to Read the Door Dealer Dialog Article about Tarnow Door

By Jane Treiber,
Membership Manager
Farmington Hills,
Michigan
DOORDEALERDIALOG
Tarnow Knows Doors...
...Building Unique Garage Doors Since 1966
It was a bright, sunny day in early fall when IDA visited Henry Tarnow,
President of Tarnow Doors in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Nicknamed “The
City of the Future,” Farmington Hills is an affluent community, part of the
upscale northwestern suburbs of Metropolitan Detroit. It ranks as one of the
safest cities in the United States.
About 25 miles removed from Detroit, Farmington Hills has felt the financial
pain of the Motor City, which in June 2013 filed the largest municipal
bankruptcy case in US history. But, also like Detroit, developers are
committed to Farmington Hills, and new development abounds.
Located just a few miles off 8 Mile Road, you can’t help but think of rapper
Eminem, who made 8 Mile famous with a sound track and movie of the
same name, and the many, many other legendary musicians, sports figures,
business and labor icons, and other celebrities associated with Detroit.
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Arriving at Tarnow Doors, I was
warmly greeted by Henry Tarnow
and given a quick tour of the 10,000
square foot office and warehouse, and
introduced to the key personnel who
make Tarnow Doors successful.
and the rest is history, as they say. Henry’s
sculpture incorporates cats because of
his affection for them. In fact, in addition
to the resident office cats, there is even
an outdoor “cat house,” with a Tarnow
Door custom window, on the property
to accommodate strays who have made
Tarnow Doors their home.
Move over Elvis, Henry‘s in
the House!
47 Years
After the office briefing, which
included meeting office cats Emily
and Boo, it was hard not to notice
another “Henry” in the room. “I tell my
customers they can always find me in
the office,” says Henry, “it’s become a
private joke among those who know
me.” Several years ago at an art show,
Henry became acquainted with an artist
who created caricature sculptures out
of canvas for a living. Henry traded him
a garage door for the life size sculpture,
That’s how long Henry Tarnow has
been in the access systems industry.
“Time flies when you’re having fun,” said
Henry. While Henry was a college student
at the University of Michigan, Dearborn,
he started his own business in his parents’
basement selling Vemco operators doorto-door. “Why operators?” I asked. “I
was looking for something to do to make
extra money,” he said,” so I asked my
Continued on page 18
“Boo” supervising
office work.
“Emily” and Henry in the showroom.
Our Company’s Mission Statement:
We at Tarnow Doors realize that our customers are the only reason
we are in business. Therefore our mission is to meet or exceed the
expectations of our customers by providing exceptional value in
both the quality of our products and services that we offer.
We pledge to continue to search out for our customers the
products of highest quality and safety in the market place.
Our customers are the reason we are here. We realize that we must
be as profitable as we are reputable which ensures our customers
that we will be here to service their needs in the years to come.
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(continued from page 17)
dad, where’d you get the garage door opener?”
Henry’s father was in the electrical wholesale
business and their home was equipped with an
operator– which in the 1960’s was an option not
many homeowners purchased.
When you get to know Henry Tarnow, one
of the first things you find out about him is
his entrepreneurial spirit. So while Henry was
working at Pontiac Motors in a co-op job, he
started putting up signs in the rest rooms to sell
garage door openers. Turns out, General Motors
was not as excited about Henry’s new venture as
he was, and Henry’s co-op job ended abruptly.
From there he worked full time as a distributor
for Vemco selling operators to hardware stores,
and he eventually began selling Jan wood garage
doors to builders. As his business grew, he moved
into a warehouse in Detroit, adding “helpers”
and eventually employees. Henry completed
school at night in seven years and earned a
bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Detroit
Institute of Technology. According to Henry, “It was a goal
of mine to get my degree, because no one could ever take it
away from me.”
It’s that natural inclination to sell and to meet the needs of
the community that has made Tarnow Doors the success it
is today. Tarnow Doors moved to its present 10,000 square
foot office and warehouse location in 1982. The facility has a
showroom for pre-finished steel doors on the first floor, and a
separate wood door showroom on the ground level.
Henry has been a pioneer in adding new products to his
business. For example, in the 1990’s when he was looking
for a new accounting system, he found APPGEN® Business
Software to be best for his needs. The system allows for
unlimited files sizes so there is no need to purge historical
data. Henry spent two years adapting the system to increase
its value for a door company, and Tarnow Doors is still using
this proprietary accounting system today.
Another business Henry operates out of his door dealership
is the manufacture of pneumatic tube systems. While the
sale of the tube systems has decreased due to technological
advances, Henry has a steady stream of customers from
around the country who order parts, such as the circuit
boards and motors. “It’s totally different than anything else
we do,” said Henry, “the only thing in common is that our
people can put them in. It’s kind of like putting an erector
system up, which is kind of like installing garage doors. You
follow the rules, and put it in.”
Continued on page 21
How does your
company contribute
to the local
community?
Through several service
organizations including
Rotary International,
as a former board
member, and the
Exemplar Club of
Farmington. Also as
a board member of
our industrial park
association.
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(continued from page 18)
A recent addition to his business (2010)
has been the sale and installation of
custom made motorized screens and vinyl
units for garages, patios, balconies, and
lanais, among other applications. “There is
a tremendous demand for the retractable
screens in this area,” said Henry, “that
extends far beyond a typical installation in
front of a garage door.”
Primarily a residential dealer – although
he will install rolling doors on pool houses
and motorized screens at commercial
sites – another product that rounds out
Tarnow Doors offerings to customers
is entry doors, primarily fiberglass prefinished doors that are stained in-house
before installation. The company had been
installing entry doors for 20 years, and
also provides annual refinishing services.
“We don’t look for big commercial jobs.
You have to train your employees to do
commercial work and you have to have
a mind-set that you want that work,”
said Henry. “We’re the high-end retail
residential door guys that will do any door
you want. The custom home builders want
us – that’s where we’re at.“
Growing the Business
Over the past five years Tarnow Door
has courted home builders and architects
in the area to reach high-end consumers.
An inch-thick binder is prepared and
presented to all home builders and
architects with product brochures and spec
sheets, and Tarnow Door has presented
“lunch and learn” seminars to architectural
firms in the area. Monthly mailings to
both builders and the home builders’
new customers, using the slogan “Tarnow
Knows Doors” bring in inquiries, as do
Angie’s List and a Home Advisor program.
Marketing Tip: Everyone has a cell
phone with a camera. Our crews have
a separate camera and they take a
lot of before and after pictures that
we can use for show and tell. It’s
important to be able to brag and to
have photos in the computer and the
showroom. It gives you credibility.
Tarnow Door has been the recipient
of Angie’s List Super Service Award for
the last two years. “One month we took
31 hits alone off Angie’s list,” said Henry.
“People who are willing to pay to be a
member of Angie’s list are usually clients
who are willing to pay for more quality.”
The company also has a strong website
and internet presence through YouTube
and Facebook, in addition to full page
ads in Yellow Pages throughout southeast
Michigan.
Continued on page 22
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(continued from page 21)
The Effects of the Recession
Tarnow Doors participates in two large home shows in
the winter and spring; in two half-day shows run by local
Chamber of Commerce organizations; and a fall show by the
Michigan Restaurant Association to promote the motorized
screens for patios and gazebos.
Henry Tarnow has also made it a point to participate
in local service clubs, and to not only join the industry
trade associations, but to also give back. “Being a member
of the trade organization, you have to give back to the
community,” says Henry. “You can’t just take, that’s why I
belong to service organizations, why I’ve been a member
of the local community organizations, that’s why I was on
the IDA Board of Directors. Maybe it’s part of my heritage,
but I just think it’s something you have to do. In addition
to helping make yourself known, if you’re giving something
back, it will always come back to you.”
Dave Patton
“What’s happened to our business is, since the inception
of the pre-finished steel door,” said Henry, “we’ve sold a lot
less high-end wood doors and a lot more pre-finished steel
doors. And that has hurt the bottom line – you might be
selling the same number of doors but you’re not making the
same net profit dollars that you used to. “
“Another factor is customers don’t want the maintenance
of the wood door –they want a steel door,” Henry continues.
“Carol is going out doing the maintenance on the wood
doors, and we’re still finishing wood doors, but a lot of it has
to do with the total economy. When you look at what we
were doing in 2005 – 2006, and then where we ended up in
2008, you can go from $3 million to $2 million in sales that
quickly, and now we’re working our way back up.”
“The volume of work and profitability of work are much
better in 2013,” according to Henry. “And because we’re so
lean crew-wise, our schedule is full three weeks in advance.
It’s a good thing to be able to schedule that far in advance
and to know that you have a good backlog, but a bad thing
to a customer with a door lying on the floor. We make it
work in those cases.”
“Replacing a door often happens when there’s a broken
spring,” offered Henry. “Instead of spending the money on
replacing springs, many of our customers opt to go for a new
door. We ask them on phone if their garage door is in good
enough shape to spend $200 for new springs, or shall we
discuss the option of a new door? Maybe about 10 percent
of the time they’ll say ‘that’s not a bad idea’. But we do
about a half-dozen spring jobs a day, so it adds up. “
Continued on page 25
Sales Tip: Always start with
your most expensive products
when showing products to
a new customer. Never be
afraid to ask for a fair profit.
Gerald Hogg
Russel Helgemo
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DOORDEALERDIALOG (continued from page 22)
The Future
Education and accreditation are important to Tarnow
Doors. Henry was a charter member of IDA, and a member
of DODA before that. He rarely misses an IDA Expo;
Office Manager Bud Helgemo attends the Clopay Dealers
Conference regularly. Tarnow Doors is IDEA Accredited,
“which is one more way to show customers we know what
we are doing,” says Henry.
Bud’s wish list includes IDA bringing back the “Raising
the Door Tour,” or at least modifying it to bring education
and IDEA testing opportunities to the states. He is also an
advocate for licensure of door dealers. “Licensure is one
step if you want to show people that you are serious about
what you do for a living,” says Bud. “In Michigan you have
to have a builder’s license because you can’t collect on
receivables over $600 if you don’t. It has nothing to do with
the quantity of the work you do; it has nothing to do with
the quality of work you do.”
Henry is happy with the trajectory his business has taken.
He wants to continue to be involved in its operations for
many years to come and he wants the business to grow,
which is made considerably easier by having a qualified
Office Manager to count on. Asked to select three attributes
of his company that has made him successful, Henry
responded, “Innovative products; extra services not provided
by our local competitors; and strong customer loyalty due to
our service record.”
“We get positive calls – 99 to 1–all the time from our
customers,” says Henry. “We’re now getting the grand kids
calling to order doors. When we get a call like that, I write a
note for an Atta Boy! (or Girl!), and hang it up on the wall.”
“I have good people, I take plenty of vacations, and I make
a good living.”
Continued on page 26
Richard “Bud” Helgemo
Ian Monson and Carol Hogg
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(continued from page 25)
IDA “Monster Door” Contest Winner 20’ x 10’
Full Vertical Lift Door by Equal Door, Calgary,
Finished by Tarnow Doors, Royal Park Hotel,
Rochester, MI, 2004
Dealer Snapshot
Tarnow Doors
23701 Halsted Rd.
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
248-478-9060
[email protected]
www.tarnowdoor.com
Operations Tip: Everyone in the organization brings
in sales, including our installers.
Personnel Tip: Hire family – they’re always loyal.
Primary Personnel:
Henry Tarnow, President
Richard “Bud” Helgemo, Office Manager (35 years)
Russell Helgemo – Service Technician/Installer (37 years)
Gerald Hogg –Service Technician/Installer (18 years)
Carol Hogg –Accounts Payable; Finishing Dept. (20 years)
RJ Hogg –Part-time Shop and Finishing (20 years)
Ian Monson – Shop (painting and staining), Office training,
Tube Systems (1.5 years)
Dave Patton – Outside Sales (29 years)
Charles Francis – Finish Contractor (10 years)
Robin Kaufman – Part-time Bookkeeper/Clerk (18 years)
Kelly Moorman – Customer Service Representative (26 years)
Carl Kirkpatrick – Installer (3 years)
David Higgins – Installer (8 years)
Number of Years in Business: 47
Sales in 2012: Approximately $2 Million
Primary Products sold by company:
Garage & Entry Doors, Garage Door Openers and
Motorized Screens
Primary Product Providers:
Clopay, Therma-Tru, Liftmaster, DuraScreen
Number of Trucks/Vehicles: 5
IDA Member: Member since 1980; Former board member
of IDA; Founding member, past president, and a current
board member of MIDODA.
IDEA Accredited: Yes
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