Viwinco President Speaks on "Executive Leaders" Radio Program

Viwinco president David Barnes spoke on a radio program last week called "Executive Leaders Radio," which airs on WWDB (860AM), a financial news station in the Philadelphia area.

Barnes spoke on a variety of topics from his history in the business to the current market.

With regard to the down market, Barnes said the company currently has about 160 employees laid off-but expects it to pick up soon.

"Our busy season is picking up now, since our primary business is replacement windows," Barnes told show host Herb Cohen.

Barnes began with Viwinco 26 years ago, when he started in sales right out of college. For him, he said a key point of the business has been learning what contractors are looking for.

"Understanding what my customer does for a living has helped us understand what they want," he said.

Based on this, Viwinco makes its windows to order. "We don't even have any stock windows-we get an order from the distributor and we build it," he said.

The company focuses on a high level of customer service-but still, Barnes admits, it's a tough industry.

"Business is not easy-if it were easy, we wouldn't be needed," he said.

And, with 26 years under his belt, it might seem that retirement might be in Barnes' near future. That's not the case, though, he said.

"First of all, I haven't made enough money to retire because I keep buying new equipment," Barnes chuckled.

Likewise, he truly enjoys what he does.

"I like the people in our business as much as I do dealing with the opportunities and the process," Barnes added.

Need more info and analysis about the issues?
CLICK HERE to subscribe to DWM magazine.