Speaker 1 00:00:04 Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by P G T I University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sherry Connor and I am your host.
Speaker 0 00:00:16 So good
Speaker 1 00:00:17 Morning. Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast. Today we are chatting with Chad Tenet, who is our director of our corporate builder and national accounts teams. And so welcome to the podcast Chad.
Speaker 2 00:00:29 Hey Sherry. Good morning. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yeah, it's
Speaker 1 00:00:33 Good to have you. Thanks for taking the time to stop over in Venice. It's not your normal space, so I'm glad you could come in. So since this is your first time on the podcast, give us a brief overview of your background. Like tell us about your education and some of your experience and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 00:00:49 Sure, sure. So I'm originally from the south Jersey area, uh, right outside of Philadelphia. I grew up in Cherry Hill, so I'm a big Eagles fan. Okay. Phillies, flyers, Sixers, those are all my teams so if you guys root for them, I'm gonna be your best buddy. I moved to Florida the day after I graduated from high school. My dad wanted to move down here and so I moved with him and I attended Florida State University after I graduated from F S U, I kind of started my journey in building materials and I've been in building materials for the past 20 years. And during my time I've always been in sales or business development or leadership. And before joining P G T, most of my experience was in the cladding industry. So I worked for a large fiber cement siding manufacturer for a long time.
Speaker 2 00:01:30 And then uh, most recently I was with a uh, stone cladding manufacturer working in a variety of different roles. One of the cool things about my journey in building materials is I've kind of lived all over the country. So I started, I moved from Florida to California and I was in southern California for a little bit. Then I moved to Denver, Colorado. I lived in Denver for a while and then got relocated down to South Texas and I lived in uh, San Antonio and covered the San Antonio and Austin markets. And then after a stint there, then I moved back up to Denver with the siding manufacturer for a bit and uh, kind of settled down roots in Denver for I guess maybe five or six more years. And then uh, decided to move back down to the southeast and move to Atlanta, Georgia with my wife. And we lived there for a bit and then we moved down to Florida. So we've been all over the country. It's been really cool because one of the cool things about building materials is they build homes differently in different areas of the country. And so you get to learn about a lot of different market dynamics. So that's been one of the most fun parts about kind of moving all over the United States.
Speaker 1 00:02:36 Right. And so where are you now? You're on the east coast, right?
Speaker 2 00:02:39 I live in Melbourne Beach. Okay. Yeah. Which is in Southern Brevard County. Kind of close to Sebastian Inlet. A lot of people go surfing. I'm not a big surfer, I'm more of a fisherman myself, but Sebastian Inlet is world famous for surfing, so I live pretty close to the inlet.
Speaker 1 00:02:51 Nice. I think that area of the East coast is probably my favorite. It's just got a very chill vibe. It's not like Fort Lauderdale in Miami where it's just kind of crazy, you know, it's very relaxed up there. So,
Speaker 2 00:03:05 So far yes, I know there's quite a few people moving up 'cause they're finding out about the secret, but it's an awesome spot. We love it.
Speaker 1 00:03:10 Nice. Welcome. Well that's good to know. I did not know that you had moved and lived in all those places and Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:03:16 We moved 11 times in 10 years. Oh. So I actually had a spreadsheet <laugh> that had about 60 or 70 cells on it and I would go through and change all of my bills and all that stuff and we had it down to a science. But happy to say that we've been in Melbourne Beach now for about nine years and I don't think we're going anywhere else. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:03:34 It's good to settle. So tell us about your role and responsibilities here at P G T Innovations and when did you start? I don't remember.
Speaker 2 00:03:42 Yeah, so I actually had my one year anniversary a couple weeks ago. I started August 22nd, 2022. So I've been at P G T for about a year. For my first 10 months I led our North Florida sales team as the director of sales. And then recently, about two months ago I moved into the director of Corporate Builders and National accounts. And in this role I lead our national account specialist team as well as our corporate builders sales team. I'll say I have a great group of A players on my team and it makes my job really, really easy day in and day out for me with my team and with the business that I'm responsible for, I kind of break it down into three segments or three areas of focus every single day. The first one is creating strong and meaningful relationships in partnerships with our national accounts and our corporate builders.
Speaker 2 00:04:33 So that's number one is the relationship aspect. The second thing that we focus on is making sure that our customers have a best in class experience when they're dealing with P G T. We want everything that they do when they deal with us to be top notch. And the slogan that we use on my team is best in class. And so whether that means answering the phone when they call you, giving them the correct answer, following up the customer service experience, the service team, whatever the quality of the product, whatever experience our customer has with us, we want it to be best in class and number one and really stand out. And then the last thing I focus on with my team is making sure they're having fun. We want make sure that everybody loves coming to work, they have a great experience too. And you know, having fun's a big part of that. So I wanna make sure that my team knows that I support that.
Speaker 1 00:05:15 Well you know, I've heard that too. If you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your customers.
Speaker 2 00:05:19 Yeah and like I said, I have an amazing team. They're easy to work with, they all get up and get out there and make things happen every day and take great care of our customers. So I'm lucky to have the team that I have.
Speaker 1 00:05:29 Yeah, I know several of them. They are rock stars for sure. So we're gonna talk today about what you're seeing like regarding the awareness of impact products because you're not talking about individual homeowners necessarily as who you're serving. You're dealing with distributors and you're dealing with builders and so their slant is a little different than the average homeowner. So now that we're smack in the middle of a very busy hurricane season, tell us a little bit about the awareness of the impact products.
Speaker 2 00:06:00 Yeah, so I mean certainly the last few years we've had our fair share of, of storms that have come through. I mean you think about Irma that came right through the heart of the state and then you had Hurricane Michael, I think that was maybe four or five years ago. But that hit the panhandle as a category four or category five storm. I can't quite remember exactly what it was. Then we had Ian last year that came through this area in southwest Florida and we had a Dahlia that just recently happened a couple weeks ago and that hit the Big Bend and the Big Bend area of Florida. And now we have another big one that's out there, I think it's called Hurricane Lee, you know, and Hurricane Lee is coming this way and it might peel off and might not, we're not really sure. But definitely the awareness for impact products has ramped way up the last few years, especially in in South Florida. You know, in South Florida most of the builders are offering impact windows to their homeowners. It really gives them a peace of mind. You know, that it's gonna keep their family safe during one of these storms. And it just seems like they keep coming at us the later we get in the season. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:06:58 And those of us that have been around for a while, we don't panic until about 48 hours, 24 hours, then we're like, oh we should probably do something. Exactly.
Speaker 2 00:07:06 Yeah. My wife is always in my ear starting about a week out and then when it gets to be two days out, she's ready for me to get everything ready. So, but you know, we have impact windows on our house and it makes a difference. You know, we're not worried about that aspect of the storm anymore. We're worried about other things and we're worried about getting our family in a safe spot and not worried about covering up our openings. Sure.
Speaker 1 00:07:25 It's one less thing you have to do. And so for the builders, like especially in like central and North Florida where maybe they feel a little bit more protected 'cause they're not on a coastline or the homes they're building are not on a coastline, how are they feeling about impact these days?
Speaker 2 00:07:43 Yeah, I mean with so many of these storms recently impacting Central and North Florida, more and more builders are looking into impact. I mean, think about Michael, Michael hit the panhandle and then you had Ian, they came right across the state and hit Orlando really hard. Irma was another one that came right up the middle of the state and then Adalia just hit the Big Bend area, crystal River and up that way, Perry, Florida. So it's pretty obvious now I think to everybody that lives in Florida that those areas are not off limits. So historically you think a hurricane comes through and it hits South Florida, well they're hitting north Florida. And so those folks need to be prepared. So what our team does, you know, every day they're constantly in front of builders all over the state. Not just South Florida but central and North Florida as well, training them on our products. And I really do think that over the next few years we're gonna see a lot more impact products being used in central and North Florida. So I'm really looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to seeing what our team can do with these builders as far as, you know, getting the awareness out there and and letting them know the benefits of our products.
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Speaker 1 00:09:05 Yeah, I mean education is part of it, right? Like when people live everywhere else, and I think the numbers are 2000 people a day are moving to the state of Florida. You know, unless they're coming from a hurricane area, like maybe the coastlines of the Carolinas or maybe the coastlines of Texas, they don't really understand what it's like. And so if you have to put shutters up in your house, even if they're like automatic shutters and all you have to do is hit a button, right? You know, tho <laugh>, those are expensive too, right? But now you're in the dark and now you have no idea what's happening outside. And I mean, I don't know, I like to see what's going on. I wanna know how far over that palm tree is bending. I wanna see what's actually happening in the lake behind my house. I wanna know is it good, is it bad? Like what's happening? And when you're just isolated, it sounds so much worse than it might actually be. And so then you get the fear factor going and it's, it's a horrible experience. Especially like Ian last year was a 12 hour storm, like that's a long time to be sitting in your house
Speaker 2 00:10:05 And then you're in there the whole time after the storm, you know, the next few days the winds are still blowing, things are all over the place and you're trying to clean up your yard and get things back to the way that you like them and then you still have to take down their shutters. The other thing too is like these folks up in North Florida, like I said, they're not used to these big storms and so they might not even have all the pieces to their shutters or know where they are or know how to put 'em up and take 'em down, you know, and those things, they typically aren't that light. You know, they're pretty hard to work with as far as taking a shutter, putting it up on your home, having to screw it up and the window, the openings are large. And so you get some of those shutters, there's metal shutters and they're gonna be heavy and that's gonna be quite a job putting 'em up. And then after you put 'em up you realize how hard they were to put up and then you're thinking, oh God, now I gotta take these things down. And then where do you storm 'em and all that stuff. So I really do think impact windows are gonna start catching on in central and North Florida and we're gonna see a big movement these next few years.
Speaker 1 00:10:59 Well and plus you get all the other stuff too, right? You don't have to worry about like, Hey, I'm on vacation, you know, I'm visiting my family or I'm taking a break from this sweltering heat in Florida and or I'm a snowbird and I don't even live here in the summer. Now I gotta pay somebody to put my shutters up or I've gotta come back from my vacation early because there might be a storm. And that is such a disruption and it's unnecessary.
Speaker 2 00:11:24 I know too, like just cruising through neighborhoods when there's a storm coming in, there's shutters up on a house, it just looks odd. And then when you get a big storm that comes through and half the houses are covered up at shutters, it just makes it look like an odd environment versus having impact windows, everything looks normal and then you know that everybody's protected and safe as well.
Speaker 1 00:11:41 Exactly. So what are some of the other benefits that people get from having impact storms aside? How else do these products help our homeowners?
Speaker 2 00:11:50 Yeah, so I mean mostly what folks talk about with our windows is the impact protection, right? And that's a big deal that protects them when the storms are coming through. And that's probably the biggest selling point of our products. But when you think about it, you only get to see that benefit, you know, maybe once a year when a storm comes through and maybe once every five years depending on what the weather is. And then of course you get insurance savings, which is nice. But there's so many more benefits and benefits that you can enjoy every day of your life versus just when a storm's coming through. So one of 'em is sound abatement. When you have impact windows on your house, it's quieter inside. And I know this firsthand because I put impact windows on my house. I used to have, you know, the cheaper windows, the single piece of glass and aluminum frames and it used to be loud.
Speaker 2 00:12:31 I could hear everything going on outside. And then once I replaced them with impact windows, I can't hear anything going on outside. And actually my neighbor came over after I did it and he stood inside of my house and he could not believe it. We couldn't hear the guy cutting the grass outside. And so he went and replaced his windows because of that reason, not necessarily because of the impact benefits. So that's one. The second one is the security for your family. I travel for work, I'm on the road quite a bit and I'm leaving my family at home and they've asked me several times, can people break through these windows? And I tell 'em they can't unless they had a chainsaw and they showed up to the house with a chainsaw and start chainsawing through our windows, they're not gonna be able to get in.
Speaker 2 00:13:07 And that makes my family feel really safe. Actually, when we first put in the impact windows, we couldn't put our shades back up for a couple days for whatever reason, I forget what it was, but the installer said, Hey, don't mess with the opening right now, wait a couple days and then put your blinds and your shades back up. And my son was gonna bed that night and he's looking out the window and he is got these big old windows in his room and he was worried. He was like, people can see in, you know, someone's gonna break in what's gonna happen? And I told him that night, I said, nobody's gonna break in. They can't. They cannot break in. And that made him feel comfortable and he was able to fall asleep. So it was funny, but we bring up that story quite a bit at home.
Speaker 2 00:13:40 So the security for your family's huge, no one's gonna break into your house, they just can't. And then the third thing is the energy efficiency. When you have impact windows, especially insulated impact windows, it's gonna make your home function better, it's gonna stay cooler when you want it to stay cooler and warmer when you want it to stay warmer and it's gonna bring your build down. So the energy efficiency is huge as well. So when you think about the storm aspect, yes impact protects your home, you get insurance savings, but you're also getting sound abatement, you're also getting security for your family. And then you're also getting the energy efficiency. And really for me it boils down to one thing and that's peace of mind. That you have the best products that you can on your openings and that they're protecting your family and keeping everybody safe.
Speaker 1 00:14:19 That's awesome. So within your area of responsibility, how is the work of our team, P G T I University making an impact for your customers? And is there anything more that we could do to help them be successful?
Speaker 2 00:14:33 Sherry, you've been awesome. You and your team are just fantastic. You know, you think about the online training, the on-demand training that you all offer to our customers, the national accounts. Take advantage of this every single day. The in-person boot camps that you do, uh, I think there was just one last week in in Orlando. Yeah. And what I found out from my team is that about 70% of the folks that were in attendance were actually national accounts. So you can see that they're taking advantage of that and they see the value in it. We do plant visits with the builders. So the builders will wanna come to the plant and see how our products are made, you know, and learn more about them. And so they'll come by and you guys help us coordinate those and make sure that we get the education and the training for our builders that they need so they can go out and talk about the benefits of our products to their customers.
Speaker 2 00:15:19 From what I've seen, there's no other window manufacturer out there that does what we do to the scale that we do it. And I think that speaks to P G T and being a true industry leader. And then the other thing too, I gotta mention, the new showroom that was built over the last year here in Venice is second to none. It's absolutely gorgeous and we invite all of our customers to come by and see it and use it, touch and feel our products. It's fantastic. So I can't say enough good things about P G T U. You guys, you guys are kicking butt every day and we appreciate it and our customers appreciate it.
Speaker 1 00:15:52 And just a note, if you're coming by to see the showroom, talk to your rep first. Don't just show up <laugh> <laugh>. We get a lot of people that just stroll in like, Hey, I'm here to look at Windows. And we're like, uh, let me find somebody that can help you with that. Right?
Speaker 2 00:16:06 But it is gorgeous. I mean, yeah, the project itself, it took a little bit of time, but I understand we wanted to get it perfect and I think it's absolutely perfect. I know we have hosted some events here already and everybody that comes by is just blown away by it. So come by and see it. Talk to your rep first.
Speaker 1 00:16:20 Yeah, talk to your rep, talk to your people and you know, make a plan come by. But we love to have people come in and demonstrate the products and it makes such a difference when you can actually see what a 10 foot door looks like when it's installed and you know, the corner meets are so impressive. The pivot door, the bi-fold door, all of the window line is just so cool to be able to watch.
Speaker 2 00:16:41 Yeah, I mean one of my favorite things about the showroom is the diamond glass display and you can actually grab the window and, and you see what a standard window feels like and to open and close and then you feel what a diamond glass window feels like to open and close and it's night and day. And I remember when we were developing that product, I heard a lot about it, but I never really felt it too much. I didn't feel the weight difference. And that display really shows you the benefits of what the diamond glass is gonna do for the industry. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:17:07 And the wind door products have that now. The wind door products that are in the showroom have diamond glass in them. And so that 10 foot window door, 8,100 slider, you can actually open it with like one finger. That's
Speaker 2 00:17:18 Unbelievable.
Speaker 1 00:17:18 It's so cool. Yeah, I feel super strong. <laugh> <laugh>. Alright, is there anything else that we should cover?
Speaker 2 00:17:25 No, you know, I, I've heard this podcast for a long time and great to be here. Thanks for inviting me again. I have a great team and I'm excited to see what they can do out in the marketplace and uh, with building the relationships with the customers and bringing value. So thanks for having me and Sherry.
Speaker 1 00:17:38 Yeah, thanks for chatting today, Chad. This has been great. Yeah. All right, have a good day. Thanks. P G T I University is the customer education team for an entire family of brands. We began with the original Easy Breeze, porch enclosure line then became P G t, America's leading brand of impact resistant windows and doors. We then added C G I C G I C window, Western windows systems, new South Windows, echo windows, and doors and line windows and doors. And our latest acquisition Martin garage doors. We create products built to withstand major storms, keeping people safe, secure, and prepared. Our exceptional brands give you the protection you need without compromising design or functionality. P G T I University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
