and you guys both have hadbusinesses where I think you're
(02:50):
could be affected by that kindof thinking I know you have to
overcome it.
So I just wanted to get yourinput, starting with you, David,
about you know, abundance orlack thereof, and what you think
about the tariff situation andperception of it.
David Lopez (03:09):
I think the tariffs overall.
You know, like you said, youknow the first thing they're
going to do is, in my view,they're going to limit some
competition, right?
So you do put constraints onsupply immediately because you
know, as things get moreexpensive at least in my
industry you know there's a lagbetween when you sell, you get
awarded a project and whenyou're you get awarded a project
and when you're actuallybuilding it, right.
So for us, price changes have ahave a major impact on the jobs
(03:31):
that you bid six months ago or12 months ago.
Um, so prices for us are goingto go up.
Uh, supply overall will belimited.
There's a plus on my side,though, because we have a little
bit of the ability to pickdifferent shapes in the steel
industry.
So if one is constrained, I cankind of shift somewhere else.
So for us, the big concern isobviously going to be how high
(03:54):
do prices go?
If you're a company and youhave 10 competitors and then
tomorrow you have twocompetitors, you're going to
raise your price because you can, right.
So there's a little bit of that, but so far we haven't seen
that.
It's all time Right.
Marc Bernstein (04:12):
What I do like is you see some opportunity in
what could come out of it aswell, which is so you're looking
at it.
It's not just a one sided deal,correct?
David Lopez (04:21):
Be fearful, I think overall.
You know our prices obviouslygo up with prices, so there's a
little bit of a lag from thejobs we got awarded.
But then, you know, when thingsstabilize we kind of gain some
of that back.
It's just understanding.
You know you got to payattention to futures, what's
happening down the road, and atleast in business you can't
focus on what's happening todayand then think that that's
(04:43):
what's going to happen tomorrow.
It's really foresight, uh,understanding what the markets
did before and what they'regoing to do in the future.
Marc Bernstein (04:50):
Yep.
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (04:50):
Very good, Sam your thoughts you know,
regarding abundance, I thinkpeople are hurting right now.
You know, I just took an Uberhere and I think it costs
probably 25% more than it costme in the past.
And I think, when it comes tobusiness, you know I've been
through a down cycle before,like the 09, you know GF great
financial crisis and I thinkwhat you can do is like hold
tight, put your head down andwork hard and try to ride the
(05:14):
storm out.
You know you just need to domore with less, and the best
companies will survive and theones that are not lean and mean,
unfortunately, are going to gounder.
So it's kind of a stress test.
Marc Bernstein (05:25):
So what I got out of that?
It's not what happens to you,it's what you do with it,
exactly 100%.
Very good, Thank you.
So David Lopez is founder andpresident of DL Metal Design, DL
Steel Services and ElevationMetals, Trust Building and
LumaSky LLC.
(05:46):
And he is out of the LehighValley in Pennsylvania, which is
, by the way, did you fly fromPunta Gorda?
David Lopez (05:54):
I did not come to Punta Gorda.
I went into St Pete fromAllentown.
Marc Bernstein (05:58):
Oh, you did, Okay, from Allentown, because I
fly from Allentown to PuntaGorda, which is very convenient
for us anyway.
So David is the founder of DLMetal Design and a seasoned
leader in the steel industrysince 1997.
He started as a beam lineoperator and worked his way up I
think that's really interestingeventually managing teams
(06:19):
responsible for over 400 milliondollars in revenue, with a
career spanning executive rolesand industry leadership.
David values the mentors whoshaped him along the way.
Outside of work, he'spassionate about coaching youth
sports and enjoys hiking, biking, traveling with his wife and
kids.
He has a BS in businessmanagement from Northeastern
(06:39):
University in Boston right, yep.
And David brings experiencedleadership and a love for
teamwork to everything he does,so it's great to have you here
this morning.
Thank you very much, Marc, andso just tell me about your start
, because I know you didn'tstart out like at the top of the
heap, correct.
David Lopez (06:56):
You were a welder, if I'm not mistaken.
So you know.
I mean, if you go back toessentially the beginnings, I
would say it's my parents kindof gave me that personality of
hard work.
I was the first generation togo to college and during one of
those college breaks my brother,who was a Marine and then came
out and became a welder, saidhey, listen, why don't you come
(07:18):
work with me on your breaks?
You'll make more money, you'lllearn a trade.
So back in 1997, I did that,started as a beamline operator,
and the owner of that companysaid hey, I want to take you
through every aspect of thisbusiness.
You know, I want to teach youhow to weld and then go into
shop operations, go intoestimating and then eventually
(07:38):
become a project manager.
Marc Bernstein (07:40):
You were fortunate to have that mentor.
David Lopez (07:42):
Yes.
Marc Bernstein (07:43):
And you mentioned that.
That's one of the things thatyou're grateful about, and what
happened from there?
You were working for a coupleof companies.
David Lopez (07:52):
So I worked.
I became a project managerthere about the age of 21,
managing jobs somewhere in the$1 million to $2 million range,
top end.
Over time you get smarter.
I was probably being underpaid.
So in a little bit of researchI then moved to Philadelphia,
(08:14):
got a pretty quick raise, movinginto that market and then
became a PM for another firm.
And in the midst of that therewas a gentleman who worked for a
general contractor we workedfor who said, hey, I got a
friend you know, comes from along family business.
They want to really get intothe ornamental world.
He needs a good project managerand estimator.
You know, there's kind ofstarting this new division and I
(08:39):
went and met that person overmultiple meetings, that person
over multiple meetings we cameto an agreement and that's when
I went into ornamental metals,which is kind of what my company
does Correct?
That's where the metal designpart comes in, and over a span
of about 11 years between me andthe owner, we had about three
(09:00):
or four support staff in thatoffice.
In 11 years we had 60.
And I would say that wasprobably close to a $50 million
business unit.
Marc Bernstein (09:10):
And you eventually left that company,
correct.
David Lopez (09:13):
I did.
You know, for many reasons.
As you grow you get smarter.
I think in the metal side ofthe world, the person that
mentored me there was probablyone of the smartest people when
it comes to metal work that I'veever met.
So you know the foundation hegave me there.
Um, culturally we were not inthe same world, for argument's
(09:35):
sake, uh.
So at that point, as you know,I got to a specific point in the
company.
I was a chief operating officerin my early thirties there and
at some point decided, you know,we decided it was time to part
ways and I went and left thatcompany, and that's when you
started your company.
Announcer (09:52):
It isn't.
David Lopez (09:56):
So I took a few months off, enjoyed my family
and my kids, took a cruise.
But you know I couldn't sitstill for long.
So I did find a job withanother company.
They were interested in gettinginto New York City.
So they had never gone into theNew York market, knew that I
had spent quite a few yearsthere.
(10:16):
So I came into that company asthe VP of New York markets to
open up the New York market forthem and then to open up the New
York market for them and then.
So after that we did open upNew York.
It's a very, very viable marketfor them.
At this point.
You know there's a point inyour life where I always wanted
to start businesses.
To be honest with you, thefirst business I started was a
(10:38):
Quiznos sub in Philadelphia, nokidding.
And it was a $100,000 lesson onwhat not to do when you're
starting a business.
Marc Bernstein (10:49):
That's some of the best education.
David Lopez (10:50):
It was a very yeah, it was very good education.
So I always knew that I wantedto do that and I always talked
about it.
But I had a good executive jobright.
So you know, at that point Ihad started a family, I had kids
.
There's an expectation of whatyou are creating in that life,
you know.
So when I left that firstcompany, I had an opportunity to
(11:12):
say, okay, I'm going to startmy own thing.
But when this opportunity toopen up the New York market came
up, you know you have to weighthe options.
You know the risk involved instarting your own business right
you could lose everythingversus, you know, a solid
executive position to open up amarket that you're very
comfortable with.
So I went that way withaspirations of you know being or
(11:34):
having the opportunity to getto a certain level of that
company and making certain typesof money, or having the
opportunity to get to a certainlevel of that company and making
certain types of money.
And that's why I went there.
Marc Bernstein (11:42):
Why did you eventually leave there?
David Lopez (11:44):
So I would say we were two to three years in with
that company and I started myown design and engineering
business and that was when DLMetal Design pretty much got
created and, realistically,that's when the journey really
took off.
Marc Bernstein (12:03):
And I guess you got busy enough that then you
had to leave the other job tofocus on DL Metal.
David Lopez (12:08):
There was a little back and forth with that company
, but at the end of the day Ifinally went to my wife and said
listen, you know, I think Iwant to do this and I want to do
it right and I'm not going todo it small.
And she said you're never goingto be happy until you do it.
I know it risks everythingwe've made over our life, but go
.
Marc Bernstein (12:25):
You had wonderful support from your wife
.
I did Nice.
We were talking aboutrelationships earlier because
we're in a radio station with amorning show and they have a man
panel on every morning to talkabout relationships and Roger
and I were joking around withhim kind of, what side of the
fence will you be on in supportof marriage?
I know you're a supporter.
Yes, I know Sam's a supporter.
(12:46):
I know I'm a supporter, roger.
With that we're going to take abreak.
Announcer (13:12):
We'll be back in a minute on Founders Forum even
begins, saving time and avoidingerrors.
And with over 75 years ofcombined industry experience, we
deliver craftsmanship andaccountability that you can
count on.
Ready to elevate your nextproject?
Contact DL Metal Design todayat dlmetaldesign.
com, and let's build somethingexceptional.
Marc Bernstein (13:37):
We're back on Founders Forum with David Lopez,
our guest today, and SamMaddula is in the studio.
David, I know it wasn'tnecessarily a straight line of
growth in your company.
You had a few really good yearsand then I think it was 2023.
You had challenges.
Talk about that.
David Lopez (13:54):
Yeah.
So you know, like I said before, you know we put it pretty much
on the table, Right.
So, to be honest with you, thefirst challenge was I left the
company I was with in January of2020.
So, as we all know, thepandemic happened two months
later, Right?
So you know, the first thing ordecision we had to make is this
the right time?
And the owner of the pastcompany said, hey, listen, with
(14:18):
the pandemic happening, if youdecide you want to stay longer,
that's fine.
But in my head I said you knowwhat it's the pandemic this year
?
It's going to be something nextyear.
You know, I'm just going to dothis.
And it worked out to be verygood for us because we had no
overhead, right, we were justgearing up to get things going.
So that six month span ofgetting ready, you know, we
(14:46):
started to see industries startcoming out of that pandemic
shock and start moving again.
So for us, we were kind of in agood spot.
First year was a lot of setup.
Like I said, by year two wewent from, I would say, about
half a million in revenue thatfirst year, between actually
doing work in October to January, to the next year, about two
and a half million, that'sphenomenal.
And then the year after that,which would have been 22, we
(15:06):
actually shot up to about sixand a half million in revenue.
But one of the issues with thatis obviously scaling.
So companies have to learn, andI knew this very early.
Which helped us was, you know,working capital.
For us, is extremely important.
We're in an industry that lagsbehind payment versus services.
So in the construction industry, you're doing work, you're
(15:28):
financing that work until youget paid somewhere between 60 to
90 days later.
So working capital is king.
So for us, scaling wasimportant, but it also meant you
have to watch what you do.
If you're profitable.
There's one person that alwayslooks for their cut, which is
Uncle Sam, and you know that wasone thing we always kept in
(15:49):
mind as well how fast can wescale with our profits but make
sure that we can still pay ourbills on time and keep a good
reputation?
But what happened was we scaledrapidly, smartly, with money,
but there was too many peoplewearing too many hats.
So what happened was, when wegot so busy, production took all
of our focus and sales starteddwindling.
(16:10):
Because we weren't focusing onsales.
And if you know that part ofour industry, what you bid today
you get in like six to 12months.
So if you stop two months here,guess what?
You're going to have atwo-month lag down the road.
So we started seeing that.
At the same time, inflationshot through the roof.
Investors, even governmentprojects, started to stall to
(16:33):
see what was happening.
Should we wait until this comesdown?
Because obviously the value ofour money is nowhere near what
it was when we startedconsidering this project?
So it was a compound effect ofsales slowing because we were
focused on production, inflationslowing investment.
And then we saw essentially adip, probably about 40% a dip in
(16:54):
revenue.
Well, when I saw that coming, Itook that as an opportunity.
I said this is perfect, right,we've done good for you know,
three years, two and a halfyears.
At that point I'm going torestructure the company.
I can't be the sales guy andthe senior pm um, because it's
too much.
Marc Bernstein (17:12):
So, by the way, I believe you're still
profitable that you're, eventhough we were, we still ended
we 40% drop in revenue.
We probably increased our laborcosts by 30% and we're still
profitable at the end of thatyear.
That set you up for the comingyear.
David Lopez (17:29):
Correct.
So I took that 23 and I said,okay, focus has to go back to
sales so we can continue toscale.
But I'm going to take thisdownturn and we are going to
clean the ship up so that wehave the right people in the
right place.
So I hired a director of salesand estimating.
I hired a project manager,senior PM.
We started moving some internalpeople into higher positions
(17:50):
and then filling their positionsso we had this really core
group of managers that couldhandle any department without me
involved.
So, in other words, ifsomething happened to me for
argument's sake before thisrestructuring, the only real
answer would have been to windthe company down.
Whereas today if somethinghappens to me, we have that
structure in place.
(18:10):
The company can continuewithout me.
Marc Bernstein (18:13):
So when we last talked, I think you were on
track for 2024 to do like triplewhat you did in 2022, I believe
so right now.
David Lopez (18:24):
So we went down to about $3.5 million in 2023.
$24 ended probably about $7.5million and we're projected to
be, closer to somewhere between$10 to $12 million company this
year Excellent.
Marc Bernstein (18:38):
That's really great.
So I like to ask what strengthsdo you have to overcome
challenges?
One of the things I've seen thetheme is your ability to pivot,
both in 2020 again in 2022 23anything else you would add to
that?
What kind of uh skills you'vedeveloped?
David Lopez (18:54):
I mean you.
You can't say much aboutdiversification, right?
Because you know we're notfocused in one niche industry.
We have private clients and wehave a lot of public clients,
right?
One thing you can alwaysguarantee on a public job is
that you're going to get paid.
Private jobs tend to be alittle more profitable, happen
(19:17):
with a little less red tape.
But you know, if we have a 2008, you know you're not getting
paid.
So we diversify that way.
We also diversify what industrywe're in, right?
Certain industries actuallyshine when the economy depresses
.
A lot of people with a lot ofmoney spend a lot of money when
(19:40):
it's cheaper to get things.
So that ornamental metal worldactually starts ticking up when
you see prices come down.
So we try to stick to differentmarkets so you can actually see
that.
Marc Bernstein (19:54):
Sam, do you have a question for David?
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (19:57):
was just going to compliment him on the
pivoting idea.
That's pretty amazing.
I didn't think about how, likeyou just said, certain things
actually pivot upward when costis cheaper.
So when there's less people whohave money, then you have other
people who do have money on thesidelines that are going to
pick up those ornamental works.
That's pretty interesting tosee.
Marc Bernstein (20:18):
David, you've had a pretty remarkable first
five years in business.
I would say um a lot of growthand I know you're a guy that
looks forward.
We talked about that earlier.
If this were 10 years fromtoday.
So we're looking at it and it'salmost april of uh 2035 and
you're looking back on the last10 years, what would have to
(20:40):
happen in your life?
I'll ask you I'll make it broad, yep, but business family,
personally for that to look forthat to be a successful 10 year
period in your life.
David Lopez (20:50):
So I mean for me and my family, obviously, to see
my kids, you know, excelling inwhatever career they choose.
For me as a businessman, youknow, right now we're trying to
position the company.
So, we created multiple businessunits that are all complements
of the main business.
Some are immediate cash flowversus what we're in now.
(21:12):
So I told you it's kind of alagging company right.
We work, we invest in theproject.
We don't get paid until 60, 90days later.
So I'm also looking at businessunits that complement that main
company that are cash-basedbusinesses.
That means I build a product,you pay me, then I ship it.
That immediate cash flow helpsscale.
The larger company itselfbrings in faster cash flow, in
(21:37):
faster cash flow, and then we'retrying to essentially do a
conglomerate of companies undera holding company so that we are
also better positioned for bankfinance, right, Because that's
the cheapest one.
Marc Bernstein (21:48):
These cash-based business units would be things
like you would design productsthat would be sold online or on
catalogs or whatever.
David Lopez (21:56):
So some to architects, some are going to be
residential based so we cansell to you know.
So some are business tobusiness some will be um
essentially business tocustomers, um, but all of all of
them are essentiallycomplements of the main company,
and then we'll branch off theseare products that you'd have an
inventory, absolutely right, sothen you'd be ready to ship out
and get paid immediately I'mnot a steel guy trying to start
(22:19):
a steak shop, right, right.
So the whole goal is take ourexpertise that we have now and
build these additionalbusinesses.
Marc Bernstein (22:25):
You're not going back in the Quiznos business no
so that's great.
Anything else you'd like to addto that 10-year vision?
Anything else?
You see, how many employeeswould you have in the company?
David Lopez (22:37):
So I mean, you know , my goals are huge.
They change over time.
So the current goal in 10 yearsis, you know, hopefully to be a
company that's, you know,hitting that 75, 100 million
revenue between all thosecompanies and having them run
independently with their ownteams.
Like I said, certain things aregoing to be beneficial in
(22:58):
certain economies, others won't,but they'll all be able to
support themselves and eachother.
So that's the goal right now isto make the most out of what we
have, labor-wise,knowledge-wise, to start these
other business units and theneventually, you know, fill those
companies with additionalpeople.
Marc Bernstein (23:14):
By the way, an interesting thing.
So we talk about visions andwe'll ask people one year, three
year, 10 year?
That's usually the choices.
Yep, talk about visions andwe'll ask people one year, three
year, ten year?
That's usually the choices yep,and it's interesting, you pick
10 because and you said it'sgoing to change, it's going to
change yes because things arechanging so rapidly now it's.
It's almost hard to projectthree years today the way things
are, you know, because everyindustry is changing so rapidly.
(23:36):
Um, that it's that'sinteresting, but it's nice that
you have.
But I think you have a bigvision, very big vision To
fulfill.
It's how you're going to getthere.
That's going to change.
David Lopez (23:44):
Correct?
I don't think I feel verystrongly.
If you're not looking out thatfar, it's really tough to make
smart decisions now for whereyou're going to get.
We recently got approached bysomebody who had a very big
investor that was interested inmanufacturing firms and I said
well, I'm not interested inselling, but I'll talk to you
about where I want to be 10 to15 years down the road and maybe
(24:06):
you can start getting me therenow.
He said well, that's great.
A lot of businesses don't dothat and at the end of the day
they end up being worth a lotless because they didn't plan 10
years ahead of time.
Marc Bernstein (24:17):
So for me, it's where that's going they didn't
plan 10 years ahead of time, sofor me it's where that's going.
Yes, it's very interesting, soyou don't really know what that
looks like in terms of employees.
David Lopez (24:31):
You haven't filled out all the details yet.
I would say in 10 years, youknow, I want to be a 200 to 300
employee count company All inthe Lehigh Valley still keep it
concentrated.
Those other business unitsnational I'm going to be selling
all over the country Veryinteresting, that's great.
Marc Bernstein (24:44):
What do you foresee?
Any challenges, Of coursethere's going to be challenges.
Is there anything that you'reseeing up front you have to
think about?
David Lopez (24:50):
So I mean our core managers.
We've been really good atcreating that team.
You know, as you get that big,you really have to continue
finding those people you trusthave.
You know, as you get that big,you really have to continue
finding those people you trusthave the same vision as you.
So culture, super important tous.
You know, I'd rather havesomebody with one year
experience that culturally fitswith us than somebody who's been
in the industry 25 years butknows everything and it doesn't
match us.
Marc Bernstein (25:10):
That's a continuing theme on the show how
important company culture is.
Absolutely, you have.
We only have a minute or twoleft, Yep.
David Lopez (25:25):
If you could speak to your younger self, david,
what advice would you give you,which I imagine might apply to
your kids as well?
I mean, I would say trust inyourself and do it sooner, like,
in other words, I had thatopportunity after I left that
first company to do what I'mdoing now, um, but I was a
little worried about, you know,is it going to work?
Can I do that?
But you know stability and whatI'm going to, you know have.
Marc Bernstein (25:38):
Is it going to work?
Can I do that?
But?
David Lopez (25:39):
you know stability and what I'm going to, you know,
have for my family right.
They were already used to aspecific life and I wanted a
good life for them.
But uh, at the end of the day,trust in yourself.
You know, study, do the work.
If you're a hard worker, um,you know, don't waste time and
there's a lot of opportunity outthere.
You know free money grants thatpeople can get that I didn't
really know about back then it'sbecause I didn't take the time
(26:01):
to look as hard as I do now.
But uh, there's a lot ofopportunity.
Marc Bernstein (26:09):
Don't wait, do it where there's a will.
There's a way you got it outand do it.
Got it?
David Lopez (26:11):
Great advice, uh, last question favorite book, I
would say probably the biggestimpact book on me, is good to
great Um.
You know a lot, of, a lot ofleadership information came out
of that book for me and it'skind of how I look at the way I
culture my business right.
Marc Bernstein (26:25):
It's an amazing book.
Started out as a good book, butbecame a great book.
Anyway, that's all the time wehave today on Founders Forum, so
it was wonderful having youhere, David.
I appreciate that you traveleddown here from the Lehigh Valley
to Florida for the show.
You as well, Sam.
Thank you both and thank youall for listening, and we look
(26:45):
forward to seeing talking to youagain.
I don't know if we'll see you.
You'll see us soon.
We'll be on video soon, anyway,next week, and have a great
week.
David Lopez (26:54):
Thanks for having me, Marc.
Sam Maddula Pharm.D (26:55):
Thank you for having me as a guest.
Appreciate it, pleasure.
Announcer (27:14):
We hope you enjoyed your time with Founders Forum
and that you found value to takewith you throughout your day.
Join us again next week foranother episode of Founders
Forum on WXKB 1039 HD2.
Sponsored by Marc J Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management orBeasley Media Group.
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