ABE Doors and Windows is the WDDA Member of the Month

Jim Lett: Dealer, Installer, Industry Leader –and WDDA Member of the Month

Jim Lett’s sense that window and door dealers nationwide needed a coherent voice made him an early participant in the project that became the Window and Door Dealers Alliance. And it’s his belief today that the alliance – of which his company, ABE Doors and Windows, is a proud charter member – has provided that unified voice and much more. It’s appropriate that the Allentown, Pa. company has been named the first WDDA Member of the Month.

“WDDA fills a need that went unmet for years before it was organized,” Lett said. “It’s a great source for relevant information and a terrific forum where dealers can exchange views and experiences. We believe no other organization is really looking out for the interests of dealers in our industry in this way, and we at ABE Doors & Windows support it strongly.”

Doing it on your own – up to a point
Like so many fellow WDDA members, Lett is an independent soul, accustomed to making things happen on his own. ABE Doors & Windows started off immediately after Lett finished college as a company that installed steel cellar doors. “I put an ad in the local paper, and the business took off right away,” he said. As time went by, he acquired new skills and new lines. Before long, his growing firm was handling garage doors, entrance doors and a wide variety of windows – in short, a full line of attractive, high-quality products. In the process, ABE Doors & Windows had grown to be a top regional dealer and installer.

Serving homeowners, institutional users and commercial enterprises since 1974, the company today fields an experienced team, working with customers to select products appropriate to their budgets and project requirements. The team constantly evaluates product lines and their features such as energy savings, appearance, maintenance, and security. Prompt, reliable installation and repairs by in-house crews are essential elements of the A.B.E. Doors and Windows services package.

But there’s only so much any one company, no matter how capable and energetic, can do by itself. Lett saw the importance of an industry organization providing new strength, reach and capabilities that would benefit every member. As such, he was an enthusiastic early participant in WDDA.

Strength in numbers
As a prime example of the alliance’s value to its members, Lett cites its work concerning safe work practices for lead paint. He’s a firm believer in the importance of EPA’s continuing dedication to lead safety. ”We all want everyone to be safe,” he said. “I think it’s also important that EPA should able to enforce these regulations in a fair way, so that everyone is able to compete on a level playing field.” He believes that the WDDA’s efforts in this field contribute to helping promote true competitive balance.

Beyond representing member interests in legislative and rule-making situations, Lett says, WDDA helps make dealers’ work easier and more successful in many other ways. He values the alliance’s development of training and educational resources, and enthusiastically supports its work around meetings, trade shows, seminars and publications. In all these ways, he believes, WDDA is helping shape the professional character of the door and window industry, making it better not only for dealers and installers, but also for vendors and end users.

“It’s a special honor to be chosen WDDA member of the month,” said Lett. ”This organization does important work on many fronts. I couldn’t be prouder to be recognized as someone who’s contributed to its efforts.”