If we can all agree on one thing, it's that 2020 was a whirlwind. All Americans were forced to adapt a new normal. One of the most impacted groups had been small businesses who faced the challenge of dwindling staff and customers while implementing new social distancing and public health practice.
Even with all of those challenges, our Redline dealers took those challenges as an opportunity to find new ways to grow their business and continue to provide excellent service to their customers.
Redline Garagegear has awarded the Top Dealer of the Year award for 6 years now. Top Dealer of the Year Award is an award we give out to our Redline Agents that have went above and beyond in their sales for the year. This year our dealers overcame the challenges and grew beyond what they ever imagined.
Most of our dealers reached record sales and we want to say thank you to every single one of them for another great year. We know that the growth and success of this company is largely dependent on having strong and capable dealers that do outstanding work.
The winners for Redline's 2020 Top Dealer of the Year Award are...
#10 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Ed Jenkins, the owner of Banner Garage, has been in business since January 2011 and has been a Redline dealer for 6 years now. Their team is made up of Ed and 3 other installers. They are located in Shawnee, Kansas and cover the Kansas City area. Banner Garage provides services like garage cabinets, flooring and coatings.
The biggest challenge for Ed in 2020 was to make the decision of whether or not his business was considered "essential" while the state was in lockdown. Him and his employees made the decision to keep their doors open and continue doing business like they have always done while also taking the appropriate safety measures involving them and their customers.
They quickly saw an increase in sales because most people had a lot of downtime because of the lockdown. People were looking to do some renovations around the house. With that being said, 2020 was their best year to date in sales in their 10 years of existence.
Ed says that the majority of his success is because of their excellent customer service. It is important to communicate with the homeowner and do what they say they are going to do or let them know if they won't be able to do something for them. The homeowner is their number one priority and this leads to awesome reviews, trust and referrals.
This is the 3rd year that Banner Garage ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#9 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Xtreme Cabinets is a floor coatings and garage cabinet company. They are located in Meridian, Idaho and serve Boise and the surrounding areas. The owner of Xtreme Cabinets is Jeremy Johnson. They have been in business since 2016 and have been a Redline dealer for 2 years now.
This is the 1st year that Xtreme Cabinets ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#8 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Closet 1 Interiors is a garage cabinet and closet company. They are located in Appleton, Wisconsin and serve the surrounding areas. Closet 1 Interiors is owned by Bob Harrmann and has been in business since 1998.
They have been in business since 2016 and have been a Redline dealer for 2 years now.
Bob prides himself in the service he brings to his customers. From the initial contact with the customer, to the installation and service after, they are always dealing with the same person.
This is the 1st year that Closet 1 Interiors ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#7 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Clear Space Garage & Closet Storage Solutions is owned by Lance and Cindy Lamborghini. Clear Space has been a Redline dealer for 8 years. They are located in Sagamore, Massachusetts and covers a seven county area of Eastern Massachusetts. Clear Space provides services like garage cabinets, flooring and coating, and closets.
Ever since the pandemic started, Lance and Cindy were very busy submitting orders and installing them. The pandemic favored them with great business but supply chain issues made them face bigger challenges. Lance and Cindy say that at first people didn't understand the supply issues. Lance and Cindy also faced a challenge of not being able to work in certain places that were already scheduled because someone was either ill or there were too many subs on the jobs. This caused them to reschedule jobs on the fly.
Clear Space started with Lance and Cindy and it continues to be just the two of them. They say that it's hard to find anyone to work who will be on-call and also produce the quality of work that they are known for.
Lance and Cindy say that their great success comes from having great communication with their customers. It is the absolute most important aspect and theirs is excellent. Customers want to be kept in the loop even if it's just saying that there's no news on a delivery update.
This is the 4th year that Clearspace ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#6 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Black Diamond Innovations is a Redline Dealer that provides services like garage storage systems and garage flooring. They are located in Austin, Texas and serve the surrounding areas. Black Diamond is owned by kenny Gaona and has been in business for over 15 years.
This is the 6th year that Black Diamond Innovations ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#5 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Space Concepts is located in Rochester, Minnesota and serves the surrounding area.. This dealer provides services like garage storage systems, garage flooring, and closets.
Space Concepts is owned by Ben Witter and currently has 5 staff members. The 5 staff members consist of one office assistant, one office administrator, and three installers.
Space Concepts has been in business for 15 years and 2020 was their best one yet! Although they did have to close their office doors to the public, the team managed to do all of the things virtually and over the phone. When it came down to do installs, everyone wore a mask to the installs and made sure they were not working sick. By taking the proper safety protocols, customers felt comfortable and safe when Space Concepts was working in their garage.
Ben attributes his success to his competition. Ben says "Your competition can be a great asset. Not only doing little things to separate yourself from them but a good working relationship can be beneficial. I have a couple competitors in the garage flooring business that actually refer business to us because they only do floors. It provides extra sales opportunity that is a win/win for both companies."
This is the 6th year that Space Concepts ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#4 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Harmony Design, owned by Jerry Santoro, has been in business since 2005. Harmony Design serves Chicago and the surrounding areas.
Before Harmony Design, Jerry was a sales manager for a company that sold science casework to schools in the greater Chicago area. One of the suppliers for the company was Greenberg Casework Company. This is where our relationship started with Jerry. He left his lab career to pursue his own business and become a dealer for Redline Garagegear. Jerry was the second dealer for Redline in 2005. Jerry now successfully runs a garage storage and floor coatings business.
At the start of 2020, there was a pause in sales due to the uncertainty of the pandemic. However, despite this, Harmony Design had a record year for 2020. Jerry had a team of installers willing to work through the risk and most customers had disposable income due to everything being shut down.
Jerry says that he owns his success to his determination and willingness to work long hours. This is what has helped him get to where he is at today.
This is the 7th year that Harmony Design ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#3 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Firehouse Garage is located in Fort Worth and serves the northern part of Texas. This dealer provides services like garage storage systems and garage flooring.
Jeff Pevytoe, one of the 2 owners of Firehouse Garage, started looking for his own business opportunity in the booming garage organization industry. Jeff had previously worked in light commercial and residential construction projects. He knew exactly what he wanted his business to be.
In 2020, Firehouse Garage had their first full year in business and it was just as successful as they had imagined it. They saw a steady demand for their services during the pandemic, just like the rest of our dealers. Their service area is around 10,000 sq. mi., with a population of 7 million people. Firehouse Garage see's everyday as a great opportunity to continue their growth and provide excellent products with a great customer service experience.
This is the 1st year that Firehouse Garage ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#2 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Absolute Garage & Closets is located in Urbandale, Iowa and serves the surrounding area of Des Moines. This dealer provides services like garage storage systems, garage flooring, and closets.
Marty Gustin, owner of Absolute Garage & Closets, bought the company from Todd and Renita Walker in December 2017. Although Marty, has owned the company for 3 years now, the Walker's founded the company back in 2004.
In 2020, not much changed for Marty and his company. During the lockdown, they kept their doors opened and all employees wanted to keep moving forward with the business. Absolute Garage & Closets consists of 4 installers, 1 sales/designer and Mary, who is the General Manager.
After Marty taking over the company, the company has kept growing. His business has continued to grow because him and his staff member practice excellent customer service, such as responding to inquiries promptly, sending out estimates and revisions within 48-hours and adhering to schedule installation dates.
This is the 7th year that Absolute Garage ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
#1 Top Dealer of the Year Winner
Store with Style has been in business for 12 years and is owned by Tony & Kathy Wallace. Store with Style is located in Mentor, Ohio and serves the surrounding area of Cleveland. This dealer provides services like garage, kitchen, bathroom and closets renovation.
When the lockdown began, Tony & Kathy had to close their doors for 2 months since their business was not considered "essential". When they reopened, their business was strong out the gate and they finished the year with 15% ahead of 2019 despite only working 10 months out of the year. With work and school being done from home, consumers continued to focus on improving their space and it was great for their closet/organization business as well as their kitchen/bath component.
As material lead times lengthened, scheduling installs moved out accordingly and it benefited their growth. They went from a 30 day order/install cycle to 60 days (kitchen/bath went from 60 to 120 days). This helped Tony and Kathy in keeping receivables high and cash flow much more consistent.
Store with Style has grown over the last 2 years thanks to their media presence and investing in SEO. They also participate in local chartable programs like YMCA Dream House & St. Jude Dream Home. This has helped them get more exposure with added benefits from network relationships/contacts that have created new business opportunities.
When we asked Tony & Kathy what they owed their success to, they said keeping their projects customer focuses with a goal of exceeding their expectations.
This is the 7th year that Store with Style ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
And the Top Dealer of the Year Award goes to...
Custom Closets of GA is located in Peachtree city, Georgia and serves the surrounding area of Peachtree City. This dealer provides services like garage, kitchen, bathroom and closets renovation.
Jameson Vanzant, owner of Custom Closets of GA, have been in business for 12 years now. Custom Closets of GA are a major provider of affordable custom closet, home and garage storage solutions. They currently have 2 sales people, one of them being Jameson and 4 installers. This goes to show that you don't need a big company to be successful in this industry.
Custom Closets of GA takes pride in their custom tailored designs that meet every families’ wardrobe and life style. They believe that their personal and prompt service far exceeds the industry standard, making customer service their #1 priority. They owe their success to having a quick response to all their clients, no matter the time. For them, the best way to communicate with their client is via text message.
Custom Closets of GA recently showed off their work in the Southern Gentry Homes- This Show House 2019. This dealer has big projects every year and continues to strive for the best outcome possible.
This is the 4th year that Custom Closets of GA ranks in our "Top Dealer of the Year" award.
Continued list of the winners of 2020
Check out the rest of the winners on the list down below.
We truly value and appreciate each one of our dealers especially for being patient with us during these tough times and for sticking with us another year!
