International Door & Operator Industry

JAN-FEB 2013

Garage door industry magazine for garage door dealers, garage door manufacturers, garage door distributors, garage door installers, loading docks, garage door operators and openers, gates, and tools for the door industry.

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DEALERS'CORNER Where Are They Now? by Todd Thomas Retired Dealer Goes High-Tech; Just Can't Stay Away from Doors T he easy going, laid back nature of Brian Besser belies another side of the man. The founder and longtime owner of Besser Brothers was a hard-driven, tireless entrepreneur in his pursuit of building a successful door company in the highly competitive Southern California market. After many years of winning that game, Besser started yearning for a more relaxed lifestyle. He and his wife Jan found an ideal location a few hours away near Prescott, Arizona, where horses outnumber people, local motorists don't honk their car horns unless there's wildlife in the roadway, and life is meant to be enjoyed. But, Brian is a door guy. So, his retirement has shifted to semi-retirement. While he continues to enjoy all of the things that brought him to Arizona, he's dabbling in a new field, sort of. The new part is learning to be an internet merchant. But, he's learning to negotiate the dot-com world on behalf of an industry he knows as well as anyone – professional door dealers. Brian's introduction to the door industry was unplanned. Working for a building supply company in the mid-1970s, he watched as a friend installed an operator on his father's garage door. He observed the installation and thought to himself, I could do that. After a year and a half of installing operators whenever the opportunity presented itself, he ventured into sectional doors. Besser Brothers was officially founded in 1977 in Mission Viejo, California. Brian served as a director of the Far Western Garage Door Association, and devoted extensive time to his business and industry. He started early and came home late, and rarely took time for even a short break. One day, he remembers that his wife bluntly told Brian that he should slow down. "One day I was working at my desk and Jan walked in and 52 52 Internationa Door International Door Operator Industr y International Door & Operator Industry™ oor perato Industry™ Brian Besser spends a lot more time these days riding the Arizona trails with Bingo, one of his two horses. just said flat out, I don't want to come in here one day and find you slumped over in your chair, and I realized that was probably going to happen." Besser Brothers went on the market and in 2005 being acquired by San Diego door dealer Byron Burland, who merged his existing company to form Besser Brothers/Safe 'N Secure Garage Doors. After hearing from a series of friends about Prescott, Arizona, and visiting the area, Brian and Jan bought a house on a mini-ranch community in nearby Paulden in March of 2006. Paulden is easier to find on a map than it is to locate while driving through it. There are two convenience store fuel stations and a small one-person Post Office. "This is what we call downtown," Brian explains with a smile. "But, we have our own zip code!" Cont. on page 54

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