WSI Doors Ltd. - 30 Years
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WSI Doors Ltd. – A Company in Production WSI Doors Ltd. Celebrates 30 years of success. T he warehouse at WSI Doors Ltd. seems to go on and on. From its initial breathtaking view as you enter the warehouse from on the upper balcony to the neatly portioned rooms where painting, welding, and handcrafting of the various components takes place, the production nerve centre of WSI is a study in efficiency and organization. WSI Doors is a success story 30 years in the making; like all good success stories, the tale of how they got there is just as im- pressive as the tale of who they are today. It all started in 1983 with a man named Tom Doll. Doll worked at a lumber yard for eight years before it went bank- rupt. As he watched the demise of his workplace and career, Doll vowed nobody would be in control of his destiny again. As the doors of the lumber mill closed, Doll saw another one opening. The lumber yard sold doors, but customers were constantly complaining about the time it took to get them. “It was four to six weeks for delivery,” says Doll, “so I said one day I’ll start my own company and offer better service than four to six weeks.” And he did. WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years By Nerissa McNaughton
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A Company in Production
Transcript of WSI Doors Ltd. - 30 Years
WSI Doors Ltd. – A Company in ProductionWSI Doors Ltd. Celebrates 30 years of success.
The warehouse at WSI Doors Ltd. seems to go on and on. From its initial breathtaking view as you enter the warehouse from on the upper balcony to the neatly
portioned rooms where painting, welding, and handcrafting of the various components takes place, the production nerve centre of WSI is a study in efficiency and organization. WSI Doors is a success story 30 years in the making; like all good success stories, the tale of how they got there is just as im-pressive as the tale of who they are today.
It all started in 1983 with a man named Tom Doll. Doll
worked at a lumber yard for eight years before it went bank-rupt. As he watched the demise of his workplace and career, Doll vowed nobody would be in control of his destiny again. As the doors of the lumber mill closed, Doll saw another one opening. The lumber yard sold doors, but customers were constantly complaining about the time it took to get them. “It was four to six weeks for delivery,” says Doll, “so I said one day I’ll start my own company and offer better service than four to six weeks.”
And he did.
WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years
By Nerissa McNaughton
Doll started with all the odds against him. The economy was shaky and suppliers did not want to take a chance on the brash, new start-up. “We started with a bottle of loose change,” Doll reminisces. “To get suppliers to take us serious-ly was tough. Real tough. They already had distributors. That was the hardest thing – to convince suppliers.”
Unfortunately the sellers were not the only ones that need-ed convincing. Doll’s peers and associates created a lottery, betting to see how long he would last in business. The lon-gest vote of confidence was six months.
At one point, even Doll lost hope. When Fraser Valley, the biggest supplier of their kind, wouldn’t sell to them, things looked bleak. “At that point I thought we were done,” Doll admitts.
Then, it all came together in the blink of an eye. “I’ll never forget that day. I was sitting there with [business partner] Gord and I said ‘I think we’ll have to wind the company down.’ Then at 6 p.m. the Fraser Valley president called.” Fraser Valley had changed their mind and decided to take a chance on fledgling company. “From that point it was full speed ahead,” smiles Doll. “Away we went.”
Today WSI has 50 employees but back when it all began, there were just three business partners. Doll ran the office while the other two ran the shop. Their first warehouse was 3,000 square feet and the rent was $600 a month. “That was steep!” laughs Doll. But steep or not the company kept mak-ing rent and kept growing and soon those 3,000 square feet were not enough. They moved into St. Albert and took over a bay with 8,000 square feet. Lucky for them, the bay was at-tached to several other bays and as the businesses around them closed or moved on, they kept removing the walls and expanding into the other bays. They had to stop doing this at 35,000 square feet. Out of room once again, they moved to their present location on 144 Street and 118 Avenue. Al-though this gave them 80,000 square feet, the aluminium storefront business has expanded so much, they need to find room again. So Doll and his partner recently put an offer in on another building. Not bad at all for a man that was sup-posed to be out of business in six months.
WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years | Page 2
Out of room once again, they moved to their present location on 144 Street and 118 Avenue. Although this gave them 80,000 square feet, the aluminium storefront business has expanded so much, they need to find room again.
Tom Doll (centre) with his sons Adam and Ryan
The current shop is filled with state-of-the-art equipment and even more equipment is on the way. Doll plans to re-place most of the existing machines with the newest and most modern equipment on today’s market so he can double – even triple – output.
So just what is coming out of this modern, efficient shop? “The company specializes in all aspects of hollow metal, commercial hardware, interior and exterior wood and steel doors,” cites WSI’s attractive website. WSI provides one-stop shopping for residential and commercial door requirements.
The residential door shop currently has three pre-hung door machines to produce any design of door, sidelite and tran-som combination. WSI can produce any combination of inte-rior door design. The welding shop allows for custom welded window, door, and screen frames for all applications, as well as the various types and gauges of stocked lock seam doors, (rated and non-rated) in a variety of sizes. A large paint ma-chine is capable of quickly painting several doors at once, while a paint booth is used for single, custom jobs. Welders will hand-cut designs and components of choice. If it is a door, they’ve got it covered. “We bring in components,” Doll summarizes of his impressive operation, “Slabs, glass, frames; then we weld frames, paint, machine and assemble all the components together to create beautiful doors.”
WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years | Page 3
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The current shop is filled with state-of-the-art equipment and even more equipment is on the way. Doll plans to replace most of the existing machines with the newest and most modern equipment on today’s market so he can double – even triple – output.
Beautiful doors indeed! In addition to the standard alumin-ium storefront or interior doors, a quick look at WSI’s online gallery shows doors with stained glass, beautifully crafted wooden components, custom hardware, and breathtaking accessories.
Jim Strang came in as a partner back in 1984/1985 and re-mained until a couple of years ago. Doll bought Strang out two years ago, but another business opportunity came along and with another long-time employee, Mike Shenduk, the three of them purchased Dorland Doors, which expanded them into the aluminum storefront and curtain wall business. Meanwhile, in the midst of all this, Doll decided to sell the company in its entirety, but couldn’t settle on a buyer. His ac-countant asked him “if you could have anything, what would it be?” Without hesitation he replied “I’d work with my sons.” That brought about a living buyout among Doll and his sons Adam and Ryan.
“A company is only as good as its employees,” says Doll. We’ve been very lucky and have many long-term employees. They have built long-term relationships with our customers.”
How does he feel about working with his sons? “There’s nothing better!” smiles Doll. Five years ago, Doll pitched the plan to his sons over a man-to-man drink and talk at a restau-rant. He told them he wanted them in the company but they had to go away and think about it first. They had to discuss it with their families and loved ones and make a firm decision. They couldn’t jump in and then back out. It was in or out. The boys didn’t hesitate. Both wanted in. Today Adam is head of industrial sales while Ryan is the warehouse foreman. Doll
WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years | Page 4
Helping customers to grow market share and revenue for over 35 years.
Toll-Free: 1.800.661.4456Email: [email protected]
Congratulations WSI doors Ltd.!
We wish you another 30 years of success and
more!
Beautiful doors indeed! In addition to the standard aluminium storefront or interior doors, a quick look at WSI’s online gallery shows doors with stained glass, beautifully crafted wooden components, custom hardware, and breathtaking accessories.
www.woodchucks.ca
Congratulations on your 30 Year Anniversary,
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supplier of choice to WSI Doors Ltd.
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is very proud of his sons and makes no attempt to mask his pride. His shining smile as he talks about them, the photos of them in his office, and his great pleasure at the way they con-duct their departments makes him happy and relaxed about his choice to sell the business to his boys.
The future of the company is wide open. The move to an-other building is imminent, the best industry equipment is on the way, and with his son’s poised to take over the com-pany, Doll knows the WSI legacy is in good hands for many more years to come.
It has been quite a journey over the past 30 years for WSI Doors Ltd., but it is a journey that Doll looks back on with no regrets. “It was fun, it was adventurous. It was a lot of hard work. It was everything!” says Doll, and he has some very sage advice for the up-and-comers that remind him of his younger self: “Set your goals. Set your dream. Don’t let anybody say you can’t.” This can-do attitude of Doll’s is what has made WSI Doors such a success. Many people told him “no” and even more didn’t believe in him, but Doll believed in himself. That is why, 30 years later anyone in the area needing a door does not have to wait four to six weeks. “We’ll deliver it in the next five minutes if we can,” says Doll proudly. Well, that five min-utes is more like a week to 10 days but that is hardly any time at all to wait for a beautiful, hand-crafted, high-quality door. “Customer service is everything,” Doll affirms.
So, would he do it all again? Stare down the threat of being out of work, start a company against overwhelming odds in a depressed economy, try to convince the big boys that he
could play hardball with them? Would he again see a need for something the consumer wanted but couldn’t have and make a vow to fill that need no matter what it took? To again live in that state of “what-if?” What if I fail? What if I can’t get the supplier on my side? What if they are right and I don’t last six months like they are saying?” Would he do it all again?
The smile on his face belays what he says to answer that questions: “Oh hell ya!”
WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years | Page 5
14425 - 118 Ave Edmonton, AB T5L • 2M7Phone. 780 • 454 • 1455 • Fax. 780 • 454 • 1611
Toll Free. 1 • 800 • 661 • 9639 • Email. [email protected]
It has been quite a journey over the past 30 years for WSI Doors Ltd., but it is a journey that Doll looks back on with no regrets.
WSI Doors Ltd. | 30 years | Page 6
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