Latest Articles in Close-Ups
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October 8, 2013Window & Door is pleased to announce its 2013 Dealers of the Year. Honored for Overall Excellence this year are Window Pro from Michigan and Henley Supply from Tennessee. The magazine has also recognized five "Focused Excellence" category winners: window and door retailers and distributors that stand out in the areas of marketing, innovative thinking, customer service... more » -
October 8, 2013Overall Excellence LEADERSHIP IN THE HOMEOWNER MARKET Window Pro Wixom, Mich. Despite having been in business for more than eight decades, Window Pro operates a bit like a start-up, constantly on the lookout for growth opportunities, ways to build its reputation among key audiences and talented leadership to control the reins. Jake Zahnow, president of... more »
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October 8, 2013Overall Excellence LEADERSHIP IN THE PROFESSIONAL MARKET Henley Supply Decherd, Tenn. Sam Henley draws on generations’ worth of family experience to offer Henley Supply a customer service experience optimized for today’s marketplace. If a company has been around long enough, it... more »
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October 8, 2013Giving Back EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY SERVICE Long Life Windows and Doors Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Kris Alexander, owner and general manager of Long Life Windows and Doors, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, knows that it’s human nature to be much more vocal about a bad experience than a good one. “I’... more »
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October 8, 2013Going the Extra Mile EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE Accurate Windows Inc. Melbourne, Fla. Most small business owners have big goals for growth and expansion, with versions of their businesses running through their heads that look much different than they do today. This isn’t the case for the owners of Accurate Windows, Inc., based in Melbourne, Fla.... more »
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October 8, 2013A Showroom that Sells EXCELLENCE IN RETAIL STRATEGY Agoura Sash & Door Westlake Village, Calif. Agoura Sash & Door owners and brothers Dan and Don Smith began a showroom-centric company to serve Southern California consumers, builders, contractors and architects. In many respects, Agoura Sash & Door... more »
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October 8, 2013Getting the Word Out EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING Somerville Aluminum Branchburg, N.J. Several years back, Somerville Aluminum stood at a crossroads. It had 60 years’ worth of brand equity in its name, but its name reflected its business model of decades prior. The third-generation, New Jersey-based business had expanded far beyond its aluminum storm window roots and... more »
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October 8, 2013Outside the Box EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATIVE THINKING Window Factory Larkspur, Calif. Three years ago when Window Factory owner Leon Blum died suddenly, his two daughters—Jaclyn Blum Guelfi and Rachel Blum—had some big decisions to make. Barely into their early 30s, the sisters found themselves the heirs to a struggling company... more »
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August 15, 2013GlassCraft Door Co. shows how artisanship and R&D work togetherMore than 1,000 Speakeasy door features have been sold to date. Had Glasscraft Door Co. offered its stylish Speakeasy door during Prohibition, more bootleg joints would have had their covers blown; it would have been tough to keep the locations secret with such an attractive and useful entrance feature. The Houston,... more » -
June 19, 2013This is sort of a trick question, actually. Any dealer that has weathered the storm of the last few years is likely a dealer worthy of recognition. We've been through a lot with the housing market rollercoaster, and last year's Dealers of the Year winners were stories not only of survival, but also of companies that learned to thrive in the new normal of window and door sales, distribution and... more »