Out of the fire and back to the panini grill 
Paving the way for the next generation of truck drivers
January 20, 2025
WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN – Because it’s “busting at the seams,” Asher Lasting Exteriors, with locations in Eau Claire and Onalaska, recently broke ground on a new 33,000-square-foot expansion project in the Town of Hallie.
The new location, Marketing Director Shannon Asher, said, is about a 20-minute drive from its current location in Eau Claire (2309 W. Cameron St.).
Shannon said Asher also has showrooms in both Eau Claire and Onalaska.
“This will be the fourth building we’ve been in (in the Eau Claire area) during our 50-year history,” she said. “My parents (Mike and Nadine) started Asher out of their home in 1974 in Mondovi, and then we’ve had two other locations in Eau Claire. We’ll still keep both our showrooms and the facility in Onalaska. The new expansion in Hallie will allow us to basically double our size.”
Onalaska is about an hour and a half drive south of Eau Claire.
Asher Lasting Exteriors, Shannon said, is an installer of exterior products, including windows and doors.
“Asher has about 60 employees,” she said. “My brother, Chad, who owns the business, bought it from my parents in 2000.”
Seeing a vision
Shannon said talks of an expansion began years ago – “right before COVID-19 hit.”
“That’s when my brother purchased the land (for the expansion),” she said. “When COVID hit, we halted plans because lumber prices went through the roof. Once things settled down, then we started picking up again with finalizing the plans and breaking ground. We broke ground about (six weeks) ago. We’re hoping to be in the new building this summer.”
Shannon, who has been with Asher for 18 years, said the company will move all of its Eau Claire operations to the new location.
“The expansion really wasn’t about adding a whole lot of different amenities – it was pretty much strictly about having more space and being more efficient,” she said.
Shannon said the new building will be laid out much better, too.
“In our current situation, we have a separate stain shop and a separate warehouse, so now everything will be all in one – it’s laid out a lot better,” she said.
More than doors, windows
Shannon said over the years, the services Asher provides have evolved.
She said the company focuses on six exterior products.
“We have slimmed down our exterior products over the years,” she said. “We don’t do every product anymore. We do windows, doors, gutters, Gutter Helmets, awnings and screens. We used to do siding and roofing as well. We’ve slimmed down our products and have become a niche company. We figured focusing on a few products would allow us to become better at what we do.”
Shannon said Asher doesn’t manufacture any of the products it markets.
“We sell and install them and take care of the warranty stuff,” she said.
The Gutter Helmet gutter guard, Shannon said, is a unique protection system that covers your existing gutters.
She said it lets rainwater and melted snow run into the gutter while filtering out harmful debris, such as leaves, pine needles and twigs.
Giving-back mentality
Because the company has the ability to do so, Shannon said Asher also is a big supporter in the community.
Every year, she said Asher has a handful of places it repeatedly gives to.
“We are constantly spreading the love,” she said. “We do different things, too. This year, we did a bed build for Sleep in Heavenly Peace.”
According to its website (goasher.com), Asher also donates to organizations such as Eau Claire Area School District Fight Against Hunger, The Community Table, Boys and Girls Club, Humane Association of Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, Operation Gratitude, firefighters associations, food pantries and Big Brothers Big Sisters in the surrounding areas.
It also supports Night for the Fight, Joshua’s Camp, Special Olympics Wisconsin, down syndrome awareness, Tools for Schools, Support the Troops, Rock the Dome for the Y, Christmas is for Children, The Bolton House, Warm the Children and American Cancer Society.
“My parents never really had a marketing team when they owned the business, but since Chad took over, he’s been very intentional about helping the community,” Shannon said.
She said with Tools for Schools, any school can nominate themselves for a $500 grant for things they need/want.
Shannon said Asher goes over the selections each month and “chooses one lucky winner.”
She said Asher is also involved in other sponsorships and activities, like Babe Ruth Baseball, Hallie Baseball, Eau Claire Aces Volleyball, Altoona Baseball, Seymour Ballpark, Eau Claire and Altoona Hobbs Center, Lafayette Recreation Park and several other sporting events.
She said another initiative Asher takes part in is Helmet for Heroes.
“Active duty or retired military names were submitted,” she said. “We chose a recipient and then went out to their house and put on a Gutter Helmet free of charge. That was right around Veteran’s Day.”
A little bit more history
According to the company’s website, Mike and Nadine Asher founded Asher’s Siding & Insulation and ran the business out of their home and warehouse there for several years.
The couple moved the company to Eau Claire.
The company’s success caused it to outgrow its location on the east side of Eau Claire prompting the Ashers to build an office on the west side of town.
Home building and interior remodeling was added to the mix of home improvement services and consequently, the name was changed to Asher Enterprises.
In 2013, the focus returned to home exterior remodeling, and with this, emerged Asher Lasting Exteriors.
In 2021, Asher expanded into the La Crosse area and now covers the southwestern part of Wisconsin, the southeastern part of Minnesota and the northeastern part of Iowa.
In 2024, Asher completed 985 projects.
