Our History
In 1986 on a cold January day in Buffalo, NY I loaded up my 1977 Silver Monte Carlo with red velour interior, a busted out rear window and I headed east 435 miles to Norwich, Ct. I had $100.00 in my pocket, a few changes of clothes and a trunk load of hope in the future! My destination was Norwich, Connecticut where my brother John would let me take up residence in his apartment until I found some work.
Day one I was hired as a waiter at the Skylight Inn in Franklin, Ct. I knew a waiter job would allow me some flexibility to job search and the ability to earn some pretty good tips assuming I delivered a good dining experience to the customers. I spent the next 8 weeks prospecting prospective employers and going on interviews to companies throughout New England. I would have meetings throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island during the day and then speed back to Franklin, Ct. to cover the dinner service to serve up the lobster bisque so many customers loved. It was a grind and making $50.00 to $75.00 a day even back then wasn’t much money, but it was enough to keep my gas tank full so I could try and find the job I wanted.
One early sunny February morning after a 6” snowfall from the night before, I headed up to Worcester, Ma. for an interview with Thermal Industries for a Territory Manager position (Thermal was a vinyl window manufacturing company). The interview went well and after about four to six weeks of relentless follow up to the general manager I finally got the job. I quickly found myself an apartment in Worcester sharing a three-bedroom flat in a triple decker with two guys I did not know. I was totally psyched about getting the northern New England territory to build and develop accounts with my product line. What I soon became not so psyched about was the dysfunction that one of my roommates brought into our apartment. That added strain, at times fear and none of it was helping with all the other challenges and responsibilities a 25-year-old had on his plate.
My experiences in Buffalo growing up with a father who was a Commercial contractor who built churches, schools and my trade schooling, working as a carpenter and business studies in college seemed like a good fit for this job. So, the grind began, early mornings, late nights, 55,000 miles of driving a year, eating on the run, trying to woo clients into our company’s way of thinking. Fortunately, at the time the owner of Thermal Industries (David Weiss) took a liking to me and mentored me along. He coached me weekly and gave me support and a deeper understanding of the business. He assigned me a project to seek and learn as much as I could about the sunroom industry which at the time was in its infancy stages. As I look back on this, I realize his support provided me what I needed when trying to figure out a new job, somewhat of a new industry, a new state to live in and an insight into business that I had not learned in school. He liked me and trusted me and that lesson alone is what I have carried throughout my career; when you are liked and trusted and you demonstrate you do what you say you’re going to do, you can win.
First Logo
First Office - Avery Street in Norwich, Ct
lIt took about two years of working in the territory, getting doors slammed in my face and phone calls hung up on. But I refused to give up, I knew if I persisted good things would happen, and they did after two years. My territory became one of the top producing territories in the country. Thanks in part to a key account that was buying over 6000 windows a year from us and then sprinkling in another 50 accounts to make up a solid book of business. What I quickly learned was that many of my accounts weren’t serving their customers very well. They sold a job, installed it and walked away. No relationship, no wanting to offer something a little different, no wanting to get a little creative. I remember going with some of my accounts on their customer appointments to show them how offering a product mix to their homeowners would help them to gain more trust and confidence and more referrals. At the time we did this with Garden Windows, V-Bow windows, grid options etc. and just getting a little creative. They fought it and were simply opposed. This got me thinking that I could do this, start a company, take a personal interest in my clients home and their needs, get creative, put a bay window where a picture window was and make that room feel bigger, have more curb appeal etc.
So, in 1988 I made the jump! I put a plan together to start my own window and sunroom business. I had learned a lot about sunrooms in my research and saw that not many companies were doing it. With the little savings I was able to set aside I invested in office furniture, samples and I started marketing. I went to events where I knew I could meet people and tell them my story. Funny thing is this didn’t get any easier, I gave up a job paying me a solid salary plus a bonus on territory sales, car allowance, expense account, medical insurance etc. I was on my own now not looking for one job, but many jobs so I could pay myself and employ some people. I grew the business over the next three to five years and was able to start sharing the load of duties that come with multiple projects and running a business.
I remember when we built the sunroom at Ed’s Kitchen in Montville, Ct in the early 1990’s, I personally was on that job with two of my assistants. It was a cold late winter's afternoon and I came home chilled to the bone. I went upstairs in our 1900’s Victorian bathroom, filled the old stained clawfoot tub with the hottest water I could get out of the 85-year-old pipes and put my chilled body in the tub. I looked at my beautiful bride Jennifer and simply said “If we’re going to keep doing this, I have to find good skilled guys to do the jobs while I work on finding projects and building a sustainable business!” That was definitely a turning point for Creative Enclosures. Up until that point I thought I needed to be the guy pretty much doing everything because I didn’t think someone might be better at working with tools than I was. Boy was I wrong! I interviewed carpenters, craftsman and technician’s and was able to assemble a crew/crew’s that could build what I was designing. What I did see was that the technicians were not the cleanest when working and maybe not the best at communicating with our clients. So, I developed a system called the “Pre-construction conference” which covered all the things I wanted to ensure took place on each and every job. Communication, cleanliness, details, dos and don’ts, logistics etc. Today that system continues to serve us extremely well. We’re still not perfect but what I know is it’s a relentless challenge to keep these issues top of mind for our guys. I say it all the time “If the job is neat and clean, the client is communicated with, then we are rounding the bases and coming home!”
Today our company is different in many ways as to what it was back in the late 80’s and 90’s but so many of the core competencies remain intact. We have good people both in our office and in the field taking care of our customers. We’re not so big that I still have relationships with our clients and I help our guys to debug job challenges. We have continued to build some awesome jobs from the unique bay windows, to screen rooms, sunrooms and custom additions. I found that when we listen to our clients’ needs and wants and then deliver on that their satisfaction goes up tenfold!
So here we are over three decades later, thousands of projects under our belts and so much more to come. Over the years people have asked me “What keeps you doing this for so long?” My answer is the same today as it was over three decades ago. I love seeing how these little rooms and improvements make a huge change in our customers' lives. I hear over and over again that “it’s the most used room in our home!” That’s what does for me! They say “Matt, thank you, thank you for the design, the skillset of your entire team, the pleasantness of your office staff and helping us live better at the same address!”
I hope our paths will meet up and we can share our service and passion with you when you’re thinking about making a change in your home!
