by MARK RAY

When you're looking for storage for outdoor equipment, Suncast has you covered. The Costco supplier manufactures a variety of sheds, deck boxes and hose reels suitable for storing lawn and garden supplies, garbage and recycling bins, pool toys, bicycles and patio cushions. "We're very, very conscious and mindful of making our sheds practical, in the right size and in the right shape," says president and CEO Jim Ahlborn.

Practicality is just the beginning. The company's latest sheds and deck boxes take their cues from trends in home design. For example, the Modernist 6-by-5-foot shed features a slanted roof, transom windows and Sherwin-Williams colors, such as Peppercorn. "We want to provide each consumer the option that best fits their current color palette, their current design and their current setting," Ahlborn says. "It should not look like storage; it should look like living."

Ahlborn is proud of his company's products—and of how they're produced. Two of Suncast's five facilities run on solar power, and the others will do so by the end of the year. The company sends zero manufacturing waste to landfills and plans to use 55% recycled resin within five years.

Suncast sheds, as well as their deck boxes and hose reels, are also recyclable. "At the end of life, you can recycle that shed 100%," Ahlborn says. If you want, he says, "Send it back to us, and we'll recycle it properly." (Customers pay only for shipping.) The company is also setting up a network of local recyclers that can receive and recycle Suncast products; it should be up and running by 2025.

The company, which increasingly ships its sheds direct to consumers (including some purchased at Costco.com), is even working to develop a shipping pallet made of corrugated cardboard. After you unpack your shed, you'll be able to recycle the pallet along with the carton the shed came in.

Ahlborn says the pandemic increased demand for Suncast sheds as many people have converted spare rooms from storage spaces into offices. Fortunately, Suncast has faced fewer supply-chain challenges than competitors since it builds all its products in the U.S. "The No. 1 ability of Suncast is availability," he says.

That, and making sheds that protect your belongings and the environment.