© 1999 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Winter 1999
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Pages 22-32
AROUND THE INDUSTRY
NEW PRODUCTS
First Motion-Detecting GDO Control Introduced
Lift-Master has introduced a new motion-detecting control panel that automatically turns on the garage door opener (GDO) lights when a homeowner enters their dark garage. The Lift-Master Professional Lines Group, part of the Chamberlain Group, announced the unit in September.
The company says the new Motion-Detecting Multi-Function Control Panel is the only control on the market with motion-detecting capability. The opener lights automatically turn on when the homeowner enters a dark garage and automatically turn off five minutes after the detector senses that no one is still in the garage.
The Model 98LM has an internal monitor that activates the automatic light function only when the garage is dark. With a 150-degree activation range, the control panel can help homeowners enter a dark garage more safely, without searching for the control panel light button.
The new control includes all the functions of regular Lift-Master Multi-Function Control Panels, including a lock switch to block out outside radio signals and an oversized, lighted push button light switch for turning the garage door opener light on and off. The motion-detecting feature can be turned off.
Atlas Announces Drop-Test Chain Hoist
In an effort to encourage more frequent testing of chain-operated fire doors, Atlas Door has introduced Fireset 3, a fire door chain-hoist assembly. The new product was announced in August.
With the release of a lever, Fireset 3 allows the fire door to drop mechanically. When the test is complete, the user engages the lever and raises the door with the chain hoist. The company says the test can be completed by one person "in a matter of seconds."
Tim Rudd, director of marketing for Atlas Door, said fire doors are not always performed as often as needed because testing procedures are often time consuming, labor intensive, and costly.
"Fireset 3’s advanced design makes it easy to conduct routine safety testing," he added, noting that the product conforms to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 80 regulations.
New Track Shield Announced by Martin
In June, Martin Door introduced the Reverse Angle Shield System as a standard feature on all residential and commercial garage doors. The company says the new shields not only provide safety for the consumer but also allow the garage door to be installed in a more secure, attractive manner and at less cost. The shields mount the track to the wall, closing off large gaps where arms, hands, and fingers could be injured.
"Most builders will add wood on the outside of the sheetrock before installing the door," said Dave Martin, owner and chairman of Martin Door. "You don’t have to add the wood with a Martin Door. By leaving it off, you get safety and save money on framing costs."
DoorKing Offers Rotating-Code Controls
DoorKing’s MicroPLUS access controls offer an RF transmitter with rotating-code technology and a fully programmable card reader system.
Each time the button is pressed, the MicroPLUS rotating code feature causes an encrypted sync code in the transmitter to change. The company says this feature offers protection from "code grabber" technology. MicroPLUS transmitters are factory coded to one of over 268 million available codes.
Rick Sedivy, marketing director, said, "The rotating code technology has been used before in residential applications, but typically not in a commercial application because of the huge number of (required) codes. Our engineers have developed methods to overcome this problem allowing us to market an extremely secure RF control product for commercial and industrial applications with thousands of users."
The MicroPLUS product line includes three different receivers to meet various access control requirements.
Iron Wood Collection Introduced at C.H.I.
C.H.I. has introduced a new color option to their residential garage doors. Added in September, the Iron Wood is a steel door with a simulated oak finish in darker tones. The company says the surface has passed testing and has been approved for production with a limited lifetime warranty against fading. With Iron Wood, C.H.I. has increased their color choices to six.
PEOPLE NEWS
New Marketing and Sales Appointments at Clopay
In August, Clopay announced that John Palazzolo, Pat Lohse, and Chris Petrucelli have new sales and marketing positions at Clopay.
Palazzolo has been promoted to vice president, sales and marketing; Lohse is now the director of marketing, Clopay Brand; and Petrucelli has been appointed director of marketing, IdealDoor, Holmes Door, and Anozira Brands. Lohse and Petrucelli will report to Palazzolo.
In his new capacity, Palazzolo will be responsible for product management, communications, retail sales, dealer sales and distribution center operations for Clopay Building Products’ commercial and residential sectional door business. Palazzolo, a door industry veteran, has been with Clopay since 1975, holding positions in sales, operations, distribution, and finance.
Lohse and Petrucelli will manage all activities for residential and commercial sectional products, including marketing strategy, brand positioning, forecasting, product management, advertising, merchandising, customer communications, and new product introductions.
Lohse has been with Clopay since 1986, most recently as director of communications and dealer development. Petrucelli has been with Clopay for three years and previously held the position of manager of residential brand marketing.
C.H.I. Expands Staff
In September, Tim Miller joined the C.H.I. management team as marketing manager. Miller’s focus will be on the design and production of marketing materials for C.H.I. dealers. Miller has an M.A. in communication from the University of Illinois and comes to C.H.I. from Springfield, Illinois, where he served various industries as a contractual media manager.
Atlas Door Makes Changes
Clopay has announced the appointment of Brian B. Leary as vice president and general manager for Atlas Door, and the promotion of Tim Rudd as director of marketing for Atlas Door.
Prior to joining Clopay, Leary was vice president and general manager for Cincinnati-based NuTone Corporation. At Clopay, he is responsible for marketing, product development, customer satisfaction, and manufacturing for Atlas Door. He holds a B.S. in engineering from the University of Evansville and an MBA in marketing from Loyola University in Chicago.
Rudd is responsible for developing product and marketing programs for Atlas. He holds a B.S. in marketing from Miami University and has been with Clopay for three years. Prior to his promotion, he was commercial marketing manager.
Wahler Joins Aluma Shield
Bill Wahler has joined Aluma Shield Industries as sales manager for the company’s sectional door panel product lines.
Wahler joins Aluma Shield with more than 13 years in the garage door industry. In his new role, he will be working with Jhoola Sastri, director of the sectional door division, to expand sales in the U.S.A., Canada, and Mexico.
With a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College, Wahler also holds an M.B.A. in management from the Rutgers Graduate School of Business. Active in the door industry, Wahler has served on the board of directors of the National Association of Garage Door Manufacturers (1993-96) and the International Door Association (1995-98) where he also served as vice president (1996-98). He also was a member of the International Garage Door Exposition Committee from 1993-99 and was chairman of the IDA Regional and Affiliate Committee from 1996-98.
Yeager Makes a Move
Gerry Yeager is now the general manager of Entry & Exit Systems, a new regional wholesale distributor of various access products in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Yeager has 27 years in the door and access systems industry, with 25 of those years with Stanley. He has been a member of the UL 325 industry advisory council and an active member of many DASMA committees. He has also worked for Linear and Sentex, and he has defended gate operator systems in many product liability actions.
Entry & Exit Systems distributes gate operators, access controls, phone systems, radio controls, and related items for the Midwest. Yeager said the business will be a true stocking distributor, but will not install. The company plans to offer other services such as in-house technical assistance, training, and engineering drawings.
New Business Development Appointments at Clopay
An internal restructuring at Clopay has resulted in the appointments of Jason Knoll, Chris Gibson, and Don Borchers within the company’s business development and planning organization. The appointments were announced in August 1999.
Knoll will serve as vice president of business development and planning; Gibson as director of e-commerce and business development; and Borchers as director of business measurement.
Knoll is responsible for developing strategies and programs that will position Clopay for future growth outside traditional product channels of distribution. His duties include e-commerce development, international business development, strategic planning and development, real estate planning, and business measurement.
Gibson is responsible for developing and implementing an e-commerce strategy for Clopay as well as identifying and pursuing new business and growth opportunities. Borchers will drive the implementation of a business performance measurement system that will allow the company to align the organization with its strategic goals and tactical objectives.
Jim Kelly Joins Clopay
In August, Jim Kelly joined Clopay Building Products as director of sales for Atlas Door.
Kelly has had a long history in the rolling door business. Prior to joining Clopay, Kelly was southeast regional sales manager with the Cookson Company. He has also held rolling steel door sales positions with Overhead Door and with Atlas. A past president of the American Rolling Door Institute (ARDI), he is currently the president of the Institute for Door Dealer Education and Accreditation (IDEA).
Kelly replaces Dan Beckley, who was promoted to vice president of commercial sales for Clopay sectional door products. Kelly is responsible for all sales functions for Atlas Door, including field sales, customer service, and national accounts.
With an undergraduate degree from Boston College, Kelly also holds an M.B.A. from Brenau University in Georgia.
Lift-Master Promotes Three
Ronald Halley has been appointed vice president of sales, and Kenneth Roehl has been made vice president of marketing for Lift-Master Professional Lines Group, part of the Chamberlain Group.
Halley, who previously served as director of sales for Lift-Master, takes on the added responsibility of developing comprehensive dealer service programs and bringing several new product offerings to the company’s dealer network.
In his new position, Roehl continues to develop and implement all Lift-Master marketing strategies for commercial and residential door openers. Additionally, he will partner with other Chamberlain Group International (CGI) divisions to develop shared technologies for the access market.
Brian Strzalka has been promoted to marketing manager, international, for CGI. In his new position, Strzalka assumes marketing responsibilities for Chamberlain GmbH, CGI’s international operation headquartered in Saarwellingen, Germany. He has been part of CGI since 1991 as the international product manager.
Simon Promoted at Cornell
Michael Simon has been named vice president of sales at Cornell Iron Works.
In this position, Simon will be responsible for sales and specification of Cornell rolling doors, fire doors and shutters, rolling grilles, and side-folding grilles and will also oversee the application of programs that provide information systems and technical support for Cornell distributors, building owners, and specification writers.
Simon previously served as Cornell’s northeastern regional sales manager.
Carter is VP at Lynx
Bud Carter has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president of operator sales at Lynx Industries.
Carter comes to Lynx with 28 years of experience in the garage door and opener industry, having held various sales, sales management, and marketing positions. Reporting to Bob Schram, president of Napoleon/Lynx, Carter coordinates the sales and marketing functions for the complete line of garage door and gate openers.
Since joining Lynx, Carter has been developing the Lynx Pro-Line, a new line of residential openers, which was scheduled to be introduced in the fall of 1999.
Vinson Goes to Napoleon/Lynx
In July, Rick Vinson, an industry veteran, joined Napoleon/Lynx as southeast regional sales representative.
In the door industry for over 25 years, Vinson has worked in all facets of the business. His experience includes owning retail and wholesale businesses, and he has held sales management positions with a major opener manufacturer and a major door manufacturer. His most recent position was as president and partner of Delden Manufacturing of Illinois.
In his new position, Vinson will cover five southeastern states, selling the complete line of Napoleon/Lynx garage door hardware, springs, and openers.
COMPANY NEWS
ABC and Windsor Acquire Hollow-Metal Door Company
In September 1999, Windsor Door and American Buildings Company announced the acquisition of Republic Builders Products, a division of DESCO Corporation, headquartered in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Republic will join Windsor as a part of the newly created Entry Systems Group of American Buildings Company. Howard Burns, Windsor president, will also serve as president of Entry Systems Group. Republic’s current management organization, headed by Gary Fought as president, will remain intact.
Republic is a leading manufacturer and marketer of metal doors, frames, and stock framing systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional applications. Products are marketed through distributors, dealers, OEMs, and company-operated distribution centers throughout the United States and Canada.
C.H.I. Expansion Underway
C.H.I. Overhead Doors is now enlarging its production facility in Arthur, Illinois. The annexation will increase floor space at the plant by 115,000 square feet.
Willis Miller, general manager, said hardware, spring, and window departments will be housed in the new facility along with several new lines to accommodate increased production needs. The expansion should be completed by May 2000.
Garaga Changes Its Name
With the approach of the year 2000, Garaga has removed "2000" from its corporate name. The name has now changed from Garaga Doors (2000) Inc., to Garaga Inc.
In the company’s October 1999 newsletter, the company says, "We thought that the 2000 in our old corporate name did not reflect a company which has been in operation since 1983."
Osco Celebrates 25th
In 2000, Operator Specialty Company (OSCO) will mark its 25th year in the gate and door operator industry.
OSCO was founded in 1975 by Jerry Trupiano who formerly had served with Vemco Products as chief engineer. The company originally intended to design openers for a special market sector, but the company soon expanded into an international supplier of gate and door openers, controls, and accessories.
After OSCO’s startup, Trupiano was later joined by Joe Vaughn as co-owner and vice president. Vaughn had previously served as president of Vemco Products. After Vaughn’s retirement in 1997, Bill Hildebrand joined OSCO as vice president and general manager.
Arrow Tru-Line Expanding
Arrow Tru-Line is adding more than 100,000 square feet to its manufacturing and distribution facility in Archbold, Ohio.
Dave Shaffer, president, said all primary manufacturing work centers are being enlarged for increased operating efficiency. Secondary operations are being consolidated, and five new dock facilities are being added. Shaffer said improved workflow and better service are the goals of the expansion.
The company has also made additions to customer service, engineering, and purchasing, as well as to their product line. Shaffer said ATL now offers Cee-
Channel straps for windload requirements, and they have improved their decorator angles to allow more adjustment flexibility for door installers.
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