For Mike Rosenello, 1985 was an important year. He married his wife, Margaret, and the newlyweds had their first daughter. It was also the year he launched his business, Rosenello’s Windows, Siding & Roofing, in Andalusia.
Rosenello had been working in the home-contracting industry for years when he felt the drive to be his own boss. He knew he wanted to found his business on principles and integrity. As is the case with any new business, there were growing pains. Within five years of starting his business, however, Rosenello had added numerous employees to his staff, including Kathy McFadyen, who still works as company secretary.
Over the last 30 years of raising his family of five, plus four—soon to be five—grandchildren, and running a business, Rosenello continued to uphold that same integrity.
Since its founding, Rosenello’s has expanded far more than just the size of its staff. The company now contracts approximately 275 jobs a year, roughly 80 percent of which involve window work. Last year, Rosenello’s did approximately $1.2 million in business from referrals alone.
Rosenello’s serves clients throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey in counties including Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Mercer, Burlington, Cumberland and Camden. Rosenello’s works with clients as far away as Cape May and Atlantic City, N.J., even northern Delaware.
While Rosenello’s and its master carpenter lead teams “can do it all,” as Rosenello says, the company’s real specialty is replacing windows. “You wouldn’t call an orthopedic doctor to address your loved one’s heart condition, or a defense lawyer to purchase your next corporation, so why call a general carpenter?” he asks. “Rosenello’s has replaced thousands of windows each year for more than 30 years.”
The process of replacing a window is unlike installing a window through new construction. Whereas with new construction, windows are, for the most part, likely to be one of a set of sizes, a replacement window must be measured and fit with precision. The vinyl and wooden windows used by Rosenello’s offer this exactitude, along with expert installation and structural stability, meaning the customer always receives a window that is built well and can hold up against time and the elements.
To ensure this, the vinyl windows offered by Rosenello’s can reach a U-value as low as .15, far exceeding 99 percent of the competition. They also include airtight insulating chambers, Quad 4 weather-stripping, insulated double-strength glass and a PPG Intercept® spacer system. Additionally, the windows feature metal reinforcement, drop-in glazing, a sloped sill for better exterior water drainage, dual ventilator locks and tilt-in top and bottom sashes for safe and easy cleaning.
In addition to utilizing top-quality products, much of Rosenello’s success stems from the “golden rule” philosophy Rosenello himself applies to life as well as business. “From your initial contact with our office, you’ll experience that philosophy through Kathy, who has been an associate for more than 23 years, to one of our representatives who come out to your house to learn your needs and concerns,” Rosenello says. “Our customer survey responses repeatedly comment on the courtesy and attention of our employees to them and their homes.”
The company’s unique approach to sales could also be considered a key to their success. Many professionals in what Rosenello refers to as the “replacement industry” have developed a bad reputation for over-the-top sales practices. This, Rosenello says, is never the case with his clients.
“We definitely take a very laid-back approach to sales,” Rosenello says. “We don’t pressure anybody. The replacement industry is well known for high-pressure sales, but we don’t do that. We absolutely treat people the way we’d want to be treated.
“From the initial consultation, we tell the client what would be good for them,” he continues, noting this means making sure there is never a priority on selling one specific product or line. “We listen first and ask a lot of questions and try to pinpoint why it is people out there are calling us.”
For example, is a client looking to spruce up the appearance of their home or business, or is energy efficiency the leading concern? Are issues such as warping, rotting or leakage causing problems? The professionals at Rosenello’s have worked with clients on all manner of such concerns.
In terms of energy efficiency, Rosenello’s offers a Super Deluxe Energy Savings Package that features a Heat Seal SUPER Glass system with triple-pane glass unit insulated by Krypton gas, which provides a U-value rating unparalleled by any of the competition. Such windows can have a substantial impact on utility bills, providing a 48 percent reduction in solar heat in the summer, thereby cutting air conditioning bills. These windows can also increase R-value (a measure of insulation used in the building and construction industry) by 104 percent.
Rosenello says, however, that some of his favorite jobs involve large-scale makeovers. “Some of the most enjoyable and rewarding jobs for both us and our customers are when we create a new opening in a wall and allow not only the sunlight to enter, but that amazing view that was blocked for years now becomes the seasonally changing masterpiece on your walls,” he says.
Whether working on a commercial, residential or historic building, Rosenello’s can provide custom-made windows featuring insulated glass and meeting the highest energy and environmental standards. Options for the home include everything from bay or bow windows to patio doors by an array of trusted manufacturers such as Alside, OKNA, Pella, Marvin Windows and Doors, TrimLine and Andersen.
Rosenello sums up his approach succinctly, saying, “The most important thing I’ve learned, when I started young, is that to stay in business over difficult times, you have to, without a doubt, make the customer happy—period.”
Rosenello’s Windows, Siding & Roofing
445 Mill Road
Andalusia, PA 19020
800-437-0583 | 215-244-3993
www.rosenelloswindows.com
Photograph by Angela Rosenello
