149: An Innovative Window Company that Promotes Indoor & Outdoor Living – Scott Gates of WWS

Background on Scott Gates of Western Window Systems:

Scott Gates is President and CEO of Western Window Systems. Prior to beginning his role as president and CEO in August 2015, Scott served as the company’s president and chief operating officer following assignments as vice president and general manager and marketing director. He played a key role in growing sales over 800% over a five-year period, an increase that led to Inc. magazine naming Western Window Systems as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

As president and CEO, Scott oversees the strategic direction of the company, including delivering on record-breaking sales and overseeing growth enablers such as new products, market expansion, development of sales and marketing strategies, leadership initiatives, and development of company culture.

Scott, who joined Western Window Systems in 2011, holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and an MBA from Arizona State University. In 2015 and 2017, Scott was selected for Arizona State University’s Sun Devil Select, an award celebrating the achievements of leaders that demonstrate innovation, growth, and entrepreneurial spirit. In 2015, he was named one of 30 exceptional executive MBA (EMBA) graduates from the class of 2015 by Poets & Quants, a business school news website. In 2016, Scott was selected by Professional Builder magazine as one of the nation’s top building industry leaders under the age of 40.

Time-Stamped Show Notes:

[1:44] Scott Gates is the President of Western Window Systems, which manufactures windows and doors. They specialize in windows and door systems that open entire walls to the outside.
[3:53] The company used to cater to high-end homes and luxury homes in the southwest, but they eventually changed their business model and products, and decided to target other channels and different geographies.
[8:39] Western Window Systems currently has 400 employees and they are expecting about $150 million in sales.
[11:35] Scott offers some advice to entrepreneurs who want to go to a small company and lead the business to the next level.
[13:57] After 3 months of being hired in Western Windows System, the former president told Scott that he would be the CEO of the company someday.
[17:33] When Scott came into the company, he focused his attention on improving their marketing strategy and rebranding the business, which proved to be a great success.
[21:16] Scott talks about the importance of branding and how it was able to take Western Window Systems to the next level.
[26:43] Upon rebranding the business, they grew up to 50%. On their second year, they targeted the production builders, which is a very different buying pool.
[32:53] Aside from rebranding, Scott had to make a few changes in the sales team to portray more authenticity to the consumers.
[36:01] Scott offers another valuable business lesson involving the influencers and key decision makers.
[40:34] Western Windows were able to make a couple of breakthroughs that increased the loyalty of their local dealers.
[48:59] Scott talks about their strategy for bringing the leads to their dealers and creating more demand for their products.
[53:30] They try to find a way to win and get that vital edge over competitors that are in the same line of business.
[58:04] Scott explains what he really means about being innovative in the business model.
[1:03:15] Creating a culture and vision for his company is something that Scott is very passionate about.
[1:07:53] Listening to business podcast is a huge thing for Scott. He learns a lot of things and obtains great ideas by listening to podcasts.

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Fabulous 4 Questions:

📖 📚 Favorite Book(s)? Team of Rivals – The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin- to me the best books on leadership aren't 10 step consultant laiden faire, but instead are historical biographies. No leader has shaped my leadership philosophy more than Abraham Lincoln, and this books captures the heart of his political genius better than any other book on him I have read.
🙌😎 Favorite Amazon.com purchase? Batting net – which I use to coach my girls softball team. One of my greatest joys in my life is coaching my kids, and this was one of the best items I bought to help me be a better coach and dad
🌱💸 Favorite Tool that's GROWN your Business? Podcasts – no joke….to me, software and technology all matter. We use Office 365, we've had some great investments in MRP's, cloud based documents have been incredible for sharing data. However, to me these are commoditized. Is the power of incredible information that helps you learn that is the most important thing for a CEO. Podcasts have become critical for me. A few favorites are Masters of Scale, Work Life, and HBR Ideacast.
💭💡 BIGGEST Challenge keeping your Business from GROWING? We are still actively growing, but would could definitely hurt it in the future is continuing to find amazing people. Western is full of amazing people now, but in a tight employment market, finding more people like them will continue to prove difficult and could slow down our growth.

Key Point from the Interview:

“Oftentimes a great place to start a company is upstream or downstream of your current position, because you know all the pain associated with your role.

Resources Mentioned:

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