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.
Issue link: https://idoi.epubxp.com/i/177021
DoorDealerDialog These lessons are especially noteworthy in a city such as Santa Barbara, California, where one day you might be installing doors as part of a project at the Naval Battalion Center in Port Hueneme, and the next day take on an even bigger project at the home of Oprah Winfrey. College Life and a Move to Santa Barbara Young Don Van Buren didn't set out in his youth to own a door company. The Fresno native was a Business Administration major at Cal-Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, in the early 1970s. It was during that portion of his life in which higher education provided his introduction to a beautiful young coed named Robin, with whom he would later accompany to her hometown of Santa Barbara. "Santa Barbara sounded better to me than Fresno," Van Buren said. "We returned there after college and we got married and I began my career in banking." At the same time, Robin would begin her career in teaching. The two have built a happy, wellbalanced life together for themselves and daughters Nicole and Kelly, who are now 35 and 33, respectively. Van Buren spent several years as a branch manager for Mission Federal Savings and Loan and developed a substantive range of banking and business skills, including the opening of new branches, and grooming himself and associates in customer service. From there, he moved into commercial banking with City Commerce Bank. It was in that position that he became immersed in business and learned the effectiveness of consultative selling. "Dealing exclusively with commercial clients, I really got my feet wet in business," Van Buren said. "We would sometimes work on a sale for three years before we ever got the business. You learn in that type of an environment to be patient, not to be anxious, and that being a quality advisor and consultant is far more likely to win the customer." Turns out, that worked just as well in the door business as it did in banking. It was in 1990, while at City Commerce Bank, that one of the bank's customers sought fnancing. The customer was Ron Lewis, who founded Consolidated Overhead Door and Gate in 1958. As the two men talked about the business deal, Van Buren began viewing it from another angle – as a potential door dealer. "I had, by that time, acquired business development skills, had a good foundation in sales, and I saw an opportunity," Van Buren said. "The company was well established, the timing turned out to be right for Ron (Lewis), and so I bought the company that same year." "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" The frst thing that happened after buying Consolidated Overhead Door and Gate was the man from whom he bought the company, and who was to train him in the business, experienced a medical event and spent time in a local hospital. That left the newly expatriated banker to fgure out on his own how to run a door business. By the time Mr. Lewis was released from the hospital and available to Continued on page 18 The company headquarters in Santa Barbara, California. V o l u m e 4 6 I s s u e 5 2 0 1 3 17