Fred Degen knows how to keep his customers cool. For a half century, he has ruled as the king of aluminum awnings m California. During that time, his Pacific Builders has installed aluminum awnings over thousands of windows in homes and businesses throughout the Sacramento region. And his company has fabricated and distributed thousands more to dealers throughout Northern California and Reno.

"My competition used to call me the king of the awnings. We put up awnings every day in Sacramento. It was one of the first tools to combat heat. Air conditioners were not available," Degen recalled.

This month, 50 years after starting his company, the 87year-old Degen will hang it up and turn over Pacific Builders to his son, Rick Degen, 53, who grew up and worked in the family;business most of his life.

"My age has reached a point where I'm no longer fast, agile and clever," Degen said about his decision to retire.

Under his leadership, Pacific Builders has become the state's oldest and largest producer of aluminum awnings with $2 million to $3 million in annual sales and 25 employees. Today, the company has moved beyond aluminum awnings, carrying a line of energy-saving products for the exterior of the home, including siding, replacement windows, sun rooms and patio covers.

"Fred is a very dynamic, enthusiastic salesman. He was one of the pioneers of the metal awnings. He has been a real leader in the industry," said Bob Cole, owner of Goodwin-Cole Co., a longtime Sacramento maker of awnings, tents and related products.

Back in September 1947, another state fair and sweltering summer were coming to a close. Degen -- an avid skier -- and his family had just moved from Riverside to Sacramento to be closer to the groomed Sierra Nevada slopes in Northern California.

"I used to be a good skier. Skiing here is in Northern California," said Degen, a former two-time age 50-and over U.S. downhill champion.

Degen, who worked for a Swiss company that sold printing equipment, had decided to start his own business. So he paid $2,000 for an aluminum awning franchise for the Sacramento Valley, opening shop along Stockton Boulevard with his wife, Mary, and three other workers -- an assembler, a shop man and an installer.

Twelve-hour days were common as Degen often doubled as chief salesman and part-time installer during those early years. By 1950, Degen switched to more durable Alcan Building Products and became a fabricating distributor and manufacturer of its line of stationary and roll-up aluminum awnings for the retail and wholesale markets. For years, Pacific Builders was Alcan's top distributor in the western United States -- even during recessionary times. "There was a lot of growth around 1960," said Degen, who developed dealer networks from Eureka to Modesto and from Salinas to Reno. In the early 60s, the company moved to its current 23,000-square-foot office and warehouse complex-at 84th Street and Fruitridge Road, across from the Sacramento Army Depot.

Despite the boom times, Degen preferred steady growth over explosive expansion of his business. That gave him better control over quality. "This type of business is not easy. He always set a good example taking care of our customers," said his,son,, Rick Degen.

In fact, elder Degen credits his desire to satisfy customers as a big part of his company's success. Employees are reminded of that philosophy with a large, framed black-and-white poster hanging in the business office that reads: "The customer is our final inspector."

For Degen, that had included working with a customer whose awning was mistakenly installed at a neighbor's house, sending Pacific Builders' employees to help a dealer with a tricky installation and traveling to Boise, Idaho, to spend a week with a dealer discussing the ABCs of the aluminum awning business.

"He's a very ethical business person," Cole said. "He realize the importance of following through on the order and giving excellent service. That's one of the reasons they have been so successful."

Degen, who plans to travel to his native Switzerland, said the business will be in good hands with his son, who has done everything from sweeping the floors as a youngster to running the day-to-day operation as general manager. A third generation of Degens is being groomed to direct the company well into the 21st century. Degen's 21-year-old granddaughter, Briana, has started working for the company.

In the meantime,. the company will continue to-look at-new products to keep up in the competitive home-improvement industry, Rick Degen said. A few years ago, for example, Pacific Builders added popular European-designed retractable canvass awnings to its line.

"We're looking for trends. We're very open-minded in business," Rick Degen said. "The future is probably fantastic."