MORE THAN A year ago, Jamison Kuiper, president of Rasmussen Siding and Roofing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, noticed some disturbing trends in the $250 billion home remodeling industry. A wave of consolidation was sweeping up smaller players, and huge manufacturers were venturing into installation--Rasmussen's small piece of the pie. "It was either act, or get run over," says Kuiper.

Kuiper and his father and partner, William, 55, opted for the former. But their simple S-corporation structure wouldn't allow them to bring in additional partners to help fund the acquisitions they had in mind. At the same time, they felt they needed a single brand they could more easily market in new regions. "The name Rasmussen means a lot to people in Grand Rapids, but it doesn't mean anything to people in Ohio or Indiana," says Kuiper, 31. "As far as streamlining our marketing dollars, we would rather market one brand than 100."

Ultimately, the answer was a corporate restructuring that formed a new holding company called Your Home Design Co., a limited liability company where all new acquisitions would become wholly owned subsidiaries. The new structure afforded several advantages: The Kuipers were able to bring in additional investors to fund future acquisitions, the first of which was All Gutter Systems, a company that focuses on gutter protection and solutions for homes.