As 2010 comes to a close, I am beginning my fifth year of ownership. The first four years have been one incredible journey of learning and adapting. We successfully handled the ownership transition, the addition of New Mexico operations, and that little hiccup known as the Great Recession!

I have written previously about the strong recovery we are experiencing and the fact that I attribute our success to the quality of our team. What I have not mentioned are the quality customer relationships we are honored to have earned.

I have met customers who have been with us for the entire journey. They have taught me a lot about the replacement window business and their requirements for Service Excellence. It has also been a pleasure to get to know the next generation of construction and design professionals.

A change that has become apparent this year and is expected to accelerate, is the active involvement of homeowners in the window design and purchase decision. Product selection, and indeed, from whom products are purchased is no longer being delegated to the building professional. From my perspective, this is a positive development as it allows us to further differentiate ourselves from our competition. As just one example, we moved our Denver metro showroom from an industrial part of Englewood to the heart of Cherry Creek North. This puts us where are target customers live, shop and dine and represents us making ourselves more available and more welcoming of their involvement.

Onward and best wishes in this holiday season and in the year to come!