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When Todd Griffin launched his new business in 1989, his
business start-up tools were a bit unconventional. “I delivered windows and
doors in my horse trailer for the first six months,” says Griffin, who
started selling windows and doors from his home with his wife Dina.
Griffin operated the door machine himself — boring doors and installing
hinges. “I would order the windows,” Griffin recalls. “I unloaded them off
the trucks and installed them myself.” And, he adds, “I did the billing!”
To see the 28,000 square foot
facility today, you’d hardly guess that
Windows Plus was once a homespun operation. The staff has
increased from 2 (Griffin and his wife) to 68 employees, with a
full range of in-house services, including supplying and installing doors,
windows, mirrors and shower doors. They also regularly create custom doors
and windows, and pre-hang their own doors. Their
expertise is showcased throughout private homes all over California and
entire living communities, hotels and commercial buildings in between.
The company’s added service of mirrors
and shower doors came from an innocent request by a customer. “One client
told me, ‘I need some
mirrors and shower doors,’” says Griffin. “I didn’t know how to cut glass
for [mirrors or] shower doors, but I said ‘Sure,’ and taught myself how.”
The company now fabricates, cuts and installs every client’s order.
There are definite advantages to
having complete in-house services, Griffin believes. “We have salesmen who
have fifteen to twenty years
of experience,” says Griffin, “So you’re always dealing with someone who
knows what they’re talking about.” He contrasts their deep supply
of knowledge to that of a newly-hired salesperson at a large chain store,
who may only hold a few months experience. “We have 500 years
of experience combined,” he says.
How Did
Windows Plus Begin?
“I saw an opportunity,” Griffin states
simply. “I went to school at UOP to be a dentist, but it wasn’t for me.”
Griffin worked for a time at Diamond Lumber Company, selling windows and
other products. And, because Griffin’s father was also in construction, “I
wasn’t cold to the business,” he points out. Later, Griffin decided to form
his own window establishment. Since then,
Windows
Plus has moved through five different buildings, each one larger
than the next.
What Makes
Windows Plus
Stand Out?
“We are able to do things that are
different and unique,” says Griffin. “I fly to trade shows around the
country to buy from suppliers that no one else has.” As a result, many of
Windows Plus’ products are exclusive to the Valley. For
example, says
Griffin, “We have an exclusive agreement with Cascade Windows. No one else
can sell their products south of Sacramento.”
Indeed, The
Windows Plus Showroom provides a good picture of creativity
in windows and doors today. “Skylights” can cover everything from small tube
lights to elaborate roof windows with balconies. Doors range from Knotty
Alder doors (for a rustic, old-world style), to security doors, and entire
panels of doorknobs and locks in the same showroom.
What Types of Projects Do You Handle?
Griffin credits his staff with working on
numerous homes and a variety of business buildings, including hotels in
Gilroy and a 400-unit housing project in Napa Valley. “We’ve done a
Courtyard
Marriot,” says Griffin. “We supplied all the windows, doors, locks and
hardware, [including] specialty handicapped hardware.” Griffin goes
on, “One of our largest projects has been with Wathen-Castanos builders in
Fresno.”
Windows Plus supplied all the windows for every home built.
What Are Some of the More Unique
Projects You Have Worked On?
The
Windows Plus crew is used to building
custom doors and windows in a whole range of shapes and sizes (some doors,
for example, can be up to twenty feet wide and twenty feet tall). A couple
of projects stand out, however.
“For one house,” says Griffin, “We sold
an entry door that cost over $30,000. It was 10 feet wide and 18 feet tall,
with custom sandblasted glass.” Another home in Tahoe purchased $165,000 in
windows. “There was a lap pool on the top floor of the house,” describes
Griffin. The client had skylights built atop the roof, so as to open above
the pool.
Where Do You See the Business in the
Next Five Years?
“We’ll grow fifteen to twenty percent in
the next five years,” answers Griffin. “We just opened a store in
Bakersfield. It is an acre and a half large, and will have a showroom.”
Griffin remembers, when first starting out, “Some people said, ‘Why should I
buy from you? I’m not even sure you’re going be in business next month.’”
Now, the company covers a huge area of clientele, from Tehachapi to
Sacramento and all along the California coast.
Griffin is pretty certain that
Windows Plus will be
around for another month, and quite a few more.
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