Brothers Alex, David and Keith Matus have adopted a seemingly simple yet highly effective formula for keeping their 61-year-old business, Matus Windows, vibrant and booming: treat others the way they themselves would want to be treated; and provide a high-quality product, installed with care and expert craftsmanship.
The brothers can’t and won’t take full credit for their success, however, because they learned the business at the side of a rather gifted teacher: Alex Matus Sr., who is not just their father but also the man who founded Matus Windows in 1953 as a modest one-man operation, assembling louver windows, storm doors and screens out of the family home’s basement.
“He was always a people person, almost to a fault,” Alex Matus says of his father. “I remember him doing work on any given job and always stopping to shoot the breeze and engage customers in conversation. He did that because he liked people and was interested in them, but it was also because he got to find out what their expectations were and got to know what the right fit for them was based on what we do. He instilled that in us. We still try to cater to people. We try to be fair. And we’re never high pressure.”
Although Alex Matus Sr. worked with Matus Windows until 1999, his three sons became deeply entrenched in the family business and assumed leadership of the company in 1983. They began installing windows and doors with their father as far back as the 1960s, helping out after school, on Saturdays and in the summer. As the replacement-windows industry gained steam, the family business grew quickly to accommodate rising demand, and the brothers became quick studies. They have nurtured the business ever since, including making some significant investments—and some tough decisions—along the way.
“My father was always one to never say no to a job, so if someone wanted a kitchen done, he would do it,” Matus says. “That’s fine when you’re a small operation, but over the years as we grew, we had to pick and choose. We don’t take on siding, roofing, kitchens or bathrooms; we specialize in windows and doors, and that’s our entire focus.”
The brothers also realized they needed an appropriate venue to help customers make informed decisions regarding their home-improvement projects, so they opened two showrooms—one in Ardmore, another in Glenside—to showcase the brands they represent. Here, Matus assures, customers will find something to suit any taste, style or budget. Whether a homeowner prefers wood, fiberglass or vinyl construction, Matus Windows offers a number of durable, high-quality options from the likes of Marvin, Northeast Building Products, Seaway and EcoShield, as well as ProVia and Masonite.
“We show a lot of what we sell in the showrooms, and that was a big change compared to when my father was in charge, because we didn’t have a showroom then,” Matus says. “Having a showroom allows us to showcase what we’re selling, and it takes a lot of the guesswork out of it for the homeowner. It helps us make a sale, but it also gives us a lot of credibility because the customer can see exactly what they’re getting.”
Today, Matus Windows is known as the premier supplier and installer of Marvin windows and doors in the Philadelphia region. The Marvin Design Gallery by Matus Windows in Ardmore showcases the quality and versatility of Marvin products, providing homeowners with a space to help them envision each individual project. In addition to home installations, the team at Matus Windows has used its expert advice, attention to detail and scaled drawings, not to mention competitive quotes, to earn its reputation as an essential supplier of windows and doors to local builders and contractors.
“Our biggest strength is our employees,” Matus says. “We don’t subcontract anything out. We have 12 installers, and most of them have been with us for a long time; we’ve had some installers who have been with us for 25 years, and people still talk about how happy they are with their installation from years ago. That’s why we have such a good track record and why most of our customers are referrals or repeat customers.
“We hear all the horror stories,” he continues. “We hear stories of XYZ Company trying to sell something to a customer, so much that the company is more of a marketing company than a window-and-door company. I was 12 years old when I first started putting in windows and doors. I’m 58 years old now and I’m still installing, so we think of ourselves as installers, not marketers. We make a point of standing behind our products.”
Although each product it sells comes with its own manufacturer’s warranty, Matus Windows offers a lifetime warranty on its workmanship to protect against “anything that happens as a result of the installation” for as long as the customer is living in the home where the product was installed. Matus says it’s not unusual to field calls from customers who had windows installed 10 or 20 years ago. Regardless of how long ago a product was installed, a company representative will always be happy to review a particular job and make sure the customer is satisfied with the quality of the craftsmanship.
“We’re a family business, so we take a certain pride in the quality of our workmanship, and we have high standards in terms of our sales and installation,” Matus says. “A lot of times, people will buy windows once in their lifetime. Whether it’s the one and only time or if it’s a repeat customer, we want to make sure that it’s a good experience, so we’re going to treat people like we would want to be treated. We’ve been doing it that way since my father founded this business more than 60 years ago.”
Matus Windows
www.matuswindows.com
367 N. Easton Road
Glenside, PA 19038
215-576-6555
52 E. Lancaster Ave.
Ardmore, PA 19003
610-642-0900
Photograph by Rob Hall
