Quality Products, Expert Service Have Heritage Window and Door Thriving
Tony Wasbotten was out for dinner one evening when he received a text message from his Heritage Window and Door co-owner, MJ Christner, that caused some consternation.
“Are you seeing on the cameras what’s going on at (the shop)?” Christner asked of their business on Elmira Avenue in Superior, which is an affiliate of the nationally known window and door replacement company Renewal by Andersen (RBA).
Wasbotten wasn’t aware. He summoned the feed from the shop’s security cameras on his cellphone. What he saw cut Wasbotten’s meal short. Fire trucks filled the parking lot at Heritage. It was a hub of activity, and not the kind of activity a business owner wants to see.
Wasbotten hurried over. Upon arriving, he was relieved to learn that the fire didn’t involve the Heritage warehouse or office. Instead, a railcar from the neighboring BNSF yard was aflame. He hung around to observe and keep an eye on the situation. While there, two of the firemen approached Wasbotten separately and told him, “Hey, you guys installed my windows, and we love them.”
Whether it’s at the grocery story, the springtime Arrowhead Home and Builders Show at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center or somewhere else — even the scene of a fire — Wasbotten and Christner don’t tire of hearing from happy customers. The feedback lets them know they’re treating people well.
“That never gets old,” Wasbotten says, adding: “We don’t have to duck when we go to the grocery store; it’s quite the opposite actually.”
Fortunately, there are an abundance of folks who are pleased with the work Heritage did for them. Selling high-end windows and doors that are meticulously customized is fraught with potential challenges. Especially when the alternative, such as purchasing a nondescript and discounted window from a big-box retailer, can seem so easy. But there is something to be said for working with an experienced team that is committed to designing, building and installing windows or doors that achieve specific and meaningful results. It is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
Done right, customers are left remarkably satisfied. That’s the goal.
“It’s a turn-key process,” Christner says. “The way we go about it is a pretty large undertaking.”
The process starts with a free consultation in which one of Heritage’s design experts collaborates with the client to create a custom-built replacement window or door, crafted to match the home’s exact specs, needs and style. Project technicians ensure accuracy by obtaining precise measurements (to within a sixteenth of an inch) and answering any last-minute questions before finalizing the order. When ready, installers then place the windows — all of which are manufactured in Cottage Grove, Minnesota — or doors.
It might sound simple. But, as Wasbotten and Christner point out, no two projects are the same. In a region like the Twin Ports, with an aging housing stock, their teams encounter a variety of obstacles that require thoughtful solutions. Case in point: Helping a customer near Lake Superior who had a certain type of window in mind, albeit one that really didn’t make much sense for the harsh conditions wrought by the big lake. Heritage worked with the customer to install windows with the appropriate style but also the necessary durability.
“Every home is different,” Christner says. “It’s amazing.”
Added Wasbotten: “I have spent 32 years in this business, and about 10 more in construction before that, and I still see different things.”
Yet they’re able to navigate all those nuances and design windows and doors for every circumstance. And they do so in a way that preserves the home’s natural look and feel, as much as possible, while minimizing construction. For example, instead of drastically altering the opening in a wall to fit a window, they do the opposite — design the window to fit the opening. That cuts down on the amount of demo and subsequent repair work. Wasbotten says about 90% of Heritage’s projects involve full-frame installation, which results in better structures and insulation.
The proof is in the pudding.
When Christner started in marketing at Heritage, in 2012, she says there were eight employees and never more than one crew out at once. Now, Heritage has 44 full-time employees plus two part-timers. As many as eight crews can be out helping customers across a broad service area that extends up Minnesota’s North Shore as well as east into Michigan.
Heritage Window and Door got its start in 1991. Eight years later, in 1999, it started carrying RBA windows and doors. RBA itself is a subsidiary of Andersen Corporation. In addition to residential, Heritage also does commercial repairs. It provided windows for historic preservation projects at the DeWitt Seitz building and The Depot in Duluth, as well as Bagley Nature Center.
Wasbotten and Christner have been co-owners since 2020, though Wasbotten has been with the company since the beginning.
Building relationships through expert customer service
In its service area, officially called the Lake Superior Region, Heritage is the only Renewal by Andersen affiliate, meaning nobody else can sell Renewal windows or doors.
“RBA does not let everyone sell their products,” Christner says proudly. “You have to live up to their standards.”
One such standard RBA emphasizes is going the extra mile to deliver an unrivaled customer experience. Heritage is happy to oblige. Indeed, customer service is a value the company was built on. It’s not uncommon for a crew to walk away from a project with homemade cookies or cakes. Nor is it unheard of for happy customers to swing by the Heritage office and drop off adult beverages. Perks of the trade.
The objective, Christner and Wasbotten agree, is to provide the best customer experience regardless of industry. Getting windows or doors is a significant investment. If people aren’t pleased with the process or final product, they’re unlikely to be repeat customers.
Despite its affiliation with RBA, Heritage still prides itself on being a local, community-minded company. Relationships are crucially important. Like most small businesses, word of mouth remains the most effective form of marketing.
“Those relationships are still being built and that’s really important to us,” Christner says.
“And we know how hard it is to maintain those relationships, especially as we’ve grown,” Wasbotten adds.
RBA preaches four pillars that define the customer experience. The customer has to trust the process and the team; feel respected; feel cared for; and be delighted with the outcome.
“If we do that consistently over and over again, we’re going to have a successful business forever,” Christner says. “Are we perfect? No, but we try to be.”
Heritage has received numerous awards and accolades for its above-and-beyond customer service. It’s a mindset that starts at the top. RBA is repeatedly recognized by J.D. Power as the “highest in customer satisfaction among window and patio door manufacturer brands” — so much so that RBA is the “most awarded brand” in the J.D. Power Windows and Patio Doors Satisfaction Study.
Similarly, Heritage is a nine-time winner of RBA’s Green Diamond Award, which reflects exemplary customer satisfaction. The award is presented to affiliates with the highest scores on the company’s homeowner satisfaction surveys. Winning it annually reflects Heritage’s consistency and determination to leave people happy.
“Our goal is we don’t want to have to come back to someone’s home,” Christner says.
In other words, they set out to do it right the first time.
Efficiency is a motivator for many — including Heritage
At a time when efficiency is, for good reason, an oft-repeated buzz word, and with everyone interested in reducing their home heating costs, Heritage is selling and installing an ideal product. Indeed, Wasbotten recalls past customers who were pleasantly surprised — and occasionally even shocked — at how much more heat their new RBA windows trapped compared to their previous windows.
“We’ve had customers who can’t believe their furnace isn’t turning on as much,” Wasbotten says. “We had a dad who complained about his son turning on the heat, but the son hadn’t touched the heat.”
The U.S. Department of Energy claims that windows “are responsible for 8.6% of energy use in buildings.” It also says that “by improving the performance of windows, U.S. annual energy use could reduce by 1.7%, and CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions could fall by 1.9% in 2050.”
Subpar windows result in excessive heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. RBA windows are designed to avoid those expensive and environment-burdening scenarios. The company’s ENERGY STAR-certified windows and doors “can shrink energy bills — and carbon footprints — by an average of 12% nationwide compared to non-certified products,” according to the RBA website. This is made possible through a combination of innovative framing material, high-performance glass and expert installation.
The RBA website also notes that Green Seal, a global nonprofit committed to sustainability, “estimates that if all windows in the U.S. were as energy-efficient as those made by Andersen Windows, Americans would save up to 2.5% of the annual U.S. energy consumption — an estimated 200 gallons of oil for every household in the U.S.”
Given the Twin Ports’ extreme weather, the potential savings are likely even greater. Thus, just as making an investment in solar panels eventually will pay for itself, new doors and windows can do the same over time.
“Our efforts are focused on reducing the carbon footprint of every home that we go into,” Christner says. “That is our goal. We’re trying to provide products that are going to be the most efficient.”
RBA products accomplish precisely that. An added perk: decreased noise. Wasbotten calls to mind a happy customer who lived on a busy street in Duluth and, after having new windows installed, could hardly hear anything from the outside.
“We’ve always made a point to only sell the best products,” Christner adds. “We have faith in the products that we put our name on.”
A sign in one of the conference rooms at the Heritage office reads “the better way to a better window.”
Christner finds it ironic that people are willing to pour over every minute detail of a home renovation or remodel while overlooking some of the most important elements — the windows.
“People put a lot of money into the aesthetics of a house, on things like granite countertops and other items,” she says. “But they forget about the holes in their walls.”
Wanted: More space
Heritage’s exponential growth in the past decade has prompted a need for more space. A lot more space. Having long since run out of room at its property on Elmira Avenue, Heritage had been forced into using off-site storage — at both another warehouse and, interestingly, the Mariner Mall.
So it was that at the end of 2022 Christner and Wasbotten made a significant investment to double their warehouse space. After taking a warehouse tour of other RBA affiliates and finding what worked and what didn’t, they decided on a 7,000-square-foot addition, replete with heated floors, massive, overhead garage doors, ample rack space and myriad other technological enhancements.
The almost-$1.3 million project, which also will create more workspace for things like pre-finishing and sanding, is nearly complete. And, if needed, there is additional room for further expansion. Christner and Wasbotten are thrilled to now have all their product under one roof, and on-site.
The owners say they are always on the lookout for strategic growth opportunities, though any potential deal would have to be the right fit, with a business partner equally committed to quality and service.
“We could grow, but what does that mean if it doesn’t align with those four pillars?” Christner says, alluding to RBA’s customer service foundation.
Christner and Wasbotten have a unique perspective considering they worked for Heritage before owning it. They agree that the happier their employees are, the happier their customers are likely to be.
“Obviously, we’re business owners now and our job is to make sure the train keeps moving down the track, but it’s important to us that our employees are treated well,” Christner says.
Louie St. George III is a Duluth-based freelance writer.
