Summary:
Gutter Guys Plus (Gutter Guys) was an exterior construction company founded in 2021 by half-brothers Jackson Mayers and Ben Harris. They provided a variety of services, including manufacturing and installing soffits, fascia, gutters (eavestroughing), and gutter guards to the exterior of homes. Mayers and Harries began Gutter Guys as a part-time venture while attending Wilfrid Laurier University and Fanshawe College respectively. Their ultimate goal was to grow Gutter Guys so they could achieve financial freedom and move out of Canada. Gutter Guys’ primary challenge was a shortage of skilled production labour, which limited its ability to meet growing demand. Seasonal production constraints and supply chain uncertainties further increased operational pressures. Mayers and Harris needed to determine the best path forward for the business: upgrading the management software, expanding to Waterloo, entering the roofing market or selling the business. Students are asked to consider organizational goals while performing an internal and external analysis and conduct financial forecasting such as breakeven analysis, projected statements and several business valuation techniques. This general management case is designed for an introductory business course at the undergraduate level.
The Overflow Effect: Scaling Up Without Slipping at Gutter Guys Plus
Author: Richard S. Bloomfield and Colin Ferguson
Category:
General Management
Preamble:
This case was written with the support of research assistants, Cecilia Darling, Hashim Haddara, Charlie Povey, and River LaFramenta, and was edited by Lauren Nicolaas, Joe Gilvesy, and Katie Oates. Final production of this note was made possible by Ryan Rabie from the Library and Learning Services team at Huron University. The authors' intent for this material is to be used in a classroom or other management learning settings. Names or other identifying information may be altered to protect confidentiality.
Published 06-22-2026
Copyright:
This content is freely available without charge to readers and their institutions. All content is published under the Creative Commons License, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Readers are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of this case without seeking prior permission from the author(s)
Keywords
Net Benefit, Job Shop Process, Line Flow Process