Capps Home Building Center celebrated its 30th birthday last month. And the well-known lake business has come a long way since its humble beginnings.

Dave Cappellari, who owns the business with his wife, Cindy, said Capps started out on Old Moneta Road as Moneta Building Supply. He was one of four partners when the business started with a small office and showroom.

"We had no water, we had no bathroom facilities for two years," said Cappellari. "It was an old milk factory and when it rained hard, there'd probably be 30 inches of water in the building."

He worked every facet of the business in the early days, from driving the trucks and mixing paint to calling collectors and paying bills. He even cleaned the floors and bathroom.

"That's how I learned the business -- by doing it," said Cappellari. "That's not something you can learn in a book."

In 1997, the Cappellaris purchased the business and gave it a new moniker. The following year, it moved to its current location on Virginia 122.

"When we opened this facility, we became a home center and not just a building supply," said Cappellari, adding that the business that once carried 4,000 items now carries 20,000.

The customer base is 80 percent professional building and 20 percent retail.

"It's become one of the most challenging parts of the growth -- having two different businesses," said Cappellari. "It has been challenging, but we've still been pretty successful."

The business has undergone four expansions since 1998. Last month, the lawn and garden section was expanded and the Benjamin Moore paint line was added. They also added a green concept home and planning center.

"We offer ... up to 20 houses with all the appropriate takeoffs, blueprints and engineering products," said Cappellari. "We built a smaller house in the facility that shows different green building products."

At the celebration last month, the employees celebrated the recent additions as well as 30 years in business. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount, presented the Cappellaris with a flag he had flown over the Capitol to honor the business' longevity.

That longevity, said Cappellari, is due in a large part to the staff at Capps.

"Our team makes the difference," he said. "They don't help and service customers because they're told to; they do it because that's who they are."

There are currently 50 people on the payroll, a staff that has grown with the business. Cappellari said they work hard to employ knowledgeable and enthusiastic people. To keep them on point, Capps has regular "mystery customers" who report on customer service.

"I tell them [the employees] that they are the best in the business, and they are," said Cappellari. "But when you're serving the public, you just have to think that I've got to do a better job tomorrow."

In addition to the employees, he said other things that have attributed to the success of the business are offering competitive prices, growing at a speed the lake can handle and creating relationships with people within the community.

"We never would have expanded without the community behind us," said Cappellari. "I owe this community an awful lot because they have supported me for 30 years."