PHOTO SUBMITTED / Bernie Reed (right), owner and CEO of Reed’s Metals, and employee Laina Watts showcase the grand prize of $10,000 in-store credit to be given away on Friday, Oct. 18, in honor of Reed’s Metals 15th anniversary.

Reed’s Metals Inc. has been doing big business for 15 years now, and the company is throwing open its doors and inviting the public to a birthday party.

An-all day anniversary celebration is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18, to celebrate the company’s 15 years in business in Brookhaven, with plans to show appreciation to the public by giving away a grand prize of $10,000 in in-store credit.

Big Green Egg Grills, Yeti coolers, limited edition turkey and duck calls, apparel and other door prizes also will be given away during the event, which will feature local celebrities and several live remote radio broadcasts.

“I’m excited to be celebrating this milestone,” said Reed’s Metals President Bernie Reed. “I want this to be a big ‘thank you’ to all our loyal customers who’ve helped us get to this point”.

Doors will open at 8 a.m. Entry forms for the contests will be available at the front desk.

This year is another banner year for the metal roofing and steel building manufacturer, which began operating in a 200-square-foot shack in Monticello in 1998. Since then the Brookhaven facility has grown to occupy 16 acres at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and East Lincoln Road, and its seven manufacturing buildings take up approximately 100,000 square feet.

The company has also expanded into new locations in Tupelo; Lake Charles, La.; Benton, Ark., and plans are in the works to open a fifth store in Jackson, Tenn., around the first of the year.

Fifty-four employees keep the Brookhaven headquarters operating in two shifts, and almost 100 people are employed across the entire company.

Reed’s Metals’ growth has been steady, with the company averaging $20 million per year. That steady growth has been supplemented by periods of intensity, such as the months following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when the company operated 24 hours per day for weeks on end to help rebuild the Gulf Coast and Louisiana, and earlier this year when it churned out metal roofs for hail-damaged homes in central Mississippi, shipping out over 100 roofing orders per day.

In 2014, Reed’s Metals will begin taking on its bigger brothers in the metal industry with the addition of a Conrac Pull Thru Welder. The machine can weld 72-inch beams, making the company capable of manufacturing metal buildings of almost any size, including industrial and warehouse-style buildings.

“That’s basically going to take us from the minor league to the major league,” Reed said. “We’ll be able to bid on any metal building out there, and we’ll be competitive.”

New additions and increased business will not change the company’s motive, which is fast, friendly service, Reed said.

“Our volume keeps growing, but we’re going to keep on adding machines and personnel so we can continue to offer same-day service on metal roofing and a 21-day turnaround on metal buildings,” he said. “We stand behind our product.”

Reed’s Metals also offers a new online ordering system and a newly designed website, www.reedsmetals.com, and interested builders can visit the expanded showroom in Brookhaven to see every gauge and style of metal offered in a large, labeled display.