Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
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.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Now, we took what we knew from our previous product launches from the classic collection, the performance collection, all of those products. We took what we already knew and then we went to market and asked our customers, what do you need the next product to do? What are the key benefits? You know, if you had the magic genie and you had three wishes for your next store, what are those things that you want? And this Vantage product really just checks those requests. It's a direct response to what our customer feedback was offering.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: So, good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact podcast and joining me remotely is Monte Del Rio. Welcome.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: Good to be here. Thanks. Sharing.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: Yeah, thanks for joining me. You and I met about a year ago in Tacoma and you recorded a short little podcast with me and a couple of others at that time. But I'm thrilled to have you on today.
And so for those that may not know you or may have missed that episode, give us a little bit of your background and your tenure and what you're currently up to and where you're working.
[00:01:19] Speaker B: Sure. So my tenure here with Western. So I've been with Western and just celebrated my ninth anniversary last month. So I've been here for nine years within the industry. I've been in the business about 22 years at this point. Actually previously before I was here at Western, I started my career with the Milgard brand.
Started in service, you know, in a few different roles in different times and different seasons in my career. But currently I am a regional sales manager for the West. So I support a team of 12 sales professionals between territory managers and architectural consultants and supporting the Western U.S. multiple states including California, Pac, Northwest, Mountain states and the Hawaiian team.
[00:02:01] Speaker A: Wow. And so where are you based?
[00:02:03] Speaker B: So I'm based out of Northern California. Fortunately I work from home most of the time, but I'm either home or in one of the design studios in Southern California or here at the Phoenix location for Western.
[00:02:15] Speaker A: That's excellent. And so 12 people, that's a lot. Good for you. That's amazing.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: There are a handful, but it's such a great team and an amazing amount of experience and some really solid professionals on this team. It's a pleasure to lead them.
[00:02:29] Speaker A: That's awesome. Yeah, I've met a few of your teammates and they're great individuals. And so today we are going to be chatting about the Western Vantage series and specifically the new door, the multi slide door. And really all things connected to Western. And so I would love to know what your thoughts like, your first impression of the new name and the new logo.
[00:02:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I will say that I can be a little bit slow to adopt change, but it really is the right direction for Western. I came, I joined this team when it was Western window systems and to me it was always a little bit funny that we were western window systems, but we were really focused on the doors and the big projects that we were doing on the custom side. So the change over to Western architectural openings just seems like it really establishes that North Star for us. It gives us a little bit of clarity of mission and really a little bit more focus on really what we're doing. You know, we're not just focused on the window system, if you would, we're looking at all of the openings, the big multi slide doors, all of the things that we do really, really well. And I think the name change is part of it, but I think it's also the promises that we're signaling to our customer that it's a little bit more than a fresh coat of paint. You know, really focusing on trying to provide more experiential benefits to the change in the name. And just what we're trying to do is elevate, you know, what we do and be a little bit better trying to challenge that status quo and elevate ourselves even a little bit further up market than we were even before. So I think it's great. I think it's been a lot of work, a lot of effort. I mean, shout out to our marketing team and the things that they did to make it come together. But I think it's been a really positive thing overall and I love it. I'm here at Western and I'm glad to be here. So.
[00:04:11] Speaker A: Nice.
So without giving away any future episodes, how do you think your customers are feeling about it? How are you getting any feedback on that?
[00:04:18] Speaker B: I have to say, one of the benefits of the role that I'm in with, you know, a little bit closer to the market, a little bit closer to customer feedback. I've heard nothing but positive reception. Without giving too much of the secret sauce of what's coming down the road. You know, there are some things that our customers are still asking for, but everything that we've debuted with the Vantage line and the customers are just really, really pleased with it, it checks off a lot of those boxes that they've been asking for. You know, the Western reliability, the partnership that we offer and also a product that performs really, really well for energy performance, the size capability, the flexibility of the configurations, all of those things, you know. And by the way, the design aesthetic is just that much better than even what we were offering before. It's been really, really positive. And I think we're very encouraged to see the next few product rollouts are going to just continue to build upon that.
[00:05:07] Speaker A: That's exciting.
So which area of the market do you feel like the Vantage line really serves best?
[00:05:14] Speaker B: Yeah, that we talk about. The product is really focused on the energy performance, but really it's not hamstrung to any single market. I think it really opens up opportunities for Western and for our dealer partners, it just opens up more opportunities where energy performance is really the name of the game, where it's table stakes, where that's going to be required to get into these higher end projects. So we continue to think about California, obviously with title 24, but we also think about the Pacific Northwest, you know, any of the cooler climates where some of our legacy products might have been a challenge to get into. Pacific Northwest, you know, the mountain states, anywhere where, you know, energy performance is really going to be critical. It's going to open up those opportunities.
But by the way, in California there's a lot of desire for, you know, a Western system that has that flush transition interior exterior with that flat sill. And we've been able to offer those in the past, but they weren't moderated. And so this vantage door now has the flexibility to both provide that type of aesthetic look and that look and feel for the homeowner, but also have a performance rating that goes behind it. And we can definitely go after, you know, some of the competition that's been able to offer those in the past. And it just opens up so much opportunity, again, just better aesthetic. The size capability is something that people are always asking for, just more flexibility for design that we have in the past. So I think it just opens up a ton of different markets for us, even ones that we might have already been playing in.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: Excellent. Yeah, I'm a little jealous about that zero threshold on slider doors. That doesn't happen in Florida.
We have the opposite of that. We have giant things you have to step over to meet code here. So. No, that's amazing. I wonder if we can incorporate some of that kind of technology into the Florida market at some point.
[00:07:02] Speaker B: Yeah, I think the cross pollination of really great ideas was something that Mitre is really encourage with our teams and with the engineering teams and marketing and sales as well, is that there's a good idea that pops up in one brand can be propagated, it can be shared across other brands. So there's nothing to say that a great idea or a great product that one brand carries can't someday show up or even just influence future product across the enterprise. So I think there's always going to be a way and I think Mitre has done a really good job of kind of promoting that cross pollination across businesses.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. 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.
Yes, agreed. And I know Dean Roark and his team are always hard at it and they're very busy working and shout out to the engineers, man, they make it happen for us, don't they?
[00:08:01] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%. I mean, the sales team doesn't have anything to sell if it's not designed and engineered very well. So it's a very symbiotic relationship. And I think that's something that I think can be overlooked sometimes, is the communication between departments in between teams is something that sometimes gets overlooked. And I think that's something that Western has done really well. And that's been a part of the formula for our success has been that collaboration across departments and across teams.
[00:08:27] Speaker A: Right? Well, because you guys are the ones with your ear to the ground and you're getting the feedback from the customers and you're quoting the jobs, speccing the jobs and then winning or losing the jobs. Right. And so I would imagine there's a good amount of data that can then be used to improve our own product line so that we are coming out on top more often than not on those projects.
[00:08:49] Speaker B: I think that's been part of the key for the design of launching the 8600 series. We took what we knew from our previous product launches from the Classic collection, the performance collection. All of those products we took what we already knew and then we went to market and asked our customers, what do you need the next product to do? What are the key benefits? You know, if you had the magic genie and you had three wishes for your next door, what are those things that you want? And this Vantage product really just checks those requests. It's a direct response to what our customer feedback was offering. And I think that's part of why it's been so well received, is that it wasn't designed or engineered in a vacuum. It was with input from sales. It was with input from customers. And then when it's been released to the market, the marketing team has done a really good job of talking about those features, talking about the things that this product will differentiate itself with. And I think it's just been very, very well received and I think we're going to continue to build on that.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: Excellent. And so how does the Vantage line compare to the performance line? Just out of curiosity.
[00:09:49] Speaker B: Yeah, actually that's a common question. So one of the kind of the key things, right, it's a little bit more energy efficient, but it's a lot more cost effective. It doesn't do some of the things that the performance line will do as far as like size capability. You know, it won't necessarily go up to that 15 tall door panel, but I hesitate to call it a touch more mainstream, but it's a little bit more accessible for the types of projects that we're in.
So more energy efficient than the performance line. Just an updated design from even our classic series. But the Vantage product, from features and benefits, if you would, it's going to check off more of those boxes. It's going to be a little bit easier to adapt into a project. It's going to have the flush thin line sill with water management so that you can have that zero threshold, that really smooth transition, which previous products didn't necessarily offer that. And also a little bit narrower sight lines as well. So a little bit cleaner for your design aesthetic. And it just kind of encapsulates a lot of the lessons that we've learned over the years. So the operations side of the business will flow through the shop a little bit easier. So down the road, our lead times will come in and it'll be easier for us to build it, maintain it, produce it in our factory so that it gets delivered on time and just great fit and finish. And like I say, all the lessons that we've learned in the past have been kind of integrated into this product and it's designed too.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: I love that.
Well, I think we've kind of talked about all of the Vantage things. Is there anything else you want to touch on?
[00:11:14] Speaker B: I can't help it. Sometimes the salesman side of me just, you know, keep your eyes peeled for the next few releases that are coming within the Vantage line. And then as we continue to expand, because we've got some really cool, really interesting stuff that's in the hopper and we're not done yet, we're going to keep rolling out new stuff and keep building on this success, so stay tuned.
[00:11:32] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. Well, there's always something cooking over there.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: Kevin and Richard and team, they're always up to something out there, so.
[00:11:38] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:11:38] Speaker A: Well, that's awesome. Well, thank you. Tell me all about the Vantage line and the new name and logo from your perspective.
One of the questions that I've been asking a lot of our internal guests lately is about the Mitre DNA. And so I'm curious to hear which one of the DNA statements is your favorite and you can have more than one.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: Yeah. I think I keep reflecting back on those DNA points and I can't say I have a favorite because they do kind of change in the day to day and in the context and everything. But the one that I keep thinking about is we celebrate the wins and we learn from the losses. And I think especially from the sales side of the business, you are going to take some losses. You might not win every single really cool marquee project that we pursue. And that's okay. You're not going to win every single one. The key is when you do take the loss and you lose that big project or that customer that's maybe, you know, in a challenge season or whatever, you got to figure out a way to learn from that. You got to take lessons from those losses and you got to find the next time you go out, the next project that you pursue, you got to have a, maybe a touch of amnesia, but you want to go out and you want to say, okay, well, this is what we did last time. This didn't work. So what are the two or three? What are the things that we can adjust and we can change so that the approach isn't the same every single time. And what I've seen with our sales reps, especially the folks, the guys and the gals who are really successful, they're always learning, even if they're just crushing it in their territory and they're really, really successful, they're still learning and they're still adjusting. There's still continuing education path of finding a new way to be successful. I don't think there's any single recipe for winning. You've got to continue to evolve. You've got to continue to adjust and just fine tune your process.
And unfortunately, the losses are sometimes the most effective teachers about, you know, what not to do.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: But it's being able to adjust and take those losses and turn them into a lesson so that you can adapt for the next time you go out on the field.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: Well said. Yeah, I can see that definitely happening in the sales space, that. That would be a favorite for you and for many of us. Right. Even if we're not selling anything, there's still things that we can lose on that. We're, like, missed that opportunity or could have done that better. I think that's just the way that we work. I think that's very indicative of the Mitre family.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: Yeah. I tend to look at things through that sales lens, but what I really like about the minor DNA is that they do apply across discipline and multiple parts of the business. Everybody can learn from the losses. Right. You know, it doesn't have to just be the project that you didn't sell. It can be any number of things. And I think that's what makes them such a good North Star to keep referencing and to keep looking back to is. I mean, there's lessons in there that can apply to every discipline within the business.
[00:14:19] Speaker A: Sure, absolutely. Well, Monte, it's been great to reconnect with you today. Thank you for sharing your time and your experience and your wisdom with us, and look forward to seeing you probably at the CX event in December.
[00:14:31] Speaker B: Most likely I'll be there.
[00:14:33] Speaker A: Yeah. If not before then, who knows? But anyway, I hope you have a fantastic day. Thank you.
[00:14:37] Speaker B: Thanks, Sher.
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