PGEM

Ply Gem Holdings Inc

A maker of exterior building products, Ply Gem produces vinyl siding, windows, and stone veneer used by homebuilders and contractors across North America. The company began in 1943 when founder Bernard Hewitt, then 27, bought plywood crates for twenty-five cents apiece and resold them for a profit, eventually building a plywood manufacturing business. The name itself nods to that start: "Ply" for plywood, with "Gem" added to suggest a jewel of the industry. Today the Ply Gem brand lives on as part of the Cornerstone Building Brands portfolio.