In running a small general contracting firm in the fast-growing Las Vegas metropolitan area, no detail is too small and every little bit of assistance helps when it comes to carving out a niche in the highly competitive construction business.
It’s why dealer BM Windows of North Las Vegas and Western Window Systems have forged such a fruitful relationship in the two companies’ nearly four years of working together. Western Windows Systems understands what it means to be the “little guy,” making sure smaller firms such as BM Windows receive the service and quality products necessary to thrive.
“Our partnership with Western Window Systems has evolved into a valuable part of our business,” says BM Windows principal Jim Urello. “The product selection is the best in the business, and their personnel is very knowledgeable and great to deal with.”
In business less than a decade, BM Windows has grown into the preferred window and door systems dealer in the Las Vegas market. Part of the reason is the company’s commitment to giving 100 percent to its clients.
“We have always over-delivered to our customers,” Urello says. “We over-communicate to our customers, good or bad, which is a valuable tool for them at zero cost to us.”
In the middle of a long career in the construction field, Urello was laid off from his job in 2008, so in the heart of the recession, he decided to risk it all by launching BM Windows in September 2009. Since doing $280,000 in sales in its first year, BM Windows has developed through almost entirely a word-of-mouth reputation into a $17 million-a-year business now employing 46 people.
And that corps of workers he has cultivated in the past six and a half years is a point of pride to Urello.
“I heard a quote one time that said, ‘If you take care of your staff first, they will take care of your customers,’” he says. “So we offer an above-average pay scale and bonuses to every employee. Our employees are treated like family.”
But Urello knows that a happy workforce delivering impeccable service is only part of the game. Products that top those offered by the competition are just as integral to success. That’s why the Las Vegas business owner holds Western Window Systems door systems and windows in such high regard.
“The product selection at Western Window Systems is the best in the business,” he says. “Western Window Systems has had a major impact on our bottom line. We have seen year-to-year increases upward of 50 percent since we started doing business with them.”
Currently, Western Window Systems is developing a display system for BM Windows’ Vegas showroom, an effort to further strengthen the relationship between the two like-minded companies, each of which recognizes customer service, knowledgeable representatives, and strong partnerships as unbendable tenets in quest to satisfy customers.
“We appreciate and value the way Western Window Systems does business,” Urello says. “Like we do, they go above and beyond to build relationships with the major builders that we do business with.”
Of course, even with all the success BM Windows has enjoyed in recent times (like a 100 percent increase in production over the past couple of years, for example), there’s always room to expand. And with fast growth comes more and more hurdles.
“Our biggest challenge is keeping our pricing at a competitive level,” Urello says. “We complete with direct-selling window manufacturers, and these manufacturers are usually priced at a lower level. But their offerings are limited.”
That’s why BM Windows and Western Window Systems are such a good fit for each other.
“Western Window Systems’ offerings in their Volume Program are vast and the lead times are faster than the competition,” Urello says. “And our having the flexibility to offer multiple product lines makes us an attractive partner for companies like Western Window Systems to do business with.”
