WARROAD, Minn., April 24, 2012 – The woods, lakes and fields of Northwest Minnesota have nurtured an impressive array of business visionaries. Among the giants was the late William S. “Bill” Marvin, who built Marvin Windows and Doors from a small lumberyard into one of the world’s premier window and door manufacturers.

Bill Marvin’s exemplary career will be recognized on April 25 with induction into the IDEA Hall of Fame. As the fifth inductee to the hall, Marvin joins previous honorees Andy Wells of Wells Technology; Edgar Hetteen of Polaris and Arctic Cat; and brothers George and Dennis Brazier of MATTRACKS and Central Boiler.

The IDEA Hall of Fame induction will take place at 5 p.m. in the Sanford Events Center in Bemidji, in conjunction with the fourth annual IDEA Competition. The IDEA Competition seeks to grow the economy of Northwest Minnesota by identifying the next generation of homegrown entrepreneurs and helping them develop their breakthrough ideas.

Bill Marvin joined his father’s Warroad-based lumber business as the eighth employee and led its entry into manufacturing. Today, Marvin employs more than 4,000 people in five states and is recognized worldwide for its innovative, high-quality products. Bill Marvin was named by BUILDER magazine as one of the U.S. building industry’s 100 most influential people of the 20th century. He died in 2009 at age 92.

“My father was a believer in the power of great ideas,” said John W. “Jake” Marvin, chairman and chief executive officer of the Marvin Companies. “He would take an idea from anyone, anytime — test it out and see if it made sense. And if it did, he wasn’t afraid to take a risk.

“My father had opportunities over the years to move his business away from Northwest Minnesota, but he valued the spirit, intelligence and frontier ingenuity of the people who make their home here,” Jake Marvin said. “He was proud of our region and a tireless promoter of it. We’re honored and humbled by this recognition.”

The IDEA Competition has already helped 10 startup businesses in Northwest Minnesota become commercially viable. This year’s winners will receive a $10,000 cash grant, along with services and direction from Northwest Minnesota’s leading business resources.

IDEA was made possible by a generous grant from the Blandin Foundation. IDEA sponsors include Bremer Bank (Crookston and Warren); Northwest Minnesota Foundation; 360 Degree Manufacturing and Applied Center of Excellence; Headwaters Regional Development Commission; Northwest Regional Development Commission; and the University of Minnesota, Crookston.

Marvin’s “Window Shopping” app was included in the issue’s round-up of the best mobile apps for builders and contractors. This app is a tool to help homeowners plan basic designs for windows and doors, inside and outside the house. After taking a photo of an interior or exterior space that could use an upgrade, the app user can choose from nearly 50 resizable photos of Marvin windows and doors, arrange them over the photo, and save or send the photo to share with friends, family or a local Marvin dealer.

Additionally, our sister brand Integrity Windows and Doors had two items featured in this issue of the magazine: Integrity Wood-Ultrex Special Size windows were listed near the top of the readers’ choice Favorite 50 products list, and its “Built to Perform” app was also included in the same editors’ choice round-up as our Window Shopping app.

Check your mailbox for the April issue, or read the digital edition online.

WARROAD, Minn., April 3, 2012 – The first week of April is National Window Safety Week. Marvin Windows and Doors hopes every family can be safer by following these simple tips.

Marvin is offering a new, factory-installed window opening control device on its popular Ultimate Casement line of crank-out windows, as well as a field-applied option on the Ultimate Double Hung. The window opening control device is intended to limit window openings to 4 inches, yet is easily opened by adults.

First, some common-sense window safety tips:

• Keep windows closed and locked when not in use.
• If you open windows for ventilation, choose windows not easily reached by children.
• Install a window opening control device to limit the window opening.
• Keep blinds, cords and drapes secured out of the reach of children.
• Don’t place furniture such as sofas, beds or bookcases under windows. Children can use the furniture to climb to the window opening.
• Never paint, nail or weatherstrip windows shut.
• Don’t rely on insect screens to prevent falls.
• Develop a family plan for escape during an emergency. In your plan, include two ways to escape from every room in case one way is blocked by fire or smoke.
• If windows are part of your escape plan, be sure to leave at least one window in every room unblocked by window insulating film, window air conditioners or other obstructions.
• Landscaping can provide a cushion to break falls should they occur. Consider landscaping beneath windows with wood chips, shrubs or other soft surfaces.

 
Marvin’s new casement Window Opening Control Device, which meets the ASTM F2090-10 standard, limits the window opening to 4 inches unless overridden in a two-step process. The limiter re-sets automatically each time the window is closed. Marvin already offers the device (field-applied) on its double hung products, but is now expanding that option to casements (factory-applied).

“We expect this intuitive device to be well received as a solution, whether legislation requires it or not,” said Christine Marvin, director of marketing for Marvin Windows and Doors. “We’re certain that builders and owners across the entire housing spectrum will appreciate the value of a high-quality, factory-installed window control opening device for casement products.”

Marvin dealers can offer complete information.

For more information on window safety, take advantage of two FREE printed resources from the National Safety Council:

• “Keeping the Promise of Safety” brochure provides helpful window safety tips. Individual brochures may be downloaded from the National Safety Council web site.
• For larger quantities (in quantities of 100), you may order from the National Safety Council by contacting NSC Customer Service at 800-621-7619. Ask for the “Keeping the Promise of Safety” brochure, product number 00006-6215.

• A free Window Safety Information Kit includes the “Keeping the Promise of Safety Brochure,” as well as Window Safety Tip Sheets, Window Safety Checklist, Window Safety Press Release, and Window Safety Activity and Coloring Book.

 
This kit is available free from the National Safety Council by contacting NSC Customer Service at 800-621-7619. Ask for the “Window Safety Information Kit,” product number 00006-6210. You may order these in any quantity.

A writer for The Healing Home, a blog from the folks at Nicholas Borrell Designs, recently shared his thoughts on the virtues of Marvin windows and doors. We could summarize, but let’s just have the original words speak for themselves:

I have used Marvin products for at least 25 years. By adjusting product details as issues arise and by heeding  market demands, this is an American company that gets everything right. The evolution of their product line has led to unsurpassed aesthetic quality and function. [...] No, this is not a shill for the Marvin Company. It’s the truth.

The writer mentions the quality of the products, the dependable production and delivery schedule, the variety of sizes and options, and more. We’re starting to blush, so we’ll just say “thanks” and ask you to head over and read the full post at The Healing Home.

WARROAD, Minn., March 13, 2012 – Architects from around the world have a chance to inspire and be inspired by the myMarvin Architect’s Challenge, which is accepting entries for its fourth annual competition.

The Architect’s Challenge is fast becoming one of the premier showcases in the architectural world. Winning projects in previous years have displayed the remarkable inspiration of designers in styles both traditional and contemporary, in both the residential and commercial arenas.

A previous Architect’s Challenge winner

Among the projects that impressed the judging panel were a San Francisco townhouse, a Minnesota hunting lodge, a Mediterranean villa and a Catholic church in Wisconsin. There are no limits to the creations you can enter; all that’s required is that they use Marvin windows or doors.

“Marvin is the preferred window and door of architects because we provide tailored solutions to a project to help achieve design objectives,” said Christine Marvin, director of marketing for Marvin Windows and Doors. “In that spirit, we’re proud to showcase the work of architects who have been inspired by Marvin to create some of their best work.”

Entries will be judged on solution-driven design, classical beauty, innovative use of windows and sustainability. William J. Devereaux Jr., Mark Scheurer, AIA, and David Furman, FAIA, will judge this year’s challenge.

Winners will be promoted through traditional and social media and will be featured in our permanent Winners Gallery. We invite architects to submit their best designs featuring Marvin windows and doors by May 31, 2012. Find complete entry information and contest rules at: http://www.marvin.com/window-door-ideas/mymarvin-project/architects-challenge

WARROAD, Minn., March 1, 2012 – In an unprecedented honor, the Builders Association of Minnesota has named Marvin Windows and Doors to the Minnesota Building Industry Hall of Fame.

Marvin is the first company to be so honored, joining 37 individuals who had previously been inducted into the hall.

“It’s an honor and it is humbling to be the only company to have received this award,” said John W. “Jake” Marvin, chairman and chief executive officer of Marvin Lumber & Cedar Co., the parent organization of all the Marvin companies.

“More than four thousand people have ‘thrown in’ with the Marvin companies and have stayed with us throughout these very difficult years,” Marvin said. “Many of these great folks have given us their very best years. So it’s on their behalf that I thank you for this wonderful recognition.

“We’ve always supported builders in Minnesota and across the nation with high-quality, innovative and beautiful products that will help bring their customers’ vision to life,” Marvin said. “We also believe in working together to advance the building industry, which provides high-skill, high-wage jobs for thousands of Minnesotans and millions of Americans.”

Founded in 1994, the Minnesota Building Industry Hall of Fame honors those “who make a significant and lasting contribution to the housing industry in Minnesota and to the Builders Association of Minnesota.”

Marvin was selected as the first company to be inducted because it is a Minnesota company that has consistently supported Minnesota’s home building industry and builders associations, officials said. With well-respected representatives across the state such as Daryl Doehr, John Taylor and Tom Sinning, Marvin has volunteered countless hours in support of the association and the industry.

“The Builders Association of Minnesota is proud to have Marvin Windows and Doors as a member and to have inducted Marvin into the Minnesota Building Industry Hall of Fame,” said BAM President Keith Kylmala. “Members of the Hall of Fame are the pillars of the residential construction industry in Minnesota, and Marvin fits that description perfectly. They so willingly volunteer time, energy and resources to the association and the industry statewide. Marvin is a model citizen of the Minnesota residential construction industry and the communities in which they do business.”

Brett Boyum

Our newly promoted vice president of marketing, Brett Boyum, was featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune as a “Mover & Shaker.” Brett has been with the Marvin family of companies for nearly 15 years, previously serving a term as director of marketing for both Marvin Windows and Doors, and Integrity Windows and Doors.

We’re proud that people of Brett’s caliber choose to build their careers with us, and that’s why we particularly liked one of the comments he made to the Star Tribune reporter:

“Staying at Marvin has been easy,” Brett said. “There’s a value system that aligns really strongly with my personal values, that’s about taking care of people, taking care of the customers and taking care of your community. We’re selling a product that’s part of a customer’s life, it’s part of their family, it’s their home.”

Well said. We look forward to great things under Brett’s leadership.

Though there are signs of a revival in housing, Marvin still maintains a cautious outlook. In an interview withWSJ reporter Robbie Whelan, Susan Marvin pointed out that the housing business still has a long way to get back to pre-recession levels.

Still, despite the boost in renovation work, and some signs of uptick from the dealer and distributor communities, Marvin is predicting little to no growth in revenues for 2012. Best case scenario, Ms. Marvin says, the company’s orders will rise 5%, but even that is unlikely.

“We’re not talking about a housing recovery,” she says. “We’re talking about a small pickup.”

Read the full article at wsj.com.

Warroad, Minn. – Marvin’s industry-leading Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung products are now even more versatile with the addition of a new 14-degree frame bevel option.

The new frame bevel option gives builders and remodelers three choices for this popular product: 0 degrees, 8 degrees and 14 degrees. Now Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung products can adapt even more tightly to the existing frames – providing a cleaner appearance and reduced jobsite labor.

The 14-degree bevel option is available on the following products:

• Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung
• Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung Transom
• Clad Ultimate Insert Double Hung Picture

Warroad, Minn. – The industry-leading Ultimate Outswing French Door from Marvin Windows and Doors has added a host of features for improved aesthetics and superior performance.

From panels and profiles to sills and shadow lines, Marvin’s engineers and designers have gone over every inch of this door, making a great product even better.

Product improvements include:

• A more robust sill design, raising the DP rating to 50 in many sizes and configurations (up from DP40)
• A solid performer against air and water infiltration
• New sill design stands up to the rigors of the jobsite
• Industry’s widest selection of standard sizes and operating configurations
• Wood exterior doors no longer incorporate a back rabbet casing
• Easier field mulling
• Easier application of field applied casings
• A new interior sill cover profile available in mahogany or oak
• Offers traditional wood sill appearance while maintaining the performance associated with Ultrex sills
• Available for all sizes and operating configurations
• A new raised panel design in .080-inch stamped aluminum — this popular option now offered at a more attractive value point
• Enhanced aesthetics incorporate cleaner, simpler sightlines
• New exterior frame profile on clad doors delivers a classic, flat look mimicking traditional wood profiles
• Interior jamb surfaces incorporate full-width stops, enhancing the clean detail of the new dooro A less obtrusive sweep delivers a clean sightline across the bottom of the door panels

“These improvements make the Ultimate Outswing French Door an even better choice for builders, remodelers, architects and homeowners,” said Christine Marvin, director of marketing for Marvin Windows and Doors.