Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner and I am your host.
Good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast and we are chatting it up with some folks that came in for some PGT training this week. And so at my table, we have Micah Lynn and Chris Cheshire. Did I say it right?
[00:00:40] Speaker A: Yes, Cheshire. Cheshire is good.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: Right. Also known as Big Cat.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: Big Cat, that's right.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: All right, so I'm going to let you guys talk a little bit about your background, your history with the company and then what you're currently doing, maybe your territory, scope of responsibility, whatever you want to talk about.
[00:00:56] Speaker C: Absolutely. So my name is Micah Lynn. I've been with the Mitre Brands team a little over 16 years now. Came from the sales side covering the state of South Carolina, Charlotte, and western North Carolina, and recently moved into a role of a senior sales manager with regional responsibilities for the Carolinas, Dr. georgia and Eastern Tennessee. My background is really in the construction space. Prior to me coming on board with Mitre, I was working for a lumber yard in a series of managerial capacities, sales capacities, and just really enjoy the construction space. It's always intrigued me to see a product from conception on a house plan and seeing a family move into that home, I think that's just a really cool aspect. I've got three lovely children and a wife of 25 years. I better get that right. And just excited to be here.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: Congratulations. That's amazing. And so where are you based? Where do you live?
[00:02:01] Speaker C: So I live in Charlotte, North Carolina.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:02:03] Speaker C: Born and raised. The job has taken me all over the Southeast, but always ended up back at home.
[00:02:09] Speaker B: Yeah, Charlotte's amazing. I love that town. A lot of fun to be had in Charlotte.
[00:02:12] Speaker C: Yes, it is. Yes, it is definitely a growing city.
[00:02:15] Speaker B: All right. And Chris, how about you?
[00:02:17] Speaker A: So thank you for having us and been a legacy Miter team member since March of 2001. So going back almost 25 years. And I'm based in Cary, North Carolina, which is the Triangle, the Greater Raleigh Market. And currently a sales rep, really for anywhere from the Triad, North Carolina, over to the coast of North Carolina. So I cover Greensboro, Winston, Salem, all the way to Wilmington, up into Morehead City, and some of the northern eastern North Carolina area. So that's where really the PGT opportunities have come in for the coastal stuff. And I cover coastal markets, which is really cool to see how this product fits into that.
[00:02:52] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. They get hurricanes up there, too.
[00:02:54] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. And so And I'm born and raised in eastern North Carolina, so I've seen it. I've lived at the beach for summers, close to the beach. We're down there all the time. So I see the hurricane, I watch them. And we've seen them, we've prepared for them. So we know what it takes to really be prepared for those.
[00:03:08] Speaker B: Yeah. And so we're watching and we're like, oh, good, it's skipping Florida, but oh, man, it's going to the Carolinas. And then you're like, oh, it's not coming for us, but, oh, man, it's hitting Florida. I mean, we're all just kind of like, we don't want it to hit anybody.
[00:03:22] Speaker C: But, you know, we learned you guys had hurricane parties, which is. Sounds like we want to join in on the fun, right?
[00:03:28] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, we do have hurricane parties here.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Anyway, throughout my career with Mitre, I have done everything from a replacement window sales repair to a regional manager for about five years in the early 2000s, then back to actually independent rep group, back to MITRE team member. And so really seeing the whole spectrum of things within mitre. So it's been an exciting journey and a great opportunity for me. Been very blessed to be part of this team.
[00:03:56] Speaker B: So, yeah, now we're excited to have a bigger family. Right. And to have great representation in those parts of the country where we've been very Florida focused for years and now been able to expand. So we've been at this integration for well over a year now. How's it going? Like, how do you feel like it's going? How do your customers feel about it? Like, we used to be competitors and now we're teammates. That's always kind of a tricky thing to get accustomed to. So whoever wants to answer that, we'll both answer it.
[00:04:27] Speaker C: How it's going is such a great question to ask today. Now that we've been a little over a year with this thing, it's been a really exciting and interesting ride.
Early on, prior to the acquisition, we did view PGT as a competitor, especially in our coastal markets. But they were great complementary products to what we do on the MI legacy side, especially when you get into those large patio door, sliding glass door configurations, you know, that's just a space that MI traditionally did not touch. Hinged products, for example. MI doesn't offer any hinged products. So it allowed us, through this acquisition, it allowed us to get into a space that we have traditionally not been able to touch. So it's really a complimentary product to what we were currently doing on the MI side.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: Yeah. There's a lot of situations where we're in our markets and we're selling MI Windows to the same home that has a PGT door.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:05:25] Speaker A: So they really complimented each other, as Micah said, very well. And we did see them as a competitor, but it wasn't one that was taking our trying to eat our lunch every day. Right. It was kind of were some situations, but for the main part, it was more complimentary, like you said, which on.
[00:05:39] Speaker C: The sales side, again, excites us. It gives us more arrows in the quiver there from a sales perspective. So it's neat to have those products now diving into the relationship side with the team. It's really neat and exciting to see that we have such a common culture and drive towards providing a valued product, a great customer experience. You know, things that were staples of what we did on the MI side are very similar traits that we see on the PGTI side. So that's extremely exciting. The team has been great, very welcoming. Everybody's just excited to see a new direction that Matt and the leadership team are wanting to take this Mitre Brands company now. And so it's just an exciting time to be part of something that is unique and something that we know is going to end up great.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window.
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Yeah, I would agree with that. And so one of the things I've been asking people who in the various roles as I'm interviewing them, you know, we've been talking about the MITER acronym, the M I T E R. And so I think I already know the answer to this, but I'm going to let you guys answer. What letter in that acronym do you feel like your role bests, supports? And so just for a refresher, it's manufacturing, innovation, trust, experiences and relationships.
[00:07:17] Speaker A: I'll start here, obviously, being a sales rep and a sales professional, really my whole career, the R relationships. But I feel like that also goes into experiences. Because what our goal is, what we're doing is trying to give our customers and even our suppliers as well, all up and down the chain and experience. But that, that goes with building relationships. Right. So that's what we do every day, is build relationships to make us successful in the field. And I think those two go together. So I say experiences and relationships and they kind of go Hand in hand. So that would be where I would see it fits me best, what I feel the Mitre brands name, the relationships and experiences.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah, that makes sense. How about you, Michael?
[00:07:53] Speaker C: I'm going to mix it up a little bit, only because just change the pace thing, right. I'm going to go with the innovation side. And obviously the relationships are extremely important. I mean, on the sales side especially, experiences are absolutely important. But the innovation side, I just see the industry evolving, the construction industry evolving, the demand that the consumer homeowner wants out of a home, and building codes and environmental changes, I think. And I'm sort of a window geek, which Matt pointed that phrase years ago. We're all window geeks here. But it excites me to see change and innovation. And when we were over at the Ilab yesterday, that place blew my mind because just seeing the things that that team had in the works, the robotics, the 3D printing, the things that you can draw it on a piece of paper and they conceptualize it and they can make it happen, I just think that's the neatest thing in the world. And so the innovation piece, I feel is something that I hold close to my heart. It's what excites me with our company. It's what excites me about our industry is I just love seeing innovative and creative things. Again, like I said earlier, I love seeing the concept of a home on a piece of paper and then seeing somebody turn the key walking into the door. That's what excites me every morning when I wake up. And I love seeing that unfold here at the plant.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: And I think you have to go back, as I said, experiences and relationships. It's really neat how it all fits together with Mitre, right? I mean, trust, think about it. I mean, people buy from people they trust, right? And as reps, that's what we have, is to gain your trust as a customer, as a supplier, as a team member within the organization. So I mean, I can continue to say experiences, relationships, say all of them, really. But, you know, as I start to build on and thinking about what he was talking about with innovation and I left the trust out, I'm like, it's all of them, right?
[00:09:44] Speaker B: Well, because you can have the greatest relationship, but if the manufacturing doesn't come through and you don't have a good experience, then erodes the trust. It doesn't matter how innovative it is, you still have to deliver. I think it was Mike desoto who said, sales gets the first one, manufacturing gets the rest of the. And that's really true because you can be the greatest person ever. And I might think, man, I wish I could do business with you, but your product is terrible. We don't want that either. So it all has to work together.
[00:10:12] Speaker C: Chris knows this because we've done this many a times. But one of our greatest sales tools is plant tours. Right? We have customers, and I've said this multiple times. Don't just take my word. Let's get you up to our plant, walk through there, see what we're about.
[00:10:29] Speaker B: Right?
[00:10:30] Speaker C: Because we might be the customer face of this, but the folks out in the plant are the ones getting it done, and they make us look good, right? Our logistics teams, our ops teams, our market, all of the components that allow us as a business unit, to perform at the level that we do. It's a collective effort. And so I always challenge our sales team to do these plant tours. Our plants show great. People are excited to be there, and they love seeing the sales team walk the there and meeting the customers. And we love that customer plant interaction as well, because I'm telling you, it's a closer for us when we bring customers up there to the plant to walk through and see what we're truly about.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:14] Speaker A: And it shows the customer how well we're integrated with the rest of our team. Right. It's not just, oh, you got sales out here doing their thing. You got the plant over here doing their thing. We're all together, and they see that interaction as we work with the people in the plant daily. And then they see that, and it's like, wow, this is really, really a neat experience.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: It's a family experience.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: It brings in the experience of that.
[00:11:32] Speaker C: Right?
[00:11:33] Speaker A: So, yes.
[00:11:33] Speaker B: Yeah. One of the things I've been trying to not do it as much is help coordinate and organize and lead the plant tours here. And of course, we're up on a mezzanine. We're not down on the floor. But when you walk into this place, you're like, whoa.
[00:11:47] Speaker C: Takes you back a little bit.
[00:11:49] Speaker B: It does. And it really provides some great context and perspective for our customers.
You know, one of the things that I love to talk about is, you know, just how many people we employ and how many families we're supporting through the industry. And then also the perspective of, you know, this is our volume every day. And they're like, but I have this really big order. It's like 65 pieces. And we're like, okay, yeah, that is a big order.
[00:12:14] Speaker C: We appreciate that.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: We're not mad about that, but also that's just a little tiny drop in the bucket of what we have overall.
So it does help them understand where things may not go smoothly, like if this happens and like every now and then they'll walk through and they're like, hey, that piece of glass is broken. We're like, yeah, glass breaks.
Guess what? We have to remake it and we have to do it quickly and get it back out. So it's just fun to be able to host those events. And I'm looking forward to getting up to the Gratz area soon and doing some tours up there. I haven't been up there yet.
[00:12:47] Speaker C: We would love to have.
[00:12:49] Speaker A: You're gonna fall in love with it as well. I mean, as Micah said earlier, I mean, our cultures align so well.
[00:12:54] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: I mean, it almost feels like you're in one when you're in the other, you know, with the people in the plant floor and everybody. It's really a cool thing.
[00:13:00] Speaker B: Yeah. No, we're all very grateful. It was a little nerve wracking at first, like, wait, who's in charge now? And as a private company, we couldn't really get a lot of information online and there's bumps here and there and there's a lot of change going on for us, but overall it feels great.
[00:13:13] Speaker C: We've been blessed, you know, to have the DeSoto family from a leadership perspective.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, they're amazing.
[00:13:18] Speaker C: I mean, if you've done these podcasts with Pete, we've attended these CX meetings where he's gotten up there and, and spoken and I mean, he is the catalyst for all of these letters in this minor acronym. And I mean, he is what certainly drives the ship. And of course, Matt is steering that son of a gun. And I mean, it really resonates from the top down with what we're about from a cultural standpoint and what the expectation is from sales, from manufacturing, from all the components that help provide a great customer experience again.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: And they're just that genuine people.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:13:53] Speaker A: I mean, just from their hearts. And that goes to say everything they do. I mean. And I'd be remiss if I didn't speak of the foundation as well.
[00:14:00] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:14:00] Speaker A: And we love that part of this company and that just giving back, we can make a window and we can do this and we can do that. But the fact that we're helping families not only on a national level, but for veterans and for sick people, but also on a local level, I mean, we have a great thing with the foundation, so that goes right in with all the values of the company and the DeSoto. So it's an awesome thing that we like to talk about. And every day with Mitre.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: Yeah, no, it's amazing to be part of that. And we had a pretty heavy legacy of giving back and being in community partnership with a lot of the area nonprofits. And, you know, PGT is the biggest private employer in Sarasota county, at least last I checked.
I don't think it's. I don't think anybody surpassed us as far as private, but we were very philanthropic before we were acquired. And so for us to be able to continue doing that is just amazing because you never know, like, how is the new leadership going to feel about that kind of thing? And they were like, no, no, no, let's do more. And it was like, oh, okay. Yay. That's awesome. So, like I said, it was a little bumpy here and there and like, wait, who's in charge? And that person's not here anymore.
So there's some shuffling around. But overall, I feel like the leadership has a better long term vision for what the future can look like for all of us. And there's no slowing us down. I think we've got some great momentum and great resources. Like you guys have been here this week learning about all touch points that PGT offers and of course, the university. I can't not say anything about that.
[00:15:27] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Jim and team have been fantastic.
[00:15:29] Speaker A: It's been a great experience.
[00:15:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, we're glad to have you this week. Thanks for making the time and coming down and recording with me today and just appreciate the work that you're doing out there and carry on.
[00:15:41] Speaker C: Well, thank you.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: Thank you so much.
[00:15:42] Speaker C: It's been our pleasure. Thank you very much.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: All right, guys, have a great day.
[00:15:46] Speaker A: You too. Thanks so much, Sherry.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: Bye bye.
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