The first time Steve Weisman walked into the Wallside Windows factory in Taylor, he was stunned.
“I was in total awe of the operation,” he said. It was an odd reaction, considering that Weisman had been selling windows for decades.
Steve Weisman, one of our Wallside sales representatives in Toledo is a self-confessed "window geek!”
In fact, Weisman grew up in the window business. His father ran a wholesale window business, and Weisman ran his own small window company in the Toledo area for 20 years. Then, one day, he was driving home after dropping his wife and daughter off at Detroit Metro Airport, when he noticed the sign for the Wallside Windows factory. Wallside had recently expanded into the Toledo area, so Weisman was already familiar with the brand.
His curiosity was piqued, so he stopped in to have a look around. “I was stunned,” said Weisman.
The thing that so impressed Weisman was not so much the factory itself, but the people.
“I would always say to my dad, ‘I can’t believe some of the characters in the window business,’” said Weisman. It was the integrity of Wallside’s leadership that really stood out to him.
“In my life I’ve been to over 30 window factories; some people call me a window geek or something. But I don’t think there’s a place like this in the entire U.S. in the window business, and not because we have the best windows — our windows are great — but it’s (about) the moral and ethical character of the company.”
Weisman struck up a conversation with Stanford Blanck, son of Wallside founder Martin Blanck, “and then the rest is history,” said Weisman. He closed his window business and came to work for Wallside. That was 13 years ago.
Four years ago, his brother, David, came to work for Wallside as well.
“And I tell customers this: I kind of feel like I don’t even work,” said Weisman. “‘I have a super power backing me. They make me look good.”
Asked what he likes most about his job, Weisman said he enjoys interacting with customers.
“I go out and I talk to all kinds of people - which I always enjoy - and I get to help them by kind of educating them about Wallside and what we can do for them,” said Weisman.
He also appreciates Wallside’s relaxed approach to sales.
“Other window companies sometimes are high-pressure. We’re no pressure!” said Weisman, adding that this approach creates a positive experience for both him and his customers.
“When you take care of people, you give somebody a good product at a fair price, and you back it up, then you can feel good about it.”
So good, in fact, that Weisman has sold windows to his own neighbors, even his next-door neighbor.
“When you work for a window company and can sell to your next-door neighbor and not have to worry, it means you’re a really good window company,” he said.
When he’s not out selling windows, Weisman enjoys following his favorite sports teams: the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Pistons, and his alma mater, The Ohio State University. This November, Weisman will attend his 43rd consecutive Ohio State vs. University of Michigan football game, “arguably the greatest college football game of all,” he said. He even opted to return early from his honeymoon to attend. Luckily his wife and three daughters are big sports fans too!
While many people at Wallside may be U of M fans, no one seems to hold his team loyalty against him.
Interested in learning more about Wallside’s high-quality vinyl replacement windows? Click here or call 1-800-521-7800 to schedule a free estimate today!
