The Acme Story

Acme Building Materials was founded by Don and Leona Skelly in1953. As a man with great experience in the roofing industry, Don decided on the name because it is synonymous with the terms apex, peak, and pinnacle, a perfect fit for his new roofing shop on Flint's East side. In the early years, the Skelly's both spent their days hustling for their new company, as Acme's only salespeople. Once the office closed, the work had just begun. Not only were Don and Leona the only salespeople at Acme, they were the only employees as well. Leona would spend her evenings at the office doing accounting paperwork, while Don would make all the deliveries he could before sunset. (A much more difficult feat before daylight savings time!)

In 1963, Don and Leona added vinyl siding to the line of products, making Acme one of the first vinyl siding distributors in the state of Michigan. As experienced roofing distributors and pioneers of vinyl siding, Don and Leona watched their business flourish. As Acme continued to grow, more space was required, so they moved the company to G-3414 Arlene Drive in Flint Township in 1965. This building and property now serve as the site of Acme's roofing warehouse and shingle yard.

When it came time for Don and Leona to retire, they decided to sell Acme Building Materials to William and Esther Yurk in 1978. Between Bill Yurk's experience as a local tradesman, and Bill's oldest son, David, working at Acme for some time, the Skelly's knew the company they worked so hard to build would be in good hands.

Bill Sr., Esther, and David Yurk continued down the path that Don and Leona blazed until 1982, when they decided to sell windows along with roofing and siding. Acme soon became known as the place to go for all your exterior building needs.

As Acme continued to grow through the 1980's, as two more of Bill and Esther's children, Bill Jr. and Lori joined the team. Bill Jr. brought a great deal of product knowledge to the company, while Lori's Accounting and CPA expertise allowed Esther to concentrate on other tasks. The addition of these assets, Acme's expanded product line, as well as a maturing market in the Livingston County area, led Acme to open its first branch in Howell, Michigan in 1989. Although it was a modest facility, the Howell branch allowed Acme to better serve the needs of contractors from the west side of Detroit, to Ann Arbor, to Lansing.

Bill Sr. retired from Acme in 1990, followed shortly by Esther in 1992. As David, Lori, and Bill Jr. took over the company, it was decided to build a new showroom and office on the adjoining Flint property on 2097 Utley Road. This new showroom would usher in a new era for Acme.

The Acme Culture

Both the Acme vision and mission statement remind our teammates to strive for truly outrageous customer service.  Acme Building Materials' goal is to ensure that everything we do provides value to our customers.  It means creating a partnership which - combined with our expertise, resources, and services - maximizes customer profitability and ensures quality.

Acme Building Materials strives to innovate and provide resources and services for our customers.  Everything from free education and training, to providing a state-of-the-art showroom for clients that do not have their own, illustrate Acme's commitment to customer service.

Great customer service flows from ownership, management, salespeople, customer service representatives, delivery drivers and warehouse associates.  We at Acme believe that each facet of the sales transaction presents an opportunity for outrageous customer service.  We understand EVERYBODY AT ACME is extremely important to YOUR overall experience!