Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: Welcome to the Clear Impact podcast brought to you by PGTI University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sherry Connor, and I am your host.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Well, good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast, and we are so excited. We are chatting with Mark Maloney today, who is in Phoenix, but is from California and in charge of the western brand as far as marketing. Welcome to the podcast, Mark.
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Thank you so much, Sherry. It's good to be with you today.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: Yeah, it's good to have you. So I wanted to chat with you because you've been busy putting together a little small thing called the International Builder show, which is far from small and far from a little thing. And so that is actually happening in Vegas at the end of February, right?
[00:00:58] Speaker C: Yeah, February 27 through the 29th. It's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. That last week of the month. Oddly, it's a leap year in 2024. So we've been blessed with finishing the last day of the month at ivs in Las Vegas. We're really, really excited about this year's show. I think one of the things that is important for all of us to keep in mind is 2023 was a PGTI kind of had its reemergence in the last several years to IBS. And it was certainly a strategic move on PGTI's part after the acquisition of Anlin, and also having had really put western Windows systems in a position of success, especially operationally. And so we felt ready to sort of make that showing to the marketplace at IBS in 2023. We had just at the time of IBS in 2023, we had kind of just closed our transaction of the acquisition of Martin Door. And so we were able to get a Martin door into the space in 2023. For us, it was an exciting opportunity to showcase to the builder community that these are quality ad brands. These are not just your commoditized building products, Western, Anlin, Martin. These brands are manufacturing products that are geared for people that are building homes of a much higher standard. And so especially at know, we've always been sort of dismissed, frankly, in the new construction spaces. The customer segments within the new construction selling channel have historically been something that Anlin has kept away from. And I think most of the audience and most of the industry has just assumed that Annlin being a remodel and replacement focused brand, and certainly a value add focused brand rich with features and benefits that that wouldn't have an economic play in new construction. And we're here to tell everybody that's a false narrative. This day and age, especially people are building high quality homes and paying for high quality products, better looking products, fit and finish, better performing products from an energy standpoint. So that's what we make here with our western division brands at PGTI and the International Builder show is our opportunity to say to the marketplace, we are here to offer, especially our high end custom home building audience, that we're a fit and we're one of few, if any, that are doing this in the focus space and not afraid of things like price point. In this builder space, there's a place for value add all over, especially today. I think that sector is growing and people want to put fantastic products in their home.
[00:03:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I know. I saw the list that came out through an email and it must be a pretty big booth, right? Like there's a ton of products that we're going to be showing.
[00:04:00] Speaker C: Yeah. We doubled the size of our booth from 2023 to 2024. We felt like with the momentum and the response we got from the marketplace in 2023, we felt like it was a really good opportunity for us and strategically it made a lot of sense for us to invest more and make this a bigger focus in 2024. And so we doubled the size of our booth space, which is about approximately 50 x 85ft. And so I'm really excited about what everyone is going to see at the end of next month. We have our booth layout and I don't want to spoil any surprises, but our booth layout consists of four different buildings. One building is branded PGTI. Really the center and focal point of our space is the PGTI building and the welcome space, if you will. We're using the PGTI building as our way of welcoming our audience into our booth and saying it is through innovation that we improve our other brands. And so we've got two operating drawers on each side of the TGTI building that'll open up to the other buildings in the space as well. And so taking a massive portion of the booth is western window systems. They obviously specializing in moving glass wall systems and indoor outdoor living concepts. Those products need to be showcased in a very real life way. And so the footprint that Western is taking up in 2024 is massive. It's going to run the entire width of our space and we're going to be showcasing lots of different products and just really excited about Western's opportunity here. Anlin also has its own building and features a Martin Keystone door in it. And then our fourth building is our windor brand out of Florida. And I don't want to spoil anything about Windor, but we are so excited to show not only the products, but where we're at with Windor and its resurgence into the marketplace. It's been a tremendous success for PGTI in 2023, and so we're really excited and proud about what's coming for Windor and IBS.
[00:06:15] Speaker B: So, mark in the booth design, I know you've been working really hard on this project for a number of months, probably. So did you have any specific philosophy or strategy or thinking when it came to the place where this is how we're going to do it and this is why? Do you want to shed some light on that?
[00:06:34] Speaker C: Yeah, sure, Sherry. I mean, one of the things that was both exciting and also kind of challenging in looking at our 2024 IBS plan was we're really a hybrid house of brands, branded house with PGT innovations. And so PGT innovations, our brands do things very differently from one another and there's very little overlap in the marketplace, and that's true with the brands that we're going to be showcasing at IBS this year. And so when you think about the customer audience as being very different for, say, anlin windows and doors than it is for western window systems, what we wanted to make sure we could do is how do we present all of these brands underneath the PGTI umbrella and really showcase the difference in experience that you're going to get with their products.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: Right.
[00:07:21] Speaker C: We wanted to create four unique spaces where you're experiencing the products as they exist in a living environment, also true to the image and to the foundation of the brands and the way we've built the brands and the products. So what was challenging was to say, hey, how do I create a very unique audience experience in, say, the western booth and then turn around and work and walk 15ft and turn 180 degrees and be in a completely different space and be equally impressed, but given a totally different feel in theme and mood and color and also in, hey, what setting would these products be? And so that was a lot of fun for us to design as we went from kind of one building to another and said, hey, how does this flow from the experience in this space, then into this space? And I think the team did a fantastic job. I got to hand it to our vendors, too. They were incredible throughout the process. But you're right, it's been a lot of work and honestly, I think the vision has come together perfectly. It's just what I hoped for and just what I imagined and I'm really excited for the visiting audience to see it.
[00:08:29] Speaker B: And so did you start working on it the day after the last IBS show.
[00:08:35] Speaker C: You know, it's funny, you're not far off. I want to say within a couple of weeks we were securing the 2024 space within a couple of weeks after the 23 show ended. So more or less, yeah, we did get quite to work pretty quickly. But the truth is I've probably been working more closely on this project since really June of last year. And that's when I started working with the vendors and with Zarnowski, our builder, our general contractor that is building our booth. And it's been a lot of fun and first time for me with a show this size. And so it's been a really cool experience.
[00:09:07] Speaker B: Well, and that will translate into the experience that people will have because if there's fun in it and there's passion and there's excitement, then that's going to trickle out to everybody that comes through.
[00:09:17] Speaker C: It will, it'll come through at the show, no doubt about it. I think everybody's going to be very impressed.
[00:09:21] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I think the products are impressive. I know our showroom is impressive and I walk by it every day and every now and then I'm like, oh, yeah, that is a really cool door. Even though I see it every day, I kind of forget that not everyone does. So I do want to talk for just a few minutes about the products because I'm looking at this giant list and I'm counting 28 products.
[00:09:43] Speaker C: When we secured this size space for this year's show and going with four buildings to showcase five brands, we knew that we'd be having to bring a lot more product to the show. And so we kind of told each team at the brand level, hey, dream big. We want you to reach for the stars, basically is kind of what we told them. And we want you to showcase the most meaningful products and the most exciting products. And we want you to showcase the products in a way that seems natural, that doesn't seem like they're all squashed together and just lined up in a row for viewing. But once again, it feels like you're in a living space. And I'm so excited because each team at the brand level wrapped their head around this and we didn't remove barely any products. I mean, from the first design and the first wish list items from each brand team, there really were only a few items in total, maybe three or four products in total that we felt like we really couldn't fit. And we made some adjustments. But other than that, yeah, you're looking at 28 products that were from the original list and I think it's a really good showcasing of kind of the broadness of the product depth across each one of our brands and lines.
[00:10:55] Speaker A: Be sure to tune in for upcoming episodes to help you understand the fenestration industry. What you need to know when buying windows and doors and other related topics, you can find out more about us@pgtioniversity.com you can also find us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: So I know with the western products because there's not as much focus on impact protection in the west, you guys can handle like massive size doors.
[00:11:22] Speaker C: You know, every single unit in the western booth is 12ft tall, varying in width. And the multislide, we have a five panel four foot each multislide on the back end of Western's building. It's going to spend the better part of 35ft.
[00:11:40] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:11:40] Speaker C: That's a twelve foot wall. And we went twelve foot on everything in Western's booth. We really wanted to showcase the height there. And you're right, it's a product line that it's meant to showcase the view. And so a grandiose plan and image. We made it happen with Western's product in a consistent way across all elevations.
[00:12:00] Speaker B: Yeah, and there's some 90 degree corner meets I'm seeing on this list.
[00:12:04] Speaker C: We've got a series 600 fixed 90 degree transom window that comes together at a 90 glaze, which is really exciting. Once again, we've got the series 300 minimalist multislide door that we did a soft launch last year with at the show and it's been a great success for us over the last year. We're still creating momentum in the marketplace, creating awareness for the minimalist series, that 300 series. We're really excited too about the 7600 pass through window. Indoor outdoor living concepts and overhead window systems are becoming more and more popular in today's designs and so really excited to show that brand new product and launch that for Western at IBS two. Again, that's our 76 65 pass through a gas strut awning. And then also we are launching a water management sill for our door systems at Western. Yeah, the water management sill will be on display with a video demo and display so that you can see how the water management seal system works.
[00:13:04] Speaker B: And then so as I glance through the Anlin list, I'm noticing some designer black pieces that are going to be.
[00:13:12] Speaker C: You know, Anlin's big splash this year at IBX is certainly the Anlin designer black product launch that happened in December and January of this year. Annlin's designer Black is a Capstock technology. And it's know Anlin has been paying attention to this trend in the marketplace of inside and out black vinyl windows. The marketplace has been looking for a solution for this, and I'm proud to say Anlin, though they weren't first to market, I think it's certain to say they're best to market on this Black Capstock product. So Anlin designer Black is being showcased in casement and our patio doors in our Catalina single hung product. In our Anlin panoramic series, we're showing Anlin designer black in our Anlin pet door. So it's definitely our focus at this show. And I think the black windows inside and out have been certainly a designer's trend for, I'd say, a good ten years. We don't think it's going anywhere for sure. And it's a strategic play for us, certainly in new construction as we position ourselves for that end solution in energy efficient vinyl space for new construction.
[00:14:20] Speaker B: Yeah, we have black cap stock as well, and it's popular. It's a great solution because you can't do just black vinyl all the way through. It won't hold up in the heat. So a lot of people don't really understand that. But you've got to have that white core, otherwise you just lose the integrity of the product.
[00:14:37] Speaker C: Yeah, this is like acrylic Capstock technology, and it's co extruded. And to your point, it doesn't have that pigmentation all the way through the vinyls. And the technology's come a long know. This has been tried several years, many years ago in different ways, and now the technology is certainly there, and Anlin was excited to put the best out there.
[00:14:57] Speaker B: So what else is on the list? I see a couple of Martin doors. So they've got a keystone, and then also an Athena garage door that are going to be there.
[00:15:07] Speaker C: Yeah. So the Athena overhead door by Martin is going to be in western space. And the Athena door complements Western's products perfectly. If you didn't know any better, you'd think Western made the product itself. So we're really happy to complement what we're doing with Western with that Athena line by Martin. And we've already seen a lot of success in several of our building communities with mixing the Martin Athena product and Western's product. And so this IBS show gives us a really great opportunity to show the builder community that it's here and it's a perfect match.
[00:15:41] Speaker B: And then I'm looking at five products from Windoor. Plus some sneak peek stuff that's not listed, so it could be more than that. But the invista seamless glazed window wall, which we have in our showroom, and that actually recently just won most innovative product award from Window Indoor magazine. So that's going to be really cool to see.
[00:16:04] Speaker C: Really cool to see. We're so excited about the invisa seamless glazed window wall. We're going to have a pivot wall also in the velvet gray. All of Windoor's product is going to be in that velvet gray.
[00:16:16] Speaker B: It's so gorgeous. I love that color.
[00:16:18] Speaker C: Yeah, it's going to be a showstopper. And that window space is front corner elevation of our space. This year we're featuring it as a meeting room. But again, it's surrounded by really exciting product. We've got a bifold door in there in a three one configuration. We've got a 90 50 series french door in that space. So it's going to be cool.
[00:16:38] Speaker B: Well, and even though that's only a ten foot door. Right, I think window only goes to 10ft. I'm 53, so a ten foot door is like massive. Standing next to a twelve foot door or even bigger is like, okay, it's just too much. So anyway, that's going to be really cool. And then PGT's got a few things up their sleeve. Our teams have been working hard on our narrow style for the vinyl sliding glass door. And then there's some maglev door prototypes. And so that's like magnetic, right?
[00:17:11] Speaker C: Yeah, magnetic levitation. It's a two panel, two track door system. And, yeah, believe it or not, ilab is taking to the show a magnetically levitated door system. You've seen some of these coming out, but we pride ourselves on engineering excellence and quality and what these guys do to test the market before they take something to market. It's very diligent and so we're really excited to see it in operation and have the visiting community participate. It's going to be something else. I mean, maglev doors are neat and when you see them in person operate, it's something else.
[00:17:46] Speaker B: Yeah, well, they actually have train systems that run on that technology in Europe. And I'm like, what, magloves on a door? That's cool. And then a couple of other things. I know last year we had the thin glass, the diamond glass, which is that lightweight, more scratch resistant. It's that fusion drawn glass that we're using in our window products. But then I'm also seeing a ballistic glass I never thought we would see that from a PGT brand. Do you want to talk about that?
[00:18:12] Speaker C: Yeah. We're showcasing all three of these glass systems, like on pedestal displays inside the ilab space, inside the PGTI booth for the ballistic glass.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: I don't know that we can really talk about that. I think everybody just has to come to the show and find out for themselves. Right?
[00:18:28] Speaker C: Yeah. We're really excited about Ilab's presentation this year in PGTI's booth. It's a larger building, more room than last year, and more glass displays, to your point. Really excited about thin glass technology again, and thin laminate glass. And that'll be certainly highlighted this year in that space.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: Well, it's the one thing I remember Kenny and I talked about the diamond glass like a year and a half ago, and he know, everybody always joked like, why is this stuff so heavy? Can you make it lighter? And he said, we finally were able to solve it because no one thought we. You know, the fusion drawn glass in our partnership with corning enables that to happen. So it's just as strong, but it's better and it's lighter and the installers are going to love it. And you can open, I think it's 3ft by ten foot pocket door in our showroom and I can open that slider with my pinky. It's amazing. So I'm glad that people are going to get a chance to see that and play with it and feel the difference. So is there anything else about ibs we need to chat?
[00:19:31] Speaker C: You know, the other thing we're showcasing is a thin triples glass technology with that new glass. In our exclusive deal with Corning, we're showing that in Amlin space in a thin triple unit. So we'll have an open sectional of an Amlin product with a thin triple pane unit in it. And we're also going to glaze one of Amlin's operative windows right there next to the display with a thin triple, so that the visitors can actually feel what you're talking about, which is really incredible lightweight when you think about three panes of glass in there. So you'd be able to feel the difference between a dual pane unit and what's a thin triple pane unit. And the difference in weight is negligible.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: All right, well, this is going to be an amazing show. I know you guys are going to have a blast. I know there's a bunch of people going and I know you guys are going to have just a lot of great feedback and we can't wait to see what that translates into for product and sales and all the training content that we'll be able to put together around these products when they become smash hits. And anyway, I really appreciate your time today, Mark, thank you so much.
[00:20:32] Speaker C: You too, Sherry. It's great to be on with you and looking forward to a great show.
[00:20:36] Speaker B: Okay. All right, thanks a lot.
[00:20:39] Speaker A: PGTI University is the customer education team for an entire family of brands. We began with the original easy breeze porch enclosure line, then became PGT, America's leading brand of impact resistant windows and doors. We then added CGI, CGIC, Windor, western Window systems, new south windows, echo windows and doors, Anlin 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. PGTI University here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window indoor products.
