Alan Robinson Interviewed for Andersen Dealer Spotlight

Builders Supply of Delmarva, Woodhaven Lumber & Millwork are Sold on Andersen

Longstanding partnerships in the business world are not unlike strong marriages, if you ask Ethan Rhodes. Ethan is president of Builders Supply of Delmarva (BSD), one of the largest Andersen dealers in the Mid-Atlantic region. BSD is a family business founded by Ethan’s father Michael and headquartered in Sussex County, Del. It has sold Andersen® products since its founding in 1986. Since 2010, it has sold exclusively Andersen and Silver Line® windows and doors.

“We want to make sure our customers have a great experience not only with BSD but with Andersen,” Ethan said. “It’s a relationship. It’s a marriage. We are very passionate about what we do and what we sell, as is Andersen.”

Woodhaven Lumber & Millwork in Lakewood, N.J., another large dealer, has a similar philosophy. Founded in 1977, the privately held company also is exclusively an Andersen and Silver Line dealer.

“Both BSD and Woodhaven are wholly invested in Andersen,” said Paige Wittman, vice president of Sales Operations. “They are collaborative; they invest in their people, in technology and in their showrooms, and they give us everything they have, day in and day out.”

Recently, we interviewed Ethan and Alan Robinson, co-owner of Woodhaven. Here is what they had to say.

WHAT HAS YOUR COMPANY’S REPUTATION BEEN BUILT UPON?

ETHAN: Service what we sell. We aren’t a lumberyard; we’re a high-end millwork specialty company. We specialize in Andersen; we are very aggressive and very progressive in how we go to market, in relationship with your company. We don’t wait for the sale to come to us.

ALAN: Our ability to serve our customers and the value we provide. We are privately held; our customers deal directly with the owner (Alan and his brother David have been the company’s major stockholders the past 15 years). Meeting them at the job site is very important to them. Service is also one of the things that makes Andersen, Andersen.

WHY ANDERSEN?

ALAN: Your product quality but, more important, your service. Everyone is going to have quality issues. It is how the company is going to handle those issues. It is that service and the commitment from your company that is most important to us.

ETHAN: When we opened the business in 1986, I was 12. That Christmas, there was a toy Andersen truck under the Christmas tree for me. I grew up with Andersen and I take much pride in being an Andersen dealer. It’s your service capabilities, and your products are the best around. The support we have from your factories is big, as well. It all comes down to teamwork.

WHAT DO YOU TELL A CUSTOMER WHO REQUESTS A DIFFERENT WINDOW BRAND?

ETHAN: We ask what brand they want and then we go over the Andersen benefits and warranty and explain how we can help them. With Andersen and Silver Line, we have everything in our tool belt to combat other brands.

ALAN: We are committed to Andersen because it’s the best product in the market. My father, my brother and I, as owners, could have picked any window brand we wanted for our own homes. We all have Andersen.