Bob Bohnert varnishes window frames. An infamous storm Schmidt Siding and Window employs about 60 people. That’s more than they had on June 28, 2010. That was the day of the mega hailstorm that damaged thousands of area houses. “The day of infamy,” Brenke calls it. “It was a huge driver of business. Our leads doubled. It did drive us nuts dealing with insurance companies. At one point, we had 339 siding jobs on our schedule at one time.” With only five siding crews on board at the time, the company had a six-month waiting list. Another bad storm last summer hit Lafayette, North Mankato, Le Sueur, Le Center and New Prague. The wait’s not quite as long this time: ÒIf you bought siding today, we can’t get to you (for three months),” Brenke says. “That’s a problem. Although it’s a good problem. We have hired more people (because of the storms), but you can only get so big. We don’t like to lay anyone off. We like skilled, long-term employees. We don’t like to subcontract. We prefer to use our own people.” That philosophy has stood the company well. They’re the sixth largest home improvement company in Minnesota, according to a leading trade magazine.They’re the No. 1 ABC seamless steel siding dealer in the country. Per household, they’re the top Gutter Helmet dealer in the nation, and they annually finish in Qualified Remodeling Magazine’s top 500 exterior remodeling contractors in America. The company was named to the Mankato Area Business Hall of Fame in 2009, its 60th anniversary year.
26 • jANUARY 2013 • MN Valley Business
“It’s our people” Every business had to find ways to deal with the Great Recession, and Brenke says they began to diversify into new products such as decorative exterior stone and solar shades. Walking into the showroom, he lovingly runs his hands over the contours of a new type of door the company’s now selling. It’s all fiberglass, made by the Amish in Ohio, and Brenke demonstrates the fit and the latch that are precise as clockwork. “Expensive,” he smiles, “but Quality, with a capital” — top of the line!” When 38 percent of a company’s business is repeat customers, you assume they’re doing something right. “It’s our people,” Brenke says. “All of the production managers have been here 25 years.” The average foreman has more than a decade of service. Brenke hands a visitor a copy of a book, Jaynie Smith’s “Creating Competitive Advantage.” The book addresses the question, “Why should I do business with you, and not your competitor?” Then Brenke goes to a stack of survey cards. Every one of the company’s nearly 2,000 customers each year is asked if they’ll fill out a short survey. Almost half of those cards are returned, and last year, only 21 had any negative comment. “That’s a 99-point, 537 percent favorable rating. I read every comment,” he says. One customer said, “The world would be a better place with more workers with their attitudes.” That got printed on a banner for the company party. MV