Latest Articles

  • October 12, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Management, Operations, Sales & Marketing, Close-Ups

    Dealers of the Year 2011
      Window & Door is pleased to announce its 2011 Dealers of the Year. Honored for Overall Excellence this year are Walker Windows from California and Southwest Exteriors from Texas. The magazine has also recognized five Focused Excellence category winners—window and door retailers and distributors that stand out in the areas of marketing, installation, customer service,... more »
  • October 12, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Operations, Channels, Close-Ups

    Empowered for Perfection
    Perfection Glass Puts Customer Service into Employees’ Hands
      Going the Extra Mile EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE Perfection Glass  Kennewick, Wash. Shawn Linhoff has learned that if you give employees the ability to make decisions with the full support of the leadership team, the employee will win, the customer will win and, ultimately, the company will win. As the head of Perfection Glass, a Kennewick, Wash., company... more »
  • October 12, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Operations, Channels, Close-Ups

    Giving Customers a Fix
    Window-Fix focuses on solutions in its unique business model
      Out of the Box EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATIVE THINKING Window-Fix  Brooklyn, N.Y. The team at Window-Fix doesn’t have a strong preference about whether they sell replacement windows or not. This might seem somewhat problematic given that it’s one of the New York City metropolitan region’s most prominent window retailers. But with a vast range of... more »
  • October 12, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Operations, Channels, Close-Ups

    Southwest Exteriors Eyes the Future
    Short-term customer satisfaction plus long-term planning equals sustainability
      Overall Excellence LEADERSHIP IN THE HOMEOWNER MARKET Southwest Exteriors  San Antonio, Texas   Scott Barr has no intention of retiring anytime soon. And yet, almost every element of the day-to-day operations at Southwest Exteriors, a San Antonio, Texas-based Renewal by Andersen dealer, contributes to a long-term vision of sustainability for the growing company.... more »
  • October 12, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Operations, Channels, Close-Ups

    Staying the Course
    Walker Windows Sticks to Professionals, Stands Apart with Service
      Overall Excellence LEADERSHIP IN THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET Walker Windows  Anaheim, Calif.   Staying on course during a storm is something Walker Windows has perfected. The Anaheim, Calif.-based window dealer was founded to serve professionals and grew during the boom years as its builders and general contractors rode the wave of inflated building demand. As the... more »
  • October 12, 2011
    THE TALK...

    What Area of Focus Allows Dealers to Excel?
    In case you couldn’t tell, we’re pretty excited this week to announce the 2011 class of Dealers of the Year. Like many companies in many industries, our winners have remained nimble and innovative in the last few years to maintain solid footing and grow in spite of challenging economic conditions. About a month ago, Lowe’s rolled out a new branding strategy. Moving away from its... more »
  • October 10, 2011
    Meetings & Events | Channels, Markets & Trends

    Remodeling Show Returns to Chicago
    Floor to feature areas dedicated to home performance and RRP compliance
    Looking to build on growth at last year's event, the Remodeling Show returns to Chicago this week, once again combined with DeckExpo. The annual event, scheduled to run tomorrow though Saturday at the Lakeside Center of McCormick Place, brings together the trade show with an educational conference focusing this year on core business practices.   Last year in Baltimore, the Remodeling Show... more »
  • October 6, 2011
    THE TALK...

    Low Margins and Short-Term Thinking
    Margins are razor thin in the window and door industry. I suspect that most companies' cash reserves are too low for comfortable sleeping. Why is that? Margins in the fenestration market are set by large firms playing a “contribution to margin” game. Everyone else has to react to the prices at the bottom. For the most part, small companies can get a little more margin... more »
  • October 4, 2011
    THE TALK... | Sales & Marketing

    Are You Keeping Up Online?
    An electronic newsletter came to me yesterday from Abe Gaskins at MGM Industries.  He is an active blogger and the Tennessee vinyl window maker's website is filled with his wisdom on a variety of topics. This week he talks about search engine optimization and blogging and how it can translate into leads.  He says it's working for MGM and its dealer customers and he encourages... more »
  • October 1, 2011
    SPECIAL FEATURES | Operations, Channels, Close-Ups

    Local Initiative for Global Service
    Lavy Windows is a little company that packs a big punch
      Giving Back EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY SERVICE Lavy Windows  Camden, Ind. With just a handful of employees and serving homeowners and contractors in a small strip of counties in northern Indiana, it’s impressive to think of the hundreds of children and multiple communities Lavy Windows supports as part of its community service initiative. Guided by the... more »