For Storm Smart’s 2011 Christmas party, the employees of Storm Smart presented Brian with a gift certificate to the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Brian’s fastest lap was greater than 134 MPH and said it reminded him of driving across alligator alley. Upon his return, he personally thanked everyone for the gift certificate and is looking forward to hearing from NASCAR as to when he starts.

People like Mike Duggan who along with his team of customer service reps create lead after lead for each of our Territory Managers to meet with home owners in SW Florida. To each of our Territory Managers who are the best trained team of men and women in our industry. We would not have the record sales without the way they make each and every customer feel as though they have the best person giving them the best advice on how to protect their homes in case of an emergency.

People like Hilda Provost who handles all of the scheduling for every one of our hundreds of projects each month. This is not a small task. Hilda has to magically make every customer feel as though their job is the most important and meet the deadline that they need.

We truly believe that if you take care of the customer that they will take care of you. This is why our #1 form of advertising is our customer referrals. Our referrals far out perform any of our other advertising to a tune of 43% of our income. This is huge! And can only come from superior customer service, follow up and customer satisfaction which leads to them recommending us to their neighbors, friends and family.

Get a piece of mind. Join our family of over 60,000 satisfied customers by relying on a company you can trust! Be Safe… Be Smart… Storm Smart.

In today’s tough economy you have heard of the many challenges that companies are facing. We have not been immune to those challenges. We work our hardest everyday to overcome each obstacle with integrity and character. We have a “Zero Tolerance Policy” towards poor customer service. We truly believe that when you take care of your customer they will take care of you.

This is why we are proud to announce that we have had one of the best sales quarters in the past 5 years. We solely contribute this to the dedication and hard work of the almost 120 employees that work here and our loyal customers that keep referring our name. So we want to thank all of our loyal customers and each and every one of The Smart Companies team. Thank you!

Due to the record sales that we have been experiencing Brian Rist has decided to really take another look at our wholesale division. He has decided to reinvest and bring on another talented individual by the name of Greg Slaydon. Greg is a seasoned manufacturing rep that has been selling storm protection throughout the United State’s high velocity hurricane zones for many years.

Our mission is to make sure that everyone has the ability to obtain our lifesaving Storm Catcher screen to protect their family and homes. If you are a window, shutter business owner and would like more information on our wholesale pricing for Storm Catcher Screen. Please contact Kim Trapp (239-938-1000) at our home office and she will make sure that you get set up with one of our wholesale applications.

Once again David Gilbert has been nominated for selling the coolest job. To us it’s not always the most elaborate job that counts, even though we have thousands of them. It’s really the experience of the families that let us into their homes to help them protect what is so dear to them.

This job was done in Colonial Country Club in Fort Myers. We often protect your entire home but in this case installing 2 Motorized Storm Catcher screens we not only protected their lanai, but extended their living space.  They chose a Bone colored screen trimmed in White matching the aesthetics of the home’s exterior.  Now they have another room added to their home which gives them privacy and allows them to sit outside when they want in any type of weather.

“How do you spell total satisfaction… STORM SMART that’s how!!”

John and Janet G.

The job was installed by Shane Wise. Shane is only 28, but has been working here as a full time installer for 8 years. He is one of our most talented installers who have won many coolest job installations. The Gatecliff’s raved about how clean he was all the way through, then how educating he was when he was finished showing them how to use the remote controllers.

Nice Job David and Shane for taking care of the Gatecliff’s from start to finish.

The Smart Companies is proud to announce our new sales consultant, Bob Logan, who will be taking over part of the Collier Territory. Although he is new to our company, he is not new to the shutter industry! He has been selling shutters, windows and doors in SW Florida for many years. He will be making a great addition to our already mighty sales team!

Another new addition to our growing company is Greg Slaydon, another experienced sales person. He will be increasing our sales in the Wholesale division. Greg is a seasoned manufacturing rep that has been selling storm protection throughout the United States for many years. We are excited to have both men as part of The Smart Company family. Welcome aboard!

Hurricane season is rapidly approaching and we are prepared for any storm that comes our way. The question is; are you or the community that you live in ready?  We are truly grateful to each of our customers for keeping us first and foremost in your mind when you think of storm protection and energy conservation. The Smart Companies has found a way to thank each of our loyal Home Owner Associations & Condo Associations by offering a complimentary Wine & Cheese Event Catered just for your community and most of all, YOU!

This is a great way for everyone in your community to come together and socialize, possibly meeting new members and getting the opportunity to ask questions about the latest technology in storm protection. Last week we had an amazing turnout at Jonathan’s Bay in South Fort Myers with about 40 people in attendance. We gathered around the Pool Clubhouse at Sunset; spoke for a few minutes and answered many questions.  Some of the attendees were new to the SW Florida area and appreciated the literature and information about hurricane awareness and preparation that was provided to them, as well as the free gifts and door prize.  All in all, it was a ton of fun!

Best of all, because we had such a great turnout, we offered a discount community rate so every person will get the same great deal! We know that building relationships and really getting involved in the communities that we do business in, gives our customers the ability to meet our company’s representatives and build a trust, knowing that we will be there when they need us.

If your Community is interested in setting up a Complimentary FREE Wine & Cheese Event provided by The Smart Companies, please do not hesitate to contact Vikki Sheaf, Sales Coordinator at 239-938-1015 so that she can book you at the earliest convenience. We look forward to seeing everyone, very soon.

Every month we spotlight that one job that makes everything worthwhile for us. For the month of January this Consists of our best-seller the “Storm Catcher” Manual Roll down Screen, which spreads across the Vanderbilt’s back lanai?  At a mere cost the value is priceless to the Vanderbilt’s.
The Installer was a young man by the name of Tyler Nagy. He is a very talented man that has only been with our company for about 8 months. He has been an installer in the shutter industry for 6-7 years and does amazing work. We are very proud to have him on the Smart Companies team. Listen to what the Vanderbilt’s had to say about Tyler:

Actual Customer Email:
This is in reference to our experience with Storm Smart. Out installer was Tyler and he was so informative and explained how easy the maintenance was going to be on our new roll down screen.  He had a great personality. It was like socializing with a good friend. He continued to work and did not mind all the questions we had. It was a pleasure having Storm Smart at our home upgrading and improving our hurricane protection.

Thank you.
William and Martha Vanderbilt

We want to thank the Vanderbilt’s for their business and welcome them to the almost 60,000 satisfied Storm Smart customers.

One of the reasons why we have been so successful within our industry is because of our never ending pursuit of training and continued education. CEO Brian Rist has been diligently learning every aspect of the new FBC & Residential Energy Efficiency codes. The new codes were just released in print about a month ago and they can be a game changer!

For example if you’re building a new home and have already chosen aluminum windows you may not pass Plan Review. New windows must have a “Solar Heat Gain Coefficient” , SHGC, of at least 30 or better & most plain aluminum laminated windows do not meet this standard & therefore cannot be installed on a new homes. There are several other calculations that must be met as well, but for those answers you will need to talk with one of our Window Consultants to help you with the best fit for your investment.

Brian is in Germany now attending R+T the largest window and door expo in the world. While there he is meeting with a select group of suppliers worldwide at an Energy Conference, to discuss alternative ways to make our home less energy demanding. It’s interesting to note that French law calls for all homes in France to be zero energy consumers by 2020. This is one of the ways we stay ahead of the pack! Not only is he going there to promote our Storm Catcher Wind Abatement Screen systems, but he is also going to learn about the latest and greatest in Windows, Doors and Shutter protections for our homes & better ways to save money on our energy costs.

We look forward to 2012! We have some GREAT new products that we will start offering that will not only make our lives safer, but help save energy at the same time. To keep up with our new products and offers all you have to do is log onto our Facebook page and click “Like” or “Follow” us on Twitter.

The Marine Toys for Tots foundation was started back in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks and has grown ever since. In 1995 the Secretary of Defence approved the Toys for Tots as an official activity of the U. S. Marine Corps and an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. Since the inception of the Toys for Tots program, they have distributed more than 400 million toys to more that 188 million needy children. Click here for more history about the of this program.

Brian Rist stated ” We are excited to be a part of such an honorable and noble program and look forward to supporting the Marines efforts for years to come.”

Brian Rist, President of The Smart Companies said “It was a shame to see someone’s dream fail due to the construction crash a few years back and we wish him the very best in the future. We are also excited to see this project come to completion after so many years. We are proud to be a part of this project and look forward to the opening next year. The completion of Zoomers is more than just another tourist attraction, the completion also means additional jobs for locals, a boost to the local economy and a place for families to spent time together.”

The Smart Companies will be providing Hurricane Protection for the entire complex. Manufacturing of the shutters will begin in December and the installation will begin in early January.