Glass Doctor Franchises Helped Father Stay Close To Family

Kerry Culver was busy at work and not much else.

"I was missing seeing my kids growing up," Culver said about his decision to open his own auto glass shop, which has since grown into five Glass Doctor franchise locations.

Now, he works with one of his three children, Nyles.

"It's just fabulous. It's something that allows me to be in a role as a parent but also as a teacher and gives me more time with him because I can see him when he works as well as during social, family times," Culver said.

Culver opened the Missoula shop at 2324 McDonald Ave. in 1993 under the name Diamond Auto Glass. In 2001, he switched to Glass Doctor because they carried more products. By 2004, he owned nine shops in Montana and sold six that year (which his brother-in-law now owns).

The decision to sell some of the locations came after Culver said he found himself spending time away from home to keep up with the other shops.

"I didn't want to get back into a situation where I was on the road all the time and missing my loved ones," he said.

Culver still owns the Missoula location, one in Polson and another in Kalispell, as well as three in Spokane, Wash. Nyles meanwhile is a glass specialist at the Missoula location. Total, Culver employs 19 people.

Working with Nyles has its joys, but also has its challenges for both the father and son.

"(Nyles) not only has to be as good but he in some cases has to be a little better in order to gain the respect," Culver said.

At the same time, Culver said he must treat Nyles and other employees fairly instead of giving preference to his son.

"I just try to be fair to everybody," he said. "And try to include all of my employees as if they're all family."

Nyles said he thrives in the supportive environment where his coworkers are the best part of the job.

"We have a positive atmosphere because everyone seems to enjoy what they do for a living and we work together quite well," he said.

"It is a great opportunity to work for my father and to be part of the team," he added.

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Despite the decades of service the shops have provided, people are still surprised by the breadth of services available, Culver said. "There're a lot of people who still believe that we only do auto glass."

While auto glass services do make up about 75 percent of business, residential glass services are the fastest growing part of his stores, Culver said.

"I believe it's the quality of our work and the word of mouth," he said about the trend.

People also are interested in remodeling instead of purchasing new homes, and his specialists can replace panes of glass without having to replace the entire window pane and can customize showers and more, he added.

While they have storefronts, the shops are best known by the mobile service vans that go to customers for everything from windshield chip repairs and replacements to measuring residential windows to drawing up shower specs to glass table tops.

Advances in technology mean that virtually any job can be completed from the vans, and windshields can be installed in up to -15 degree temps, Culver said.

"They're amazed," he said about customers' reaction to speedy, convenient repairs.

As the world becomes more and more technologically advanced, so are the vans, and specialists are getting laptop/tablet combos so they can run payments, draw up estimates, provide specs and more on site.

Being part of a national business has its perks, such as the buying power that translates into affordable, name-brand products. At the same time, local ownership maintains fast,

friendly service.

The combination has created many repeat customers, Culver said.

"Our success isn't measured by the first time you come to us," he said, but rather the second and third.

Whether Nyles will take over when Culver retires � if he ever retires, Culver joked � remains to be seen. For the time being, the father and son are content working as they are, Culver said.

"I think most of all, we love what we're doing," he said about their success so far.

Franchise Ranking History
Franchise 500�: #459 (2014), #397 (2013), #163 (2012), #167 (2011), #240 (2010),
Fastest-Growing: #97 (2011),
Top Home-Based: #36 (2012),
America's Top Global: #129 (2012), #132 (2011), #179 (2010)

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