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 Connor and I am your host.
[00:00:19] Speaker C: Like, when we can go in and show them that we care about their business just as much as they do, and we do take it personal, it's a lot easier to have a relationship and to get the. Like a win win relations can take care of the end user and even to the homeowner. Like, we care because we understand that this is a really big purchase for you. We understand that we're ripping a window out and putting a new one in, and your home's going to be a construction site at some point during this. So, like, we care enough to take it personally. And I think if you do that, that's how you're going to win at the end of the day. And even to dumb it down more, business is always personal. But, like, we care. And I think just showing that you care goes a long way in today's society outside of even just Windows.
[00:01:05] Speaker A: All right, good morning. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast, and today I am chatting with the Kenyon Browning. Welcome to the show.
[00:01:14] Speaker C: Awesome. Thank you for having me.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: Yeah, I wish you were here in person, but we did meet at the Hershey event last year and you did record an episode with me around the Kilimanjaro trip with the Veterans Association. No Person Left Behind. Is that the name of it?
[00:01:29] Speaker C: No Person Left Behind Outdoors. And Sergeant Adam is the one that runs that. Yeah. It was a great experience. And that was a fun podcast that day.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: It was. And so anyway, we're going to talk about Windows today also in your wheelhouse and in mine. But before we tackle all of that, let's get a little bit of your background, maybe how long you've been with the company, your current role and whatever background is pertinent to that.
[00:01:53] Speaker C: Totally. Yeah. So it's a good thing we're talking about Windows because I absolutely love Windows. Okay, so that's good.
[00:01:57] Speaker A: All right.
[00:01:58] Speaker C: But yeah, so I've been with Mitre Brands. This is going to be my sixth year. I joined in September 2020. But pertinent information before that, right out of school, I went and worked for another window manufacturer called Pella Windows. And they. I was in their sales development program. So it was a cool program. I mean, it was all about Windows. I spent a year just learning all the ins and outs, different applications, different types of windows, how to sell in home, how to sell to builders, and things like that. So I learned a Lot. And it was a great experience for me, especially right out of school. And that's what brought me down to Texas. So, originally, I'm from Iowa. That job took me to the great state of Texas, and I've been here now since. But joined mitre. I worked as a territory sales manager, and now I am currently a senior sales rep. And what that entails is I have three sales reps that I oversee, and our team covers North Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. I also am currently overseeing the Western Door program. So basically, for the whole state of Texas, we have these really awesome doors that we sell to production volume builders. Not directly, but we sell. They're the end users, and I oversee that program.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Wow. Okay, so, fun fact. We're going to do a little sidebar. Where in Iowa are you from?
[00:03:23] Speaker C: I am originally from Iowa City, Iowa, where the University of Iowa is. So I am an Iowa Hawkeye fan, but I went to school at the University of Northern Iowa.
[00:03:31] Speaker A: Okay. So I grew up in Muscatine.
[00:03:33] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I know Muscatine very well.
[00:03:36] Speaker A: Yeah. And I'm also an Iowa Hawkeye fan. I did not go to school there, but I have family that did. So go Hawks. Yeah.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: Right.
[00:03:42] Speaker A: No wonder I like you. Like, it makes sense now. Okay.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: It's funny. There's actually quite a few Iowa fans or Iowans within our company.
[00:03:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:51] Speaker C: And it's funny because Matt DeSoto, our CEO, he's a Penn State fan. So there's this, like, rivalry, Big Ten rivalry that we always give each other. We talk a little bit of trash every once in a while, but it's all fun and games. Yeah.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: JJ and I figured that out right away, that he's also from Iowa, obviously. So, anyway. Well, that's great. What a great background. And that sounds like a massive opportunity. That area is growing.
Texas especially, is huge. And having that Western product in your portfolio, that's amazing.
[00:04:20] Speaker C: Yeah, it's. Honestly, it's been great the six years I've been here. I've seen the insane amount of growth at mitre. And I think the reason I really enjoy and I love this company is because it still feels small at the end of the day.
[00:04:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:32] Speaker C: Like, I see and communicate with our executives on a somewhat regular basis. And I'm just a sales guy, so it's really cool to have that relationship with even senior executives and everyone else within the company.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, don't sell yourself short. Just a sales guy. I mean, come on. This is like, the sales team is hugely important. I mean, without you guys out there, we Wouldn't have customers, we wouldn't have business. So you are definitely on the front line. Yeah. And so one of the things we kind of want to talk about today is really this is for homeowners and also for our customer partners, dealer partners. And the topic is really around how to make a wise choice when you're thinking about purchasing or windows and doors for residential projects. And so that can cover new construction, but also it can cover the renovations. Right. People who are saying, I don't want to have a giant interest rate on my mortgage. I'm going to stay where I am, but I need to do some upgrades. So we kind of want to talk around those areas. And so for your area and for your team, who are they primarily working with? Are they working with, like, lumberyards? Are they working with big box stores? Like, who is your team working with?
[00:05:45] Speaker C: Great question. So in terms of residential, we actually have dealer partners that specifically go in home and sell to the homeowner or the end user. Some lumber yards do this. But a lot of the times it's typically these in home dealers that are out canvassing or are in the home showing the product to the homeowner and replacing the windows. And I think it's a great topic because the end of the day, replacing windows in your home, one, it's energy efficient. Two, like you write, they don't want to go buy a new home and get these higher interest rates. But also, like, it's a pretty large overtaking. We're taking holes in your home and refilling them. So it is a construction site. So I think it's a really important topic to talk about and to educate homeowners on. It's a great topic.
[00:06:32] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:06:32] Speaker A: Yeah. And it is a big deal. And so if somebody is in the construction space. So now I'm talking about, like, a potential dealer partner or maybe somebody who's like, okay, we sell shingles and we sell lumber, and maybe we should get into windows. What would be the process of working with MI involved? What does that look like for them to say, hey, we want to sell MI windows? Like, what does that look like?
[00:07:00] Speaker C: Totally. So, like all companies, we do have a vetting process that we want to follow. And, you know, there are a lot of specifics we can get into, but basically what we're looking for is we're looking for a partner that is aligned with the values of Mitre brands. And at the end of the day, we want to provide a great customer experience to our dealer partners and the end user. So you know, we want to make sure that they have been around, you know, a long enough time. They have kind of proven themselves. We want to make sure that they have the foundation to provide a great customer experience. Certain sales reps, that they have some expertise, they have a service team that they can go out and if something small breaks on a window or, you know, something's going wrong on a job site, they can go out and fix that. We do provide support for that, but we want to make sure that they're the first line of defense. We want to make sure they have a showroom that, hey, we can show a homeowner the product before it gets into their home. We don't want there to be any. Any confusion of what's going into this person's home.
And we want to make sure that they have a warehouse and stuff that they can safely and securely receive our product and store it. And I think at the end of the day, again, if you can do all that, it's all about providing a good, smooth customer experience and wanting to provide a good experience to that end user. That's really what we're looking for.
[00:08:22] Speaker A: That makes sense. And do you require exclusivity at all? Like, is it okay if they sell another brand? Or like, what are we looking for there?
[00:08:30] Speaker C: So, no, we do not require exclusivity. You know, obviously it's preferred, but we do believe that we have a full product offering. But, you know, there are some things that we can't do. We're not perfect. We can't fix all the problems, but we like them to. Exactly. Product. We make investments into our customers. So we would like them to make an investment back to us. And that's kind of, you know, the expectation we set. And also to do this, we'll have a meeting with you. But what we also do is we love bringing prospective customers into our production facility. I'm lucky because here in DFW Dallas Fort Worth, we have a production site in this area. So I love bringing customers in to show them, hey, here's who we are. Here's how we build our windows. And do you want to partner with us? As much as we're vetting them, they need to vet us as well.
[00:09:17] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's the key to any great partnership is to make sure it's a good fit. And I love what you shared about just making sure the alignment is there on the customer experience, because we can have a fantastic customer experience, but if they can't then pass that on to the homeowner, then it's lost. Right. So that makes a lot of sense.
[00:09:37] Speaker C: Exactly. And we always make the joke that we're window nerds and we want our customers to be just as nerdy as us because that's again, like you go into the home and we can make the best product ever. But if it's the wrong product for the wrong application or if they can't properly install a product, then again we're going to jeopardize that customer experience. So we're looking for window nerds that align with our values. To put it short, that could be
[00:10:05] Speaker A: a new marketing campaign. I can see it now. Yeah, I like that window nerd. We'll see what the marketing team has to say about that. So what would be the process for a homeowner? And let's assume that they've done some research, they've heard from their neighbor, hey, I got MI Windows and they're great. And if you guys are going to get Windows, that's who you should go with. What is the process for a homeowner to find an MI dealer?
[00:10:28] Speaker C: Great question. And it's a very simple answer, actually. So as we know the Internet and you know, the new AI technology, homeowners can do so much research before even calling someone in. But if they want to, you know, they do the research, they say, wow, MI Windows, they're great because we are. They can go onto our website and they can select request a quote or they can select find a dealer and they just put in their zip code, put a little bit of information about what they're looking for. And if they select get a quote, we will send that quote to some of our preferred dealer partners are like certified dealer partners and they'll reach out to the homeowner or if they select find a dealer, they'll be able to go call local dealers that are partners and get a quote that way. And your example, you know, they're trying to keep up with the Joneses or they see that their next door neighbors got this done. That's where our dealer partners, we love them because they can spread the word on MI but also on their own company name. And again, that's a win win for everybody.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
[00:11:48] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's excellent because it can be daunting, right? Like there's so much involved when you make a purchase like that, and that's one of the reasons that we started the podcast, was really to help people become more informed about a significant purchase. Because, like, you don't really replace your windows and doors, but maybe once or twice in your whole life. And even if you have done a project like that 10 years ago, it's very different than it is today. Technologies evolve, glass changes, frames evolve, too. And so there's a lot of things that can take place that can inform that choice for you. So now we're going to get into it. Let's see how big of a window nerd you are.
So we want to talk about specific products and applications.
Like, there's so many different products out there. How do I know which one I need and want? Like, where do I go with that?
[00:12:39] Speaker C: That's a really good question. And, you know, there's a whole deep dive we could go into, but just to try and simplify it, like, a lot of the windows, like, they're based per geography or per your region. You know, like up in the Midwest, in the north, there's a lot of double hungs. Why is that? I don't really know. I think maybe that's just how the builders were building the homes. But down here in Texas, we sell a lot of single homes. But again, this is where we rely on our dealer partners when they're in the home with the customer and the homeowner talking about what they want to do. This is where we rely on them. So, like a super simple example, when you are replacing the windows in your home and you have a window over your sink, most people don't think, overthink it. But at the end of the day, when you want to reach over that sink because you're cooking in the kitchen and you want to get a breeze in there, sometimes it's difficult to reach all the way over the sink and slide a window to the left or the right or open a window up and down. So in that sense, you know, we would recommend, hey, let's use a casement window or an awning window that has a crank.
That way you're not having to move or pull a sash. You're just cranking it to open it up, and it's easier, and you can get back to cooking or doing the dishes, whatever you're doing. So that's a really basic answer to that. But also the installation is really key. There are installations that we go through the interior of the frame as a replacement, but there's also nailing fins that's for new construction in Florida. You know, you got to be up to code. There's impact windows, there's non impact windows, there's laminate glass.
So a lot of it is the homeowners need, like can ask the questions to our dealer partners. And our dealer partners need to be able to assess the situation and provide some of the best products or applications for that home. And I think one of the key things is, like, that's why partnering with MI is great, because we have a full offering that we can fit almost every single one of those applications. Does that kind of answer your question?
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Yeah. No. You make a great point about double hungs. So, like, we're in Florida, and people that migrate down from up north in the Midwest, they want double hungs here. And we're like, no, don't do it, don't do it. Because I can count there's maybe 20 or 30 days of the entire year where you can really open up your windows because it's just humid and it's hot.
[00:15:03] Speaker B: You know, winter's great.
[00:15:04] Speaker A: Spring is great, nighttime is great. But other than that, the double hungs are just more maintenance, they're more expensive. You know, they're harder to close all the way. That top sash can sometimes be difficult to close, especially if you have a really large double hung. I'm on the short side, and so if that window has any height to it at all, I'm gonna be struggling to get that top sash closed. And so we try to.
People don't get a double hung here. You don't need it. It's not worth it. But it's for the extra ventilation that obviously northern climates get to enjoy in the summer and spring and fall, Whereas here, the AC is on 10 out of 12 months. So like you're saying it's regional. It depends on what you're after. But if you're in a coastal area or if you're in an area where there's a lot of noise, you know, a laminated package, an impact package, is going to be better for sound and for security, obviously for storms. But for the rest of the country, there's a lot of benefits in that regard.
[00:16:02] Speaker C: Exactly. And yeah, down here in Texas, everything's bigger in Texas. Well, that's true. They build big openings and they want to put big windows in there. So these single hungs are a better fit. And to go a little bit into the glass too, like, the glass is a whole nother realm. You can go down. But in the north, they look at the U factor. They Want to see how thermal and we want to keep the heat inside and we want to keep the cold out. Well, down here in Texas and in the south, we look at the solar heat gain coefficient, right, that's going to help keep the harsh Texas sun rays away from you and we're going to keep the cold in and the hot out. So all these things are important, but it's just different ways that how can we utilize these products in different geographical regions to best serve the customer?
[00:16:50] Speaker A: Right? Yeah, there's a lot to it for sure.
[00:16:53] Speaker C: A lot to it, yeah.
[00:16:54] Speaker A: All right, so here's a question, and this is where you get to give your elevator pitch.
Why is MI the best window and door partner for the customer?
[00:17:03] Speaker C: That is a great question.
So first things first, and I kind of already mentioned it, we have a full product offering. Our customer can feel confident going into the home wherever they are located and know that they have an option for this homeowner. We want them to go in, ask the questions. We want the customers to dream. We want them to say, hey, I would love this, I want that. You know, I want this big patio door off my back porch because look at this great backyard I have. Or hey, we've been noticing in this side of the home, it gets really hot. Well, we have a full product offering that these sales reps and our dealer partners can go into the home and say, okay, I can fit this here and here's how I can provide you. I don't have to second guess. So it's one having a full product offering to offer to the end user, the homeowner. Also our manufacturing sites I mentioned, I love bringing people into the plant. Our manufacturing sites and our manufacturing plants in the whole Miter brand enterprise are second to none. We deliver on time, we deliver full product and we deliver it consistently. And the reason this is important to the end user, the homeowner is because when your dealer leaves the house, you're going to get your windows replaced. They'll place an order with us and we're going to give them a date and we're going to hit that date 99% of the time. And that way the process is going to be smooth and you're not second guessing. The worst thing that can happen is that they place an order and it's, oh, hey, it's going to be here in a month. One month comes along like, oh, we don't have the windows yet. It's going to be another two weeks. It's going to be another two weeks. And then they Start thinking, did I get scammed? And we don't want that. You know, the building material industry can sometimes get a bad rep. And by delivering on time, quality and consistent products that when we say it's going to be there, it's going to be there. It can bring a little bit more peace of mind to the homeowner or the end user. Another great thing we do is marketing support. So I spoke a little bit about. We do lead generation for our certified dealers. So if you're a dealer with us and you're in home and sometimes the market can get a little cold, we're going to be giving you leads that you can go in and close those deals. You're getting free leads by being a partner of ours. We have dealer co op where if you want to get a car wrapped and show off your guys's new brand or this company's name, like, we'll help you do that. And then we also have a service support team and a warranty team. So yes, we want our dealers to be able to provide basic services in the home. And if something happens, the homeowner can call them and they can go out there and fix it. But if we screw up as a manufacturer or there's something that they're really having troubles with, we have a full service team that can go out there and fix the problem for our dealers when that's necessary. Warranty. I mean, for example, we offer a lifetime warranty on glass, which is nuts because if you think about it again, you're only going to be buying windows once or twice in your life.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: Right?
[00:19:58] Speaker C: Knowing that you can get new glass years, 20, 30 years down the road because it got damaged, like that's really good. Peace of mind. And then communication. I mean, we over communicate. If we screw up, we'll be the first ones to call you. Our sales team is our phenomenal people.
If they don't have an answer, they're gonna go find it and call you back. And the amount of times that our sales teams gets compliments for just calling people back or picking up the phone, it's a low bar just to answer the phone. But we get complimented on it all the time because we're always there for the customer. I think that goes a long way. And lastly, I would just say we have this thing, it's our Mitre foundation and I'm actually the chair of our sales outreach committee. This is important to our dealers because we're here to help outside of just like a transactional relationship. Unfortunately, I've seen customers of ours that I've become friends with battle cancer or we've seen people in our communities, like homes burned down or they lose a family member. Our foundation is there to provide support to them. And a lot of times, yes, it is a monetary check. You know, it's not going to fix what they're going through. But when you're battling cancer and those medical bills rack up and we can provide maybe like a small check that's going to help them take their family to dinner and spend time. It goes a really long ways. And I've personally been able to deliver checks to our customers and it's really emotional and it just shows the relationship outside of just Windows.
[00:21:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I was hoping that you would mention the foundation. And very soon you're going to have another great thing for people to consider when they're trying to decide which windows they want to represent, and that is the Mitre Brands University.
Because we are working on MI content and we will have that ready to deploy, you know, sometime in 2026. We have a handful of products now, but we're producing content for the entire product line. And so if you think about a dealer who hires somebody who's new to the industry, it's a lot to understand and to absorb. And if they are fresh, they don't know anything. It's a lot.
[00:22:08] Speaker C: Totally. And so a goes into Windows that you do not know of, there's a lot more that go into it.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: Exactly. And you're never going to stop learning. Right. Nobody ever really gets all of it. But you can get a pretty good grip on what the industry is and some of the terminology, even things that we've mentioned in today's conversation. But all of that, we have free courses, free webinars. We have at some point in the coming future, we'll have installation videos for Mi products and those are on our YouTube channel. So Mitre Brands University has been a great asset for the PGT side of the business.
And we've rolled out some Milgard content in the past year. We're almost done with that. And so MI is the next one on our list. And so that is another point of we're gonna partner with you and make sure that you know what you're doing. And here's a whole bunch of content and a whole bunch of resources for you to leverage so that your team knows what they're talking about.
[00:23:02] Speaker C: Yeah, that's amazing. That's a great point. I'm really looking forward to that.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: Yeah, it's gonna ease a lot for you because Then you won't have to show up when that new person starts and you'll be like, here, take a bunch of classes and then call me.
[00:23:13] Speaker C: Yeah, this is so good. That's great.
[00:23:15] Speaker A: Yeah. All right, well, I think we've covered all of the questions except for the final one. And I'm curious to hear what your answer is going to be on this one. So we have the Mitre DNA statements, and this is really great for any company to kind of develop their own DNA statements. It really speaks to the culture and how we think and how we operate. And so of the Mitre DNA statements, which one is your favorite?
[00:23:39] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a fun one. So my favorite statement is we believe that business is always personal. That does tie in directly to what I kind of was just mentioning with the Mitre Foundation. We're here to help you. Outside of just a transactional relationship, but also like our dealer partners, a lot of these are family owned businesses or multigenerational businesses that that's like their livelihood. And when your manufacturer, like when we can go in and show them that we care about their business just as much as they do and we do take it personal, it's a lot easier to have a relationship and to get the, like a win, win relationship and take care of the end user and even to the homeowner. Like, we care because we understand that this is a really big purchase for you. We understand that we're ripping a window out and putting a new one in and your home's going to be a construction site at some point during this. So like, we care enough to take it personally. And I think if you do that, that's how you're going to win at the end of the day. And even to dumb it down more, it's business is always personal. But, like, we care. And I think just showing that you care goes a long way in today's society. Outside of even just windows in business, just showing you care is really important nowadays.
[00:24:54] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, 100% agree. Well, Kenyon, I look forward to a trip to Texas sometime.
[00:25:00] Speaker C: Yeah. Come on down. We think that our plant here in Flower Mound is the best. So I'd love to show you around sometime.
[00:25:06] Speaker A: Yeah, that'd be great. All right. Well, I appreciate your time today to go down a window nerd rabbit hole with me this morning.
[00:25:14] Speaker C: Yeah, I appreciate it. It was a lot, a lot of fun.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: Yeah. And so glad to know that you're from Iowa. I had no idea. That's awesome.
[00:25:20] Speaker C: Yeah. Let's go Hawks.
[00:25:21] Speaker A: Yeah, go Hawks. All right, well, we'll talk soon.
[00:25:23] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:25:23] Speaker A: All right, take good care.
[00:25:26] Speaker B: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by Mitre Brands University.
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