KWP Interviews Thrush & Son – KWP Products

KWP: How long have been in the business?

Corey Thrush: “We have been in business for over 58 years. Thrush & Son: Complete Home Improvement Company was founded in 1960 by Wilbur Thrush in Phillipsburg, Ohio and eventually moved to Brookville, Ohio (a suburb of Dayton). In 1989 W. Allen Thrush purchased the company from his father and in his first year as a business owner he tripled his father’s largest year. Siding, both vinyl and engineered wood, is just a portion of what we do at Thrush & Son. We have been nationally recognized and featured by Atlas Roofing as Atlas Guys in national publications, and we also install Orion Windows, entry doors, patio covers, gutter systems, kitchens, bathrooms and walk-in bathtubs. Thrush & Son is still family owned and operated, with Allen’s wife, Michelle, being the Vice President and their son (me!) Corey, is the Chief Marketing Officer. Thrush & Son currently has two locations, Brookville and Troy, Ohio, and will soon be adding a third location.”

KWP: How long have you been a partner of KWP?

CT: “We have been a partner of KWP for around one year now and are happy that we have made the decision to partner with KWP in offering their products. With any product that we may potentially offer, we do extensive research before marketing it to our customer base, and KWP is a company, brand and product that we knew would lead to success.”

KWP: What most impresses you with KWP?

CT: “We are always looking for a product that is innovative and stands out from the competition. At Thrush & Son, we have an excellent reputation and only develop partnerships with manufacturers who have the same. This is a key factor when it comes to the consumers’ perspective and decision making. They may have trust in you, as a business, but they need to have trust and a certain level of comfort in the products that you offer.”

KWP: What is your favorite profile?

CT: “We have had the most success with the KWP Eco-Side Bold. We live in an area that has many neighborhoods that are strictly painted cedar siding due to HOA’s. This product gives us the advantage compared to other materials, including cedar, to provide the homeowner with a product that is still wood, yet it is one part spruce and two parts hard wood that have been recycled. Any of the KWP product lines realistically give us an advantage, especially when it comes to being rot resistant and termite proof while also offering the 25/50 warranty. It’s always impressive an empowering to explain to a homeowner that has cedar siding, that KWP includes a 25 year finish warranty because of the painting process that is done in house. Also by using statistics that explain the average cedar home needs painted or re-stained every 4 years with an average cost of $6,000, this gives us the capability to build the value in KWP and show the long term savings that the homeowner will have.”

KWP: Have you seen a change in color preferences or trends for homeowners over the past 5 years?

CT: “There has definitely been a change. The darker and more commercial like colors are starting to enter the market place and become a trend. Homeowners’ have shied away from darker, rich and vibrant colors for so long because of fade factor, a fear of being different and the willingness to stick to the industry norm and stay neutral. That has finally begun to change and it is going to be very exciting. The character of an individual can usually be found on the inside of their home, but now it is starting to come alive and be expressed on the exterior.”

KWP: Do your customers do their research prior to contacting you? For example, do they know what they want already?

CT: “I would say six times out of ten they do know what they want. We live in an age where information, positive or negative, is readily available at our fingertips. We do like a customer that is informed because we know they are truly interested in the product and the brand that we are offering, especially if they have done their market research on-line. Over 30 percent of our leads are internet driven and we make sure to provide the homeowner with, almost, information overload on our web-sites to build the value in the products that we offer. But we still have a lot of customers that have a want or a need, and are looking for the answers, so they contact us because of our reputation to help them with their home improvement projects and guide them in the right direction.”