Southern Metalcraft was founded more than five decades ago on little more than a bet of self-assurance and hard work. Ken Williams, SMI founder and former CEO, won a contract with Norfolk Southern to retrofit locomotive cabs with no formal business training. With that one job, he leased a warehouse, hired a handful of employees, and got to work.
Today, Southern Metalcraft Inc. is a 95,000-square-foot precision fabrication company in Social Circle, Georgia, serving clients across North America and Europe. But the scale of the operation is only a fraction of the story. What stands out more than anything is the company’s resilience, steady growth, and strong sense of culture, fueled by decades of family leadership, smart adaptation, and timely support from the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center.
For nearly 45 years, SMI operated out of its facility in Lithonia, Georgia, steadily expanding to meet demand. But it wasn’t until Ken’s retirement in 2012 that a new opportunity arose. Greg Williams, Ken’s son and now President and CEO, took the helm at a time when the company was generating steady annual revenue. However, Greg saw an opportunity to modernize and grow, to move SMI beyond custom metal work and into scalable, precision fabrication with more advanced tools and deeper production capabilities.
“I knew we needed to evolve,” Greg said. “We couldn’t just stay the same.”
That evolution gained momentum through a critical introduction. Greg’s wife, also a business owner, connected him with Michael Myers at the Small Business Development Center. Through Myers and the SBDC network, Greg met a banker who later became the company’s outsourced CFO, as well as other financial professionals who helped lay the groundwork for a new era. The company invested in automation, including laser cutting and press brake technology, and developed the systems needed to scale. Revenue climbed from $3.7 million to $5 million, then to $8 million. During the COVID years, the company surged to $12 and then $14 million annually.
They helped us put tools in place we didn’t even know we needed. Without them, I don’t think we’d be where we are. I wasn’t business-educated, but they brought the right people into our circle.
– Greg Williams, President & CEO
The physical move to Social Circle, where the company upgraded from 40,000 to 95,000 square feet, was another milestone. The area east of I-20 offered room to grow, a competitive labor pool, and access to strong local school systems investing in trade education. The region is also strategically positioned near major developments like Amazon’s distribution centers and Rivian Automotive manufacturing, underscoring the area’s increasing appeal to industry.
Throughout that growth, the company’s culture has remained its cornerstone. When Ken retired, the average employee tenure was over 22 years. Greg has continued that legacy by prioritizing fairness, respect, and teamwork.
“I tell everyone I hire, I’ll treat you how I want to be treated,” Greg said. “We’re a team. I can’t do their job and they can’t do mine, so we’re all in this together.”
That culture gives SMI a distinct advantage in an increasingly competitive labor market. While other employers may promise sky-high salaries, Southern Metalcraft sees a steady flow of applicants coming from those companies each month. Applicants looking for more than a paycheck, but to be valued and respected for their dedication and work ethic.
“They come in saying, ‘I just want to be treated right,’” Greg said. “And that’s what we do here. It’s still a family business at its core. We treat you like family.”
That mindset extends to the business strategy as well. Southern Metalcraft stays focused on its core competencies–laser cutting, drilling, tapping, forming, welding, painting, and light assembly. It avoids venturing into services like machining or finishing that fall outside their strengths. At the same time, they maintain a diverse customer base across multiple sectors, including logistics, agriculture, packaging, restaurants, and retail.
“We don’t want too many eggs in one basket,” Greg said. “That way we don’t ride the highs too high or the lows too low.”
Technology, once an afterthought, is now an integral part of SMI’s operations. The company adopted automated equipment nearly ten years ago—an investment Greg admits he wouldn’t have even considered twenty years ago. Today, SMI uses digital Q monitors to track production and performance in real time, and they’re exploring the integration of robotics to handle repetitive tasks.
“It’s astounding, the speed and accuracy we have now,” Greg said. “And I don’t think we’re done. It’s daunting to think what we’re capable of in the next five years.”
Greg sees technology as both a challenge and an opportunity. “You’ve got to stay ahead of the curve,” he said. “That’s the only way we can keep leading, especially when you’re dealing with capital-intensive tech. We want to be chased, not chasing.”
For Greg, one of the most important lessons in leadership has been understanding that success doesn’t happen alone. He encourages his sons, both of whom are preparing for future roles in the company, not to make the mistake of thinking they have to do everything themselves.
“You might be a rock, a pillar, but you need others,” he said. “You need experts who can help you grow and move at the right pace. If I had met someone like Mike Myers 20 or 30 years ago, this would have all looked very different.”
Although 90 percent of SMI’s work remains within their delivery range, the company’s reach is increasingly global. They serve clients in Canada, Mexico, and Italy, and are in talks with companies relocating from Sweden. From their base in Social Circle, Southern Metalcraft is expanding its footprint without losing sight of its origins.
“We’ve kept the family feel even as we’ve grown,” Greg said. “And we’re going to keep building on that.”
For a company forged in trust, guided by faith, and sustained by relationships, Southern Metalcraft’s future looks as strong as the steel it shapes—built to last, and still evolving.
