But it was the intervention of his stepfather, Robert Anderson, who guided Rossman, armed with a degree in economics from Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, W.Va. and a pilot’s license in the early 1980s, toward land development and home building. “I had applied to a bunch of national construction companies and had gotten no response,” recalls Rossman when asked about his early years in the building business. “My stepfather agreed to
co-sign a note on a piece of property. Interest rates were 17.75 percent at the time. Jimmy Carter was president. I was 23, still living at home and unmarried.”

“I called it my Harvard years,” laughs Rossman, shaking his head at the memory. Rossman built a house on that first piece of property, sold it and acquired two more parcels, built two more homes, and sold them. Before he knew it, he was his own boss and was making money.

“Youth has its advantages,” says Rossman, whose company builds around 30 homes a year that vary anywhere from $250,000 to $5 million in price, and commercial buildings throughout Western Pennsylvania, as well as Maryland, West Virginia and New York. “I knew I was capable of doing things I wanted to do.”

One business practice that Rossman says he firmly believes in is paying his subcontractors well and on time. As a result, Rossman says he has always enjoyed a strong and loyal relationship with his subcontractors. This practice also eventually led to Rossman partnering with John Hensley, a framing contractor, to form Rossman/ Hensley, Inc. in September 1989.

“John and I rode up to Ligonier one day,” Rossman remembers. “We came back later that day as Rossman/ Hensley. It was as simple as that.”

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CUSTOMER

The corporate headquarters of Rossman/ Hensley is easy for a passing motorist to miss. The simple blue building, which can really be called a ranch house, sits above Route 8. Only a modest sign points visitors toward the office.

The inside of the company’s headquarters is quiet and modest too. An employee sits in a side room quietly working on a set of plans. Rossman says he shares an office with Hensley, a feat that is easy for both men because neither he, or Hensley, are rarely at the company’s headquarters at the same time. Instead, Rossman says they both can usually be found on job sites. He handles the beginning of the construction process, like the excavation of a site, while Hensley usually handles the middle or end of the job.

“I take our guys through the framing portion of the project,” says Hensley, who along with Rossman, employs 22 people, the majority of whom have been with Rossman/Hensley for 10 years, or longer. “Our guys have grown up with us,” Rossman says. “We have some great young guys too.”

Residential work accounts for about 60 percent of the company’s business, while commercial work accounts for 40 percent, a ratio that varies depending on the year and the business climate, he says. Rossman/Hensley’s work in the commercial sector began 14 years ago with the acquisition of Wil-Fran Inc., a commercial builder.

“The owner had health issues,” says Rossman, who works closely with ESB Bank in most of his business deals. “We bought the company, made it a division of Rossman/Hensley and he came to work for us.”

Adds Hensley: “We had bid commercial work prior to buying that company, but had not made any progress. This acquisition allowed us to really enter the commercial market.”

Rossman/Hensley established a presence for itself in the commercial construction arena with a number of nursing home expansion projects and jobs for supermarket clients in and outside of the Western Pennsylvania area. The company has not built any residential properties outside the Greater Pittsburgh area, preferring to keep that portion of its business local because of familiarity with the market. Still, the business partners say it is important for them to have a diverse business portfolio in order to spread risk and keep growing revenue.

“We’ve been able to maintain growth through being diversified,” says Rossman, explaining his business strategy, which has enabled company revenue to always be on the incline, rather than the decline.

Besides Rossman/Hensley, the two partners, along with their general manager, Jeff A. Martin, are the principals of Richland Holdings LLC, the development sibling of Rossman/Hensley, whose two main projects include Fairwinds, a 51-home subdivision in Richland Township, where home prices start at $400,000, and HyTyre Farms in West Deer Township, a housing subdivision of patio homes, where prices start at $250,000. HyTyre also has a swimming pool and clubhouse. Suppliers used by the business partners at the two subdivisions include Andersen Windows and Doors, Carrier Heating and Cooling Systems, Moen, Alcoa, and Owens Corning Insulation and Roofing.

“We are not a niche (home) builder,” says Rossman, who does not anticipate buying any land for subdivisions
in 2010.

Adds Martin: “We are not flamboyant. That’s for sure. We have a foreman at the site from the beginning of the job until the end. Our only concern is impressing and making the customer happy.”

Hensley says around 55 home sites have been developed at HyTyre, which has a capacity for 92 patio homes. Rossman’s wife, Debbie, has an office at the West Deer subdivision, where she works with people interested in buying land and building a new home.

“We’re going to continue working on the development,” says Hensley. “With the aging population in Western Pennsylvania, we think there is going to be a market for these homes.”

In December 2009, Jeff A. Martin of Richland Holdings, was named Builder of the Year by the Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh for his work in the industry. This is the only subdivision that Richland builds. In nearly all cases – with the exception of HyTyre - Richland usually buys and develops the land that Rossman/Hensley builds homes on.

GIVING BACK AND THE FUTURE

Rossman says he believes in hard work, but perhaps more significantly, he says it is important to him and the company, to give back to the community.

In keeping with this line of thinking, Rossman is president of Hosanna Industries Inc., a Rochester, Beaver County, faith-based nonprofit whose mission is to alleviate poverty through new construction and rehabilitation. The “typical” client served by Hosanna is a 61-year-old woman living by herself on an income of $14,000, or less. Hosanna builds new housing and rehabilitates existing homes, averaging a combined 100 such projects locally and nationwide a year. Since 1990, the Beaver County nonprofit has served more than 2,000 households across
the country.

“Both John and I get a lot of satisfaction from our work with Hosanna,” Rossman says. “It’s important to us to be able to give back.” Hensley’s son works as a carpenter for Hosanna
as well.

Brian Hitzer, who supervises construction for Hosanna Industries, says Rossman/Hensley has been more than labor, or “nails and drywall” to the nonprofit and its mission. “It really does go far beyond that,” Hitzer says. “They have provided spiritual guidance, as well as being a mentor to us and a generous donor. They’re really providing us with invaluable guidance.”

And the future for Rossman/Hensley? Expect more of the same, the business partners say. They will continue to develop home sites at HyTyre, build high-end homes for their clients and continue to work on commercial projects for new and existing clients.

“We need to be good to our old customers to find new ones,” Rossman says. “We all stand on the shoulders of others.” NH