Driven by new leadership, Viewrail is shaping the future of modern stairs and railing
Starting as a family-run custom stair part manufacturer in Indiana, Viewrail was founded by Len Morris in 2001 with a goal to modernize the industry. Over time, it has evolved from building traditional wood stair parts into designing and manufacturing some of the most innovative modern stairs and railings in North America.
Caleb Morris has recently taken over from his father, Len, as CEO of the company – a transition he describes as ‘both humbling and energizing.’ “My father built an incredible foundation, and stepping into the CEO role means balancing that legacy with the need to modernize and scale,” opens Caleb. “My vision is to focus on building a sustainable, systems-driven company that can grow without relying on any individual. That means strengthening our leadership teams, investing in technology, and doubling down on operational excellence so we can continue expanding while maintaining exceptional customer outcomes.”
Beginning as a small, local operation, Viewrail has grown into a national brand and is now a vertically integrated manufacturer with the capability to design,
engineer, fabricate, finish, deliver and install complete stair and railing systems directly to homeowners and builders. Caleb explains the company’s foundations of craftsmanship and innovation remain the same, as he expands further on its products: “We offer complete modern stair and railing systems that integrate structure, safety, and design. Our product lines include mono-stringer stair systems, floating stairs, glass railing, cable railing, rod railing, and numerous engineered components such as custom treads, handrails, engineered flooring, hardware, and a host of metal fabrication capabilities. Everything is manufactured in-house, so we’re able to tightly control quality, customize specific projects, and support customers from engineering through installation. Our additional services extend from digital design and quoting tools to on-site support and project consultation.”
To keep creating high quality, transformative stairs and railings, both Caleb and JJ Johnson, COO of Viewrail, are focusing on continuous improvement as opposed to founder-led growth. “Intuition, speed, and entrepreneurship are the traits which helped us get to this point, but we’re now looking to shift towards continuous improvement, which is important for long-term scalability,” reveal Caleb and JJ. “This requires us to build transparent systems and performance metrics, empower teams to solve problems at the source, reduce variability in production and installation, and standardize how we launch products, support customers, and manage quality. Additionally, we’ve made some key technological upgrades including robotic automation in machining and finishing and the upgrade of several material-handling processes to reduce cycle time. We’re exploring implementation of digital inspection systems in glass, wood and metal operations, and we have also invested heavily in internal development of software that more tightly connects engineering, production, and field support. This creates a more seamless flow of information across the entire organization.”
Selected as the Official Stair and Railing Partner for The New American Home 2025, Viewrail is being recognized for its dedication to continuous improvement, which Caleb and JJ label as an ‘honor.’ “The New American Home is a showcase of the most forward-thinking design and building practices in the country and our products fit perfectly with the home’s modern architectural direction,” they explain. “The project allowed us to demonstrate not only our commitment to excellent design, but our engineering capability, installation simplicity, and our ability to deliver a complete, integrated system.”
Alongside this partnership, Viewrail has been devoting significant time and resources to other projects too, including the launch of its Schafer Floors sub-brand. “Schafer Floors is a unique offering in the engineered hardwood flooring market, but our motivation wasn’t just to operate a successful flooring brand,” Caleb and JJ reveal. “We’ve heard, time and again from our customers that harmonizing their stairs with their flooring can be troublesome. Schafer is our solution, further enabling us to help our customers build the exact space they’d imagined. We’ve also launched a new recessed handrail system, plus our FLIGHT Cantilever system has gone through several iterations to further simplify and streamline the installation process. Our aim is to create a system that could eventually be installed by a one-to-two-person crew.”
With these exciting developments in the pipeline for Viewrail, Caleb and JJ list their priorities going into 2026 as reducing lead times through all project stages, strengthening field-support and installation strategy and enhancing cross-functional collaboration between sales, project management, engineering, production and customer support.
“2026 will be a year of increasing operational excellence and strategic scaling,” conclude Caleb and JJ. “Beyond that, we’d like to see Viewrail become the undisputed leader in modern stairs and railing in North America, with an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth. As a company, we aim to demonstrate world-class manufacturing capabilities, a customer-first mindset and reliable, repeatable processes across the entire value chain.
“Finally, we remain incredibly proud of our team; their craftsmanship, innovation, and resilience fuel our momentum, and we’re committed to raising the standard for what modern stair and railing systems can be, both in design and in execution.”