Retractable Screen Door Industry: Wizard Industries Seeks Retractable Screen Door Dealers

Vancouver, BC (PRLEAP) February 9, 2005 - “The retractable screen door business is one of the best kept secrets in the booming home improvement industry,” says Mel Zemliak, CEO of Wizard Industries, a retractable screen door manufacturer that has experienced exponential growth the past three years, “and increasing public awareness makes for a business opportunity of a lifetime,” he goes on to say.

While retractable screen doors have been around for decades, public awareness is just now beginning to grow in leaps and bounds and this, Zemliak says, is largely because the industry as a whole has traditionally relied on its distributors and dealers to promote the product. “Five years ago, if you asked 100 consumers if they knew what a retractable screen door is, the vast majority would have given you a blank stare. Today that isn’t the case thanks in part to the exposure the retractable screen door industry has received through home shows and television programs like This Old House,” Zemliak says.

What makes the business so exciting to Zemliak is that up to two-thirds of dealership sales come from referrals. “Upscale homeowners who have had retractable screen doors installed naturally want to show their friends and their gushing endorsements account for a large number of our dealer network’s sales. Our dealers know that if they sell one, more often than not, they’ll find themselves taking measurements for the fabrication of a unit in the same neighborhood,” he says.

As a business opportunity, the retractable screen door industry is particularly attractive right now in that there aren’t nearly enough dealers to handle the growing demand. “While there are currently four major manufacturers offering high quality retractable screen doors in North America, there are still a hundred or more major metropolitan areas that don’t have a single dealer. This affords the individual looking for a business opportunity a unique window of opportunity,” he says.

Wizard Industries is but one of four major manufacturers of high quality retractable screen doors. All offer budding entrepreneurs the tools to get into the trade, but Wizard has a slightly different approach to expansion. “Most of our competitors focus on building their businesses developing relationships with area distributors. We cut out the middleman. Why should a dealer pay a premium for product when he can deal directly with the factory,” he says.

To get into the business, dealers have to make a nominal investment in training, inventory, and marketing, but the cost is not as daunting as that associated with the purchase of a home improvement franchise. “Unlike most home improvement business, one only needs $20,000 to get started and that’s a small investment considering the cost of most home improvement businesses,” he says.

According to Zemliak, the average dealer nets from $35,000 - $50,000 the first year and that is if he/she handles all installations alone. “Once a dealer gets in the flow of things, his/her growth is only limited by the number of installers he/she hires,” he says.

Dealers are provided a full week’s training at the company’s Vancouver facility because the company recognizes that the quality of installation is as important as the quality of the doors they manufacture. “Dealers learn how to fabricate retractable screen doors to fit just about any conceivable door opening. Once they have demonstrated proficiency, they are taken to the homes of local customers to measure, fabricate, and install a half dozen screens under the close supervision of our staff.

“This hands-on training program not only ensures that our dealers are in a position to start selling and installing the minute they return home, it ensures that their customers will be impressed with the high quality of the work that accompanies its installation,” he says.

The retractable screen doors solve a problem faced by many homeowners who have always sought ways to have screens on inward and outward opening doors and sliding glass doors, where conventional screens cannot be used. Retractable screen doors can be adapted to single swing-in, single swing-out and double french doors as well as on sliding glass patio doors.

Individuals interested in learning more about the industry can contact Mel at (866) 874-3007 or visit the company’s web site (www.wizardindustries.com).

Wizard Industries does not limit itself to the manufacture of retractable screen doors. Now it offers retractable screening products for windows and skylights. The company has also adapted its retractable screen door product so it can be installed on RVs and boats.

Category: After Market Home Improvements: Retractable screen door

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