After 13 years in the architectural metal industry as a salesman, John Walter started a new company in his basement – Architectural Metals, Inc. The year was 1987 and one of his first employees was a college student named Brian Potter who was hired as a draftsman.  The company grew over the next decade and John and his wife, Shirley, began to think about retiring. Brian and Essie Potter became sole owners in 2002.  Since 1987, AMI has grown from a $100,000 company to a company with over 30 employees and an annual project budget of $8 million. How does a company grow from a basement entrepreneurial venture to one known as the premier source for Michigan’s architectural sheet metal industry in just 25 years