Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast brought to you by Mitre Brand University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner and I am your host.
We're here on the Clear Impact Podcast and we are kicking off a new series and we're just gonna call this the We Are Florida series. Cause we're really focusing in on the Florida audience.
For those of you out of state, this is still some good stuff and it's good for you to know about. But today we are talking with Benji Hershberger. So welcome to the studio.
[00:00:47] Speaker A: Oh, thanks for having me, Sheri. I'm glad to be here.
[00:00:49] Speaker B: Yeah, thanks for joining in. And so, Benji, for those that maybe are newer to dealing with PGT and haven't had a chance to know, tell us a little bit about your history, your background and your previous roles here.
[00:01:03] Speaker A: Sure. So I've been with the company about 19 years at this point in a whole number of roles. And these roles go from I was an intern here when I was in college, so I did some engineering.
I worked on the production floor in the summers.
The toughest was either on the glass plant working on the cutting or the tempering lines or working unloading trucks.
The folks that do that are really special. And in my formal career with pgt, after I started after college, I worked in quality, I worked in production. I've worked with our credit and collections teams and supply chain and service inside sales. But my new role right now is in product management, responsible for product strategy and order entry system strategy for the Florida teams.
[00:01:52] Speaker B: So you've walked right into a little bit of a whirlwind at the moment.
[00:01:56] Speaker A: There's a lot happening right now, that's for sure. Sure. That's why we're here talking, I guess.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
So that gives you such a broad experience of the business and the industry.
And you've had a lot of opportunities to interact with our dealers over the years in your various roles. So who better to be in this position? Right. Like, you know so much about who we are, how we do things.
I mean, obviously you've grown up in this industry, so I think it's a good spot for you.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: I'm excited to be here and I'm a couple of weeks in and having a great time. Awesome.
[00:02:28] Speaker B: So what can our dealers expect to see in the upcoming weeks and months? Because there's a lot.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: So there's a lot happening here. If you go back a few years and you look at PGT Innovations, before the Mitre Brands acquisition, we had a number of different Brands and different products that fit a lot of the needs of the Florida market. And what we've done is really taken a look at both our product strategy and our brand strategy to say, what are the needs of the Florida market? You know, we're here. This is our backyard. We understand it. And how can we help make our business a little bit easier to understand, both for our customers and for us, which is going to help us in the long run. So if you look at the products that we're making changes to, so you have the CGI Sentinel line is going to be going away. If you look at what that line does, all of those needs can be fulfilled by the PGT Windguard aluminum line. So it doesn't make sense for us to continue down the path of having two complementary product lines. And then, you know, I think the one that I've talked to people the most about is our estate production line, which was Windor Estate. If you go back even further, it was a CGI estate. And that was really a special product line to a lot of us. It has a special place in our hearts. That was the line that started CGI. You know, the we're stronger the DP150, 190 product.
You know, the challenge was that that's an older product line and our sales volume continued to shrink. And if you look as our other product lines begin be more and more capable, we can cover most of the needs, and then that helps simplify doing business with us.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: Right.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Our goal is to be as easy as possible to do business with. And if we have multiple products that do the same thing, it's tough to choose which one is the right one for the right situation. And you end up having to carry a lot more extra spare parts.
[00:04:22] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: We have to carry extra parts. We have to carry extra production lines. And so, you know, this simplification in the long run, while painful now, is going to really help us perform at a much higher level. It's going to make us easier to do business with.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: Right. It's just a different variety of the same basic product. And it is confusing.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:41] Speaker B: The market is flooded with so many different window and door dealers that are handling a number of different products as well. And so for the consumer, it's even more bewildering.
[00:04:52] Speaker A: For sure. It is. Yeah. It's very hard as a consumer, as those of us in the industry. Well, it makes sense. If you want this thing, you go to cgi. If you want this thing, you go to Windor. If you want this particular feature, you Go to pgt Wingard.
[00:05:04] Speaker B: Right.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: But for a consumer and understanding the brand and the awareness, that is pretty confusing to have that many options in the marketplace. And we really think that with this, it's going to really help us solidify our place as the leader of the Florida market.
[00:05:19] Speaker B: Agreed. Well, and it'll simplify things for us too, because as the education team, people are asking us, well, what's the difference? So we have to create content and hold webinars and have in person trainings for all of these different product lines. It will streamline everything for everybody. And it'd just be a lot easier for people to learn and understand. They won't have this portfolio of 150 products at their disposal. They'll have whatever we end up with. 80ish or so different products. I know PGT has 49. I'm like 49 products. That's a lot.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: It's a lot to learn, a lot to know.
[00:05:53] Speaker B: It is. And then you add, you know, another 30 for CGI and another 30 for Windor. Now you're upwards of 100 product courses. And that's just for those three brands.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: You know, the other thing to think about too, that I think is a big deal is yes, all of these product lines were PGT and we're all the same company. You know, PGT and cgi, same company. PGT and Windor, same company. And a lot of times these things ended up getting mixed together in houses. And even though it was the same company, the products didn't align well together. Maybe the glass is oriented different and there's a surprise. Oh, I thought this was the same company and it didn't. And this is another opportunity for us to help our product line be aligned. So if you buy from us, the products can go well together in the home.
[00:06:38] Speaker B: Right. And have the same, you know, the whites match and the blacks match and the glass matches and everything.
Yeah, well, it's the pain of growing, right. And then the pain of, you know, okay, we have a new leadership now. And they're like, why are there 14 different sliding glass doors made out of aluminum in South Florida? Good question.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: So I see it as a positive, but I know there are those that may not see it quite that way. And that's okay, you know, we'll work through it.
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[00:07:25] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. We're committed to listening and understanding because it is possible that we're doing, you know, there might be a feature somewhere that we missed that's really important to the marketplace, and we really want to understand what those are and take that into account and understand the impact of the decisions that we've made.
[00:07:40] Speaker B: Yeah. And you're a great listener, so I'm sure that those needs will come back to you and you'll do what you can.
[00:07:45] Speaker A: They're coming.
[00:07:46] Speaker B: Yeah. So how do you see all of these changes impacting our Florida business?
[00:07:51] Speaker A: So I think the biggest thing you're going to see is a much higher level of performance across the board. And so you think about, from order placement to delivery, we'll be able to move faster. Just thinking about order entry systems, we'll be able to move faster. There's less products to program, there's less data to manage because we'll have eliminated some of the product platforms that goes to inside sales. The team will be more knowledgeable because they don't have to know about as many products. They can become experts. So maybe they'll be deeper. Maybe not as wide, but they'll be deeper and they'll understand the products, more production, will be able to produce, achieve better economies of scale from having higher volume on the production line and same thing through warehousing and shipping. So I think you'll see a much higher level of performance. And it's almost like pruning your bushes. You take the bushes, and my wife is always like, what are you doing? I cut them way back.
But then the hibiscus bush comes back and it's full of blossoms, and it's a healthier plant after the pruning. And I see that as kind of similar to what we're doing here. We're doing some pruning to the business, taking off some of the portions that are there. It's unhealthy. It hurts a little bit to do that cut. Right. But ultimately, the aim is to have a healthier business at the end of this.
[00:09:06] Speaker B: Well. And it's easier to make things complex. It's much more difficult to simplify.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:13] Speaker B: And especially when you're talking about the size of the operation and the enterprise that we have here. And that takes courage.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: It does.
[00:09:19] Speaker B: And that can be hard.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: It is hard. And I think the best businesses are simple businesses.
[00:09:24] Speaker B: Oh, 100%. I mean, I've heard stories of Steve Jobs where he came in and said, get rid of all of this. We're going to have this. This, you know, four different things, and everybody freaked out. But it was a brilliant business move. And look where Apple is today. You know, they're amazing.
[00:09:39] Speaker A: So everybody wants to build their empire, but I think the best thing is for us to stay focused. And we're here for the Florida market. We love the Florida market. We want to bring what the Florida market needs.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: Right. So what does We Are Florida mean to you?
[00:09:54] Speaker A: I love this one. I love this We Are Florida campaign. I think it means it shows that we've always been here. This business was founded here in the state of Florida. Florida customer. So if you're a customer of ours, we're in your backyard. Were within three or four hours of just about the entire peninsula of Florida. And so we're committed to this state. We're not trying to go do all kinds of other things. We're committed to the state of Florida and the markets that we serve and our dealer base, our customer base here. Right.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Which is very unique compared to the rest of the country. And we have people that come in for trainings that have been in window and door industry building industry in other states, and they come to Florida and they're just bewildered because it's completely different than what they knew. And so they come in and here they think they've got tons of experience. It was like you're starting from scratch. Here is a whole different world.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: We do a lot of things kind of different down here in the state of Florida for a lot of different reasons. But so much of it is code driven.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:10:53] Speaker A: And it just has to be this way. But, yes, it's different here.
[00:10:57] Speaker B: Yeah. So, one last question.
So which part of the Mitre DNA speaks to you the most? And we've not talked about the Mitre DNA on the podcast at all. So there's like, I don't know, 20 different statements that really drive how the business operates and the mindsets around the leadership. And I love so many. I'm glad I'm not answering this question.
So I'm curious to hear what your response is on this.
[00:11:22] Speaker A: I loved this question and it was hard to choose one, but maybe it's great that I'm here for the first one, because I'm going to pick the first bullet point, which is we believe in our guiding principles and make them part of every decision.
And that's one of the things I loved about being part of Mitre Brands, is there are the guiding principles. We talk about them at the beginning of every meeting. And if we're having a discussion that maybe the team's having a hard time coming to an agreement on. We can always pull out the guiding principles and we can say, hey, which ideas align most with the guiding principles? And Mitre truly believes in this stuff.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: Right.
[00:12:00] Speaker A: You know, I've been with PGT for a long time. We've had, and I don't want to knock the history of pgt, but we've had a lot of different things where we said, hey, this is who we are. And I think a lot of companies have slogans, but truly, truly, truly, truly, our guiding principles here at Mitre Brands really guide the decisions. And I think it's cool that that's the first bullet point in the DNA of a whole bunch of other things.
[00:12:20] Speaker B: Right?
[00:12:21] Speaker A: Because it is truly, and I'm going to say truly a whole bunch of times. It really is important to the way this goes and the way that we run this business.
[00:12:30] Speaker B: Okay. So I love it when an answer leads to more questions.
Right. I mean, this is what podcasting is all about, right? It's conversation, having great conversation, and you never know where it's going to go. And so we've talked here and there about the guiding principles, but we actually haven't necessarily listed them off. And so with your answer of this is the one that connects the most with you, can you just recap what those guiding principles are?
[00:12:55] Speaker A: Yeah. So our guiding principles, we have a vision, we have a purpose, we have our quality pillars, and we have what we believe that gives us if we do those things. And our vision is to build the most valued window and door brand in America. Notice it's not valuable, it's valued. We want to make sure that our stakeholders value the opportunity to do business with us, that our team members value.
Working here. It's all about delivering value. And we deliver value by manufacturing the finest products, services, and customer experiences every day and everywhere. That's our common purpose. And so, you know, going back to what I said, if we're talking about making a product change or a team change or a shift in strategy, all we have to do is go back to does it add value and does it deliver the finest products, services, and customer experiences? If it does, great. If it doesn't, it's not the right thing, and we can all be aligned around that. And then we have our quality pillars, which are safety, making sure everyone goes home the way they came, continuous improvement and creativity kind of, to me, go together. But we want to be creative in the way that we're working to improve and think outside the box, integrity, just doing what we say we're going to do and following up and following through, and then profitable partnerships. So we don't believe all the profit should sit in one partnership. It's not all here at Mitre. It's for our vendors. It's for our customers. And Matt will tell you he doesn't shy away from talking about profit. That's why we're all here. Right. But we want to make sure the partnerships on both sides of the business, down to our customers and up to our suppliers, is valuable for everybody. Right. And then adherence to these principles ensure satisfaction, success for this network that we serve, which is our team members, our suppliers, our customers, and our community.
[00:14:40] Speaker B: Well, because if you're not profitable, you're not much good.
[00:14:43] Speaker A: Right.
[00:14:43] Speaker B: You can't grow, you can't add more people, you can't give people increases. You can't be innovative and invest in new technology.
That's the whole point of being in business.
[00:14:53] Speaker A: It is. And it's important that we don't try and suck all the profit up here at Mitre, because if our customers are not profitable when they do business with us, they're not going to want to continue to do business with us.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:15:05] Speaker A: If our suppliers are not profitable when they do business with us, they're not going to want to continue to do business with us. We want to be the preferred customer of our suppliers and the preferred vendor to our customers.
[00:15:17] Speaker B: Yeah. It all works together.
All right. Is there anything else?
[00:15:21] Speaker A: I think this was great.
[00:15:21] Speaker B: This was a great conversation. Benji, thank you so much for taking the time to explain the heart behind what we're doing and why we're doing it, and just, you know, give us a little introduction as to who you are. You've been on the podcast before, but this was nice to just have some connection there with the history. I didn't realize that you used to work in the glass plant and used to load trucks.
[00:15:43] Speaker A: Yeah. So maybe the thing that I didn't say in the beginning is I am the son of the founder. So I've been around this business for a long time. And you know when you need a summer job and your dad's the boss, you get the toughest job.
[00:15:56] Speaker B: Because he said, just put him wherever. And they're like, okay, yeah, we got.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: The son of the boss. Let's put him in front of the tempering furnace. He'll sweat.
[00:16:03] Speaker B: We're gonna see what this kid's made of.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: Well, and obviously you've done well, and this is your home. You've raised your family here. And still raising your family here and this is part of your DNA.
[00:16:13] Speaker A: Yeah. I love working here. And people ask me, how has it been since Mitre? It's been awesome. The culture of Mitre Brands just aligns so well with the culture of pgt and it's been a really easy transition.
[00:16:23] Speaker B: Yeah, agreed. All right, well, I appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: All right, thanks, Sherry.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: Have a great day.
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