Lisa Wirth, left, and Sunward Steel’s headquarters at 6800 E. Hampden Ave. in Denver. (BusinessDen illustration)
A longtime steel building manufacturer in Denver is asking a judge to stop its CEO’s sister from continuing to use allegedly stolen trade secrets to poach its customers.
Sunward Steel Buildings was founded in 1972 by Danton Wirth and operates out of offices at 6800 E. Hampden Ave., in southeast Denver. The company, which also has factories in North Dakota and South Carolina, has built 75,000 buildings. It is still owned by the Wirth family.
And it is suing Danton’s daughter, Lisa, along with her company, ROI Metal Buildings.
“ROI has built its business almost entirely with Sunward clients, business relationships and employees,” according to Sunward’s lawsuit, filed Dec. 23 in Denver District Court.
Lisa Wirth did not answer requests for comment. Nor did David Maxe, another ROI founder.
Sunward, whose CEO is Lisa’s sister Amy Wirth, says Lisa Wirth and Maxe “were among the top sales producers at” Sunward before they left that company in April 2024.
“On Dec. 21, 2023, prior to their departure from Sunward, Ms. Wirth and Mr. Maxe formed ROI. They formed ROI in conjunction with a former Sunward client,” according to last month’s lawsuit. “Ms. Wirth and Mr. Maxe did not inform Sunward they had started a new company.
“Ms. Wirth and Mr. Maxe then began telling Sunward customers they were starting their own company and soliciting business for ROI” using Sunward’s trade secrets, it alleges.
Sunward reportedly became aware of that in September 2024, five months after Lisa Wirth and Maxe left, when a longtime client mistakenly wrote to her former Sunward email address rather than her ROI email to continue discussions about a new steel building. Sunward has since identified several other customers who were lost to ROI, according to its lawsuit.
“ROI has been financially enriched through its use of Sunward’s proprietary customer information as well as its pricing and cost structuring methods,” Sunward alleges.
It is suing Lisa Wirth, who lives in Castle Rock, along with Maxe and ROI for breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment. Sunward is asking Judge Andrew McCallin to bar them from using Sunward’s trade secrets.
Sunward’s lawyers are Merc Pittinos and Tanya Sevy with Fennemore Craig in Denver.
Lisa Wirth, left, and Sunward Steel’s headquarters at 6800 E. Hampden Ave. in Denver. (BusinessDen illustration)
A longtime steel building manufacturer in Denver is asking a judge to stop its CEO’s sister from continuing to use allegedly stolen trade secrets to poach its customers.
Sunward Steel Buildings was founded in 1972 by Danton Wirth and operates out of offices at 6800 E. Hampden Ave., in southeast Denver. The company, which also has factories in North Dakota and South Carolina, has built 75,000 buildings. It is still owned by the Wirth family.
And it is suing Danton’s daughter, Lisa, along with her company, ROI Metal Buildings.
“ROI has built its business almost entirely with Sunward clients, business relationships and employees,” according to Sunward’s lawsuit, filed Dec. 23 in Denver District Court.
Lisa Wirth did not answer requests for comment. Nor did David Maxe, another ROI founder.
Sunward, whose CEO is Lisa’s sister Amy Wirth, says Lisa Wirth and Maxe “were among the top sales producers at” Sunward before they left that company in April 2024.
“On Dec. 21, 2023, prior to their departure from Sunward, Ms. Wirth and Mr. Maxe formed ROI. They formed ROI in conjunction with a former Sunward client,” according to last month’s lawsuit. “Ms. Wirth and Mr. Maxe did not inform Sunward they had started a new company.
“Ms. Wirth and Mr. Maxe then began telling Sunward customers they were starting their own company and soliciting business for ROI” using Sunward’s trade secrets, it alleges.
Sunward reportedly became aware of that in September 2024, five months after Lisa Wirth and Maxe left, when a longtime client mistakenly wrote to her former Sunward email address rather than her ROI email to continue discussions about a new steel building. Sunward has since identified several other customers who were lost to ROI, according to its lawsuit.
“ROI has been financially enriched through its use of Sunward’s proprietary customer information as well as its pricing and cost structuring methods,” Sunward alleges.
It is suing Lisa Wirth, who lives in Castle Rock, along with Maxe and ROI for breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment. Sunward is asking Judge Andrew McCallin to bar them from using Sunward’s trade secrets.
Sunward’s lawyers are Merc Pittinos and Tanya Sevy with Fennemore Craig in Denver.
