Craig Patchin

Craig Patchin is the owner of Window Design Center in Madison, Wisconsin. A 23-year veteran of the window and door industry, Patchin also serves as a principal of PATH|ERP, a software company devoted specifically to window and door dealers. Opinions expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the position of the National Glass Association or Window + Door.

What Job Needs to be Done?

Window and door dealers are a product-focused bunch—and why wouldn’t we be? Manufacturer training and new innovative products are important parts of our world. We have to know how products will perform, compare and behave. However, this focus can lead us astray, causing us to ask the wrong…

Coming Up for Air

The economy is hot, construction is healthier than it has been for many years, and window and door dealers are running faster than ever. This business activity is welcome—most of us remember the vacuum sound that started in 2007-2008 and continued for years. So yes—bring it! However, many of the…

Branded

In the early stages of any industry, innovation is active. The winners are those who tightly integrate design, production, sales and marketing. Take the auto industry as an example: because the products (cars) were not quite good enough and needed constant improvement, proprietary integration…

Exit Stage Right

It is no secret that current owners of window and door dealerships are predominantly folks closer to retirement than to the starting line of their careers. It is also no secret these owners know a lot about the business, and they continue to be hard-charging salespeople and managers. …

Adapting to Survive

Our company interacts regularly with scores of window and door dealers all over the U.S. and Canada, and we’ve found there are two main “camps” of dealers. The first are those with the motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” These are good people who have run an honest business for 20-40…