Driving Loyalty
Overhead Door Co. of Portland Rides More than Business Cycles
Overhead Door Co. of Portland is a certified veteran-owned company based in Oregon that provides services to homes and businesses across the northwest. Family-owned and operated, it is part of a nationwide network of more than 450 authorized Ribbon Distributors for Overhead Door Corp., one of the most recognized brands in the garage door industry. The team distributes, installs and maintains residential and commercial garage door and operator systems to clients primarily in the Portland area and throughout southwest Washington.
Today, Overhead Door Co. of Portland is led by CEO Jim Stumpf and his son, Ryan Stumpf, who serves as President. These leaders have built their company’s reputation using three key principles—integrity, quality and reliability.
These values have influenced much more than a business. For generations, they have guided a family’s steadfast commitment to putting relationships above all else.
Defining Life Experiences
Jim doesn’t remember the devastating flood that destroyed his birthplace of Vanport in 1948, when he was just two months old. But his heart has always belonged to the seaport city that stands in its place today–Portland.
Jim grew up on a small berry farm, where he and his four siblings first learned the meaning of “a hard day’s work” pruning berry vines and hoeing weeds by hand. His dad worked at a local steel mill. His mom, a devoted mother and housewife. Their family was not wealthy in the traditional sense; nonetheless, they shared something quite priceless.
“My father was a good, honest man who had a strong work ethic. He was one of my greatest mentors and provided the best he possibly could for us. Most people would say we were pretty poor … but we were rich in love,” says Jim. And love was enough for the Stumpf children, who were also taught the value of working hard, being honest citizens, and showing integrity through their actions and decisions.
The kid who learned to drive a tractor at age 11 and relished fly fishing with his older brother eventually made his way to Portland State University, where he studied political science. His collegiate journey ended abruptly in 1968 when he was drafted into the Army.
“A few days before I completed artillery training I received orders that I was going to be deployed to Vietnam. Then at the last minute I was sent to Germany, where I served as a communications specialist during the Cold War,” says Jim, who is proud of the two years he spent in the service of his country.
After he left the service, he found jobs in scarce supply back home in Portland. He picked up temp work helping a national garage door manufacturer relocate its office. What was supposed to be a three-day assignment turned into an 11-year stint—and was the first step toward Jim’s lifelong career in the garage door industry. As he moved up the corporate ladder he worked in various positions, culminating in his role as general manager. It’s also where he met his wife, Sandy, who worked for the same company.
Ownership of the company changed hands when a recession hit, and with it Jim’s salary was significantly reduced. Things really got rocky when, out of the blue, the couple lost their jobs on the same day. Sandy was pregnant with their first child at the time.
“The owner left me a letter saying he didn’t want to pay us anymore. He wanted to save money by replacing us with people who were less qualified and experienced,” says Jim. “Losing our jobs was pretty hard, but we survived it—and other doors of opportunity opened for us.”
He immediately found a new position with Windsor Door Sales. Employment transitioned to partnership. Later, in the early 1980s, Jim and his business partners took over another distributorship in the area—Overhead Door Co. of Portland.
Family Bonds Take Center Stage
“When we were asked to partner with the industry’s oldest and most respected garage door brand, we jumped at the opportunity,” says Jim. “Overhead Door Corp. invented the original overhead door back in 1921 and the garage door opener system in 1926. They’re kind of like the Ford of our industry.”
When Jim took over Overhead Door Co. of Portland, he started with six or seven staff members. Now, there are around 40 employees—and many have been with the company for decades. One of the longest-standing employees might actually be Jim’s son, Ryan, whose first “official” job consisted of counting nuts and bolts in the warehouse at nine years old.
“I grew up in the business,” says Ryan. “During high school, I washed the fleet vehicles on weekends and helped maintain the inventory, and worked on landscaping during the summers. I continued working with the company even during junior college, training under the journeymen and performing garage door installations.”
Ryan is the youngest of Jim and Sandy’s four children—and the only son. “I always used to tell him, ‘you’re my favorite son.’ For a while he didn’t pick up on that, then one day he says, ‘Dad, I’m your only son!’ ” Jim says, laughing.
Jim’s children all went to different colleges, each with different careers in mind. Ryan attended the University of Oregon and earned a degree in business administration. When his dad asked him to join the business—with the possibility of one day taking it over—Ryan was inspired by the prospects of being a leader and his own boss. He accepted his dad’s offer and began working with him full time in 2009.
“My dad and I are extremely close, and working with him is great,” says Ryan. “We’ve always had this understanding that our relationship is more important than work—and we have never let our professional responsibilities compromise that.”
Jim adds, “I know I made the right decision to train up Ryan to lead the company. He’s a quick learner and a hard worker, and also outgoing and not afraid to ask questions. You ask him to do something and he gets it done, and he has so many great ideas!”
Ryan says he’s fortunate to mentor under a man who’s always made family his top priority. These men not only are supportive of each other, they also share many of the same principles and goals. This, Ryan says, is not always the case for other family-owned companies, where loved ones’ relationships can become strained due to divergent priorities and other pressures associated with business operations.
“To be successful in business together, family members need to have honest, open dialogue and be aligned in their priorities and decision-making processes. If there’s one thing my father has taught me, it’s that nothing is more important than family,” he says. His sister, Jaimie, also chose to join the family business. She is the Commercial Project Manager and oversees the administration of all commercial contracts.
When asked how it feels to have his children follow in his career footsteps, Jim responds proudly, “I’m really happy that they feel there’s a future in this business. It is a true blessing that Ryan and Jaimie seem to enjoy working together and get along so well.”
Taking Care of Customers
For Ryan, one of the most important lessons he’s learned is to treat others the way he wants to be treated. He’s coached his staff to apply this understanding to customer service. Oftentimes, metaphorically placing themselves in a customer’s shoes helps them address situations with a more genuine understanding. “We operate five different divisions and we never have any standard, cookie-cutter days—it’s fast-paced and even hectic at times. In service, you’re always dealing with emergencies—and customers’ emergencies are your emergencies. You have to take ownership of that responsibility by understanding the situation from their perspectives,” emphasizes Ryan.
His team’s ability to go “above and beyond” extends past providing great services and products—it’s also about attitude, something much more personal. “It’s our goal to treat our customers with respect at all times, no matter how they treat us. We always want to have a positive impact in their lives,” he says.
A positive customer experience can build feelings that drive loyalty—and referrals. One could make a case that high customer satisfaction is one reason why the Portland team received the coveted Eagle Award for three consecutive years. Between 2014 and 2016, Overhead Door Corp. gave this award to Overhead Door Co. of Portland for meeting and exceeding sales goals.
Compassion Goes the Distance
Taking care of customers is a smart business practice. But taking care of the community is an act of service that takes a completely different kind of commitment. Like other businesses, Overhead Door Co. of Portland proudly supports charities, food drives and other civic activities. One cause is near and dear to the CEO’s heart—Candlelighters For Children With Cancer, a nonprofit that offers support, education and advocacy to the families of children battling cancer.
Jim was first introduced to this organization through a business acquaintance, Dick, who lost his daughter, Jill, to leukemia when she was just nine years old. Candlelighters not only helped this family during Jill’s time of treatment, but also during the grieving period after she passed. In honor of his daughter, Dick started Ride For a Child (RFAC), a cycling team that raises funds to benefit Candlelighters families each year through an event called Cycle Oregon.
Initially, Jim supported Candlelighters as an RFAC sponsor. Then, in 2012, he became an RFAC cyclist himself. “It’s pretty compelling when you meet a child that’s battling cancer. If these kids can go through chemotherapy and radiation to fight against this disease, then I can get on a bicycle and ride a few hundred miles,” says Jim. When he’s not busy working, he’s usually training for the arduous 500-mile biking event that takes place each fall. “I really get serious about training in March. I ride 10, 20, or as far as 50 miles on some days.”
The 30th annual Cycle Oregon event is scheduled for Sept. 9-16, 2017. The route, which crests elevations above 6,400 feet at certain points, starts out at Tumalo State Park and takes riders through the Cascade Range, where they will cruise alongside scenic rivers and skirt the rim of the nearly 2,000-foot-deep Crater Lake.
Candlelighters sponsors a handful of children selected from the communities where the Cycle Oregon event takes place that year. Cyclists often get to know these children months ahead of the ride. “One of the things I enjoy most is meeting some of these kids. On the sixth day of the event the sponsored children and their families join us at our camp site, where we spend the afternoon visiting with them and then have dinner together. If they feel up to it, the kids sometimes even ride with us for a short distance. Just seeing the smiles light up their faces—that’s the best part of the whole experience,” says Jim.
It is this caring for others that best illustrates Jim’s character in both his personal life and in his profession. If his example is any indicator of the level of integrity that he’s passed on to others at his business, then Overhead Door Co. of Portland is primed to continue making relationships not just a priority—but a commitment—in the years ahead.