Kelly Conklin, Gordon’s Window Décor. SBA photo
Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 30 years ago, Gordon’s Window Décor was a one-man-operation. Gordon Clements would sell an order of blinds, go home to custom make the order in his basement and the following day he would perform the installation.
Once business started picking up, Clements moved out of his basement to a commercial space at Fort Ethan Allen in Essex Junction. There he steadily grew his business for the next 25 years. Once the company outgrew its space, the Clements decided to move their operation to a new facility in Williston. The new building doubled its production space, provided better shipping and housed more employees.
Today, Gordon’s Window Décor in Williston, Vt. has a staff of 26 and manufactures blinds, shades and curtains for customers throughout the world.
“The very core of our business is manufacturing,” said Kelly Conklin, Gordon’s Window Décor. “That we manufacture the majority of what we sell is part of what differentiates us and is part of the fiber of our culture. It is not easy to keep manufacturing in the USA and remain profitable and we are doing both.”
Photo: Kelly Conklin, Gordon’s Window Décor. SBA photo
Conklin is Gordon’s daughter and has served a variety of roles including the company’s chief operating officer and retail manager.
Gordon’s Window Décor financed the construction of their building with a Small Business Administration 504 loan, which is an economic development program supporting small business growth, and helps communities through business expansion and job creation. The 504 loan program provides long-term, fixed-rate financing for purchasing and renovating land, buildings and equipment.
The primary reason for the company’s growth was due to international demand. Gordon’s exports it window treatments to Ireland, Japan, Australia and more.
“Australia is our largest international market,” said Conklin. “Even with the added international shipping costs, many of our Australian customers tell us its cheaper to order from Gordon’s.
One of the company’s most profitable exports is its EcoSmart Insulating Shades. The shades keep an interior cool in the summer and warm in the winter through its unique honeycomb design, which saves customers money.
“We are so proud to be building a product that can help in a really concrete way stem the consumption of fossil fuels,” said Conklin. “We are building one of the highest quality shades in the world which means they will keep going and going for 15 years or more.”
After presiding over the company for three decades, Clements will retire and is handing the reigns over to his daughter Kelly. She has been part of the company since 2003 and Conklin was named the President in early 2015.
Clements said while Kelly has only been president for a short time, she has been the one running the company and readying it for the future.
As a family-owned and operated business which has been passed from one generation to the next and is successful in sales, profits and increasing jobs, Gordon’s has been named the SBA’s 2015 Vermont Family-Owned Business of the Year.
“Our company is one that is family-owned, deeply committed to Vermont and is focused on manufacturing, which is the type of company Vermont needs,” said Conklin.
In addition to having a new president, Gordon’s plans for the future include a greater focus on commercial sales and designing new window treatments.
“We have invested heavily in research and development on a brand new product that is currently patent pending. We have invested heavily in the commercial side of our business with a focus on schools and hospitals and we have invested heavily in our web presence. This year of investment is poising Gordon’s for its most exciting and active stage since its inception,” said Conklin.
