International Door & Operator Industry

SEP-OCT 2012

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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DOORDEALERDIALOG Regarding their sons, I was very impressed by the fact that all three attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Their youngest son Merlin was among the fi rst class of high school graduates to receive an IDA Scholarship, and was able to complete his education and obtain a degree in Culinary Arts and enter the job market without any student loans. "It was an honor to have our son receive the scholarship and really appreciate IDA's support of youth through its scholarship foundation," stated Melissa. Their middle son Mitch is a dairy livestock nutritionist in Idaho. Their oldest son Martin is a fi refi ghter and paramedic, and also served in Iraq in the National Guard. When he returned from Iraq he was suffering with a 40% disability. Melissa shared how she took a leave of absence from her nursing position to help with the business in the early days of its development. Acknowledging the fact that there weren't many women in the door business back then, she had to play games with many of the customers. "I would give them a price for their door, and tell that when Lawrie gets home I'll ask him to check my pricing, and if not correct, I'll call you back," she stated. It took playing that game for about six weeks before the contractors would ultimately accept her pricing quotations. "They were not used to a woman having the authority to give them a price," she added. Once they realized that Melissa knew what she was doing, they accepted her and her pricing. A slow economy and a special bird have created a challenging business climate in the Philomath market. I was told that due to concern for the spotted owl, the local lumber mill was forced to close and left a huge vacuum in the community. What was once a thriving industry that provided jobs and fi nancial support exists no longer. However, challenges have become opportunities for Lawrie and Melissa. They have a resolve that success comes from hard work; not creating excuses for failure. They both shared how even though business was slower than normal, they were very thankful for their faithful customers and being able to maintain a reasonable living for themselves and their employees. The company and people of Applegate Door are known and respected in their market and word of mouth advertising goes a long way in creating new business. "When a neighbor refers you, it's pretty diffi cult to beat," noted Lawrie. Lawrie began his career in the Continued on page 22 "We are fair, dependable, and honest." Lawrie Theurer, President, Co-Owner, Sales and Service Melissa Theurer, Secretary-Treasurer, Co-Owner, Accounting VOLUME 45 ISSUE 5 2012 21

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