Coming to us from Martin Guitar, we are pleased to introduce Bart Buschi as A.B.E. Doors and Windows’ new Commercial Sales Representative.
We have moved to a temporary location down the street. Our new address is 5930 Hamilton Boulevard, Suite 6. Click here for directions.
A.B.E. Doors & Windows Blog
This month, A.B.E. Doors & Windows would like to focus a spotlight on one of our employees, whose outstanding efforts makes him shine brightly among the rest. Working with us since 1993, Jim Osborn (better known to us as “Jim O”) began his career at A.B.E. as an installer and service technician. He has acted as our Warehouse Manager/Product Distribution Manager since 2001, making certain that every detail of each customer’s installation needs is fulfilled. Jim finds great pleasure in interacting with many diverse customers throughout the course of a workday, particularly when he is able to deliver the exciting news that we are ready to schedule an installation date with them. Outside of work, Jim appreciates life most when he is able to spend it with Kathi, his wife – especially when they are able to escape on quiet mornings and take their boat out fishing. Jim also finds much happiness in spending as much time as he can with his grandson. All of us at A.B.E. Doors & Windows are so very grateful for the dedicated and reliable contribution that Jim provides our team, every day in so many ways. Thank you for the last twenty-one years of service, Jim O!
After sorting through our closets for the past several months, the entire staff of A.B.E. Doors & Windows cleaned out their personal wardrobes and gave away a large collection of gently used clothing to the Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley. All donations will benefit this long-running mentoring program, which focuses on supporting children who most need positive fostering and inspiration in our community. Not only was this company project a unique opportunity to strengthen unity within our staff, but it also cultivated a greater sense of personal well-being. The final results were a brilliant reminder that our seemingly small acts of kindness, compassion, and selflessness do indeed add up to create a world of difference in the lives of those around us.
Picture above (viewed from left to right): Shannon Seng, Jim Lett, and Jim Lett II
To get door and window installations right takes a lot of top-notch elements - the best in products, a great support staff, first-class equipment. But nothing matters more than having installers who truly know their stuff. You don't find skillful people like that just anywhere, and you don't develop their abilities overnight. As an example, take Lenny Heim, one of our veteran installers out of the Macungie area. Lenny's 20 year employment anniversary with ABE is coming up soon. When he joined us, we naturally brought him on board to our way of doing things. But we had a big headstart with Lenny. He's a natural when it comes to carpentry and related skills. Besides that, he already had lots of relevant experience. He worked for 11 years with his father-in-law as a home builder, then for a number of years on his own after his father-in-law's retirement. There wasn't much in the way of skills and knowledge for this work that Lenny didn't already have. Of course, you can't train people to care about their work. That comes from inside. You'll hear this loud and clear if you talk to Lenny - it's in his voice when he talks about the workmanship that supports ABE's five-year limited warranty. "Reputation is really important," he'll tell you. "If you do a good job, you'll get a lot of great word-of-mouth support." The word from us is positive, too - we think Lenny and the other outstanding installers from ABE are basic to our success.
At A.B.E. Doors & Windows, we believe that it is absolutely essential to provide all of our customers with superb service and satisfaction. We constantly research, study, and fully educate ourselves in the leading products that we supply and install. This journey can, many times, lead us to receive professional training directly from our manufacturers.
On April 15th and 16th of 2013, four of our technicians, Bob Blickley, Gary Harter, Lenny Heim and Rich Reinhart, participated in and completed ProVia's Installer Certification Program at their manufacturing facility in Sugarcreek, Ohio. During their visit, our installers not only gained improved knowlege into ProVia's superior product line through plant tours and demonstrations but also received hands-on professional training in preparation, installation, and service techniques to better serve our customers. Each technician graduated this intensive two day training experience with personalized certificates of training completion and enhanced service capabilities.
A.B.E. Doors & Windows consistently strives to perform at our absolute best in order to provide each of our customer with a satisfying experience.
"...We are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you're supposed to be, doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you [...] to live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."
- Oprah Winfrey
Haiti made world-wide news in early January in 2010 when an earthquake of horrific magnitude occured in the epicenter of the country within the Dominican Republic, devastating an estimated three million people in total. Dedicated efforts of rescue and relief have continued since the quake to try to piece back together a country of wounded individuals and communities that had been so tragically broken. One such organization, Mission of Hope, hosts non-stop and continually expanding projects that provide many specific needs to the Haitian people.
Two weeks ago, Gary Harter, a dedicated and hard-working technician of A.B.E. Doors & Windows for the last seventeen years, went on a mission trip with Lifechurch of Allentown to build a playground at the site of a Haitian Elementary School. Gary, and a small but powerful team of eleven other volunteers, joined forces with Mission of Hope in Haiti and erected a playground over the course of only four days. The playground was then presented to both the school children and community with a dedication ceremony. Harter expressed how emotionally overwhelming the entire experience was for him. "To see these kids, who have absolutely nothing, run out onto that playground and play and laugh and have fun. That's something that they will be able to do for years to come. This trip has given me a greater appreciation for everything that we have in the states, such as electric, running water, safe drinking water at our fingertips, and homes that are structurally safe."
Amidst the poverty, desperation, and unimaginable loss of the everyday within the country of Haiti, it is comforting to know that such brilliant rays of hopeful light shine through the darkness in the form of seemingly simple acts of kindness, generosity, and selflessness of brave and loving individuals. All of us, here at A.B.E. Doors & Windows, are in awe of such tremendous strength of heart and are eternally grateful to those who are involved in making such significantly positive differences in others' lives, whether it be here at home in our local community or for those in need many miles away.
To learn more about Mission of Hope, please visit their website online at http://www.mohhaiti.org.
A.B.E. Doors & Windows is pleased to welcome Ellen Rauch as the newest addition to its family. Working for us on a temporary basis since January of 2012, Ellen was made a permanent member of our office staff on April 9. As a Customer Service Representative, Ellen is fully enjoying her work experience thus far:
"I'm absolutely thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be a part of a company who embraces and embodies teamwork and strives for greatness always. It's truly a blessing to work amongst co-workers who genuinely care about assisting others and are personally driven to always provide the best quality of service possible. I honestly don't consider my employment with A.B.E. as just a career - each day is unique and offers new opportunities for me to utilize every single one of my skills in interacting with and assisting others. I love that my realm of work engages and challenges every aspect of my being, and I am excited to continue experiencing new things, learning from them, and growing stronger as an individual and profesional. I am honored to be a part of something so much greater than myself, and I am thankful for all that A.B.E. Doors & Windows has given to me thus far."
Ellen, who just celebrated her twenty-fifth birthday yesterday, is now our youngest employee and will be utilizing her passion for writing by regularly contributing to both our Facebook page and blog. Outside of work, Ellen's interests include music, movies, reading, and pop culture. She also enjoys volunteering within the community and has recently become involved in taking both kickboxing and acting classes.
We congratulate Ellen on her dedication and hard work thus far, and we look forward to seeing what her future holds within A.B.E. Doors & Windows.