My Biz: Garage door installation company finds its niche

Kevin Ollinger has worked in the garage door installation field for nearly 30 years.

'I really truly enjoy hanging garage doors,” he said. 'It's a specialty that not everyone has.”

Over the years, Ollinger has worked for several different companies. But he always wanted to start his own.

And then 10 years ago, that dream came true when he opened Ollinger Garage Doors.

'I had a good following of customers and the timing seemed right,” he said, noting that he was ready to be his own boss.

Since then the company has seen steady growth, which allowed Ollinger to take on a business partner and hire three additional installation staff members to keep up with demand.

Ollinger Garage Doors specializes in installation of commercial, oversized doors. While it does work with residential customers, Ollinger said oversized doors are where the company has found its niche. 'It's our main focus.”

He takes pride in the fact that the company sources its products from the Midwest, partnering with Minnesota-based North Central Doors.

He is also proud that the company is locally owned and that he has his hands in all aspects of the business.

'You deal with me from start to finish,” he said. 'I am doing the estimating, ordering, bidding and installation out in the field. In the morning I can be unloading freight and then I might go do a service call. In between I am doing estimates. Sometimes I am emailing estimates right from my truck.”

Of course, Ollinger doesn't do it all on his own.

'We rely on each other,” Ollinger said. 'We are a laid back crew and very family oriented. But people also like to feel important here, like they matter to our team. We all like what we do and enjoy the people we meet along the way.”

Ollinger said his crew works year-round and has a lot of repeat customers.

As the company grows, Ollinger said he'd like to make sure it is slow and steady.

'We try to be a very personable company,” he said. 'We'd like to continue to grow slowly so we can still give that great customer service.”

'This is a big sea of big fish,” he added about the industry. 'We are in a very competitive market but we hold our own and work really hard.”

l Know a manager or company in business for more than a year that would be ideal for 'My Biz”? Contact Chelsea Keenan at chelsea.keenan@thegazette.com

Name: Kevin Ollinger

Title: President

Company: Ollinger Garage Doors

Phone: (319) 531-1356

Website: www.ollingergaragedoors.com