Window of Opportunity - Pella of Northern Texas

There's a lot to be excited about when you look at Pella DFW, the North & West Texas sales branch of Pella Windows and Doors. They have been named a “Best Place to Work” by the Dallas Business Journal for two years running. The sales branch earned Pella Corporation’s exclusive President’s Award for the fastest growing branch in North America. These acknowledgments make Pella DFW owner, Matt Poulter, beam with pride on the accomplishments of his team.

When you talk with Matt, these top rankings instill a sense of pride. He expresses that the recognitions are a testament to the hard work and ethical relationships that the Pella team members and the dedicated army of Pella certified installation contractors have with its community of builders, architects, and homeowners. 

“We really have developed something special here,” said Matt, who is now retiring from his ownership role at the branch. “I had a long career at Pella corporate before purchasing the sales branch here in Dallas. The team we’ve built has excelled in every way. We feel we have the perfect formula – selling a world-class brand, represented by people who have a passion for both our products and customer service. We are blossoming, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team.”

Pella DFW – West Texas Team mission statement – “Our mission is to be the dominant brand and channel of choice, a profitable and growing business, and a premier employer.” 

While Matt has always had a passion for the window and door business, starting his career on the night shift of the Pella manufacturing floor, he’s also had a life-long calling for helping others. His next journey will be dedicating his attention to expanding orphanages for disabled children and mentoring young entrepreneurs. The non-profit organization he has established operates in India, and another location soon to open in Taiwan, with both site and country expansions planned in the near future. 2 But, in order to dedicate himself full time to this mission, Matt had to make the hard decision to sell the Pella business. “But not to just anyone,” he said. “I needed to entrust this business to leaders I felt right about – leaders who have the right mix of the respect of their peers, industry knowledge, and a track record of driving businesses forward. More importantly to me, they needed to match my passion in continuing to develop and grow our team. We know that our customers have choices on where they buy their windows and doors, but they come to us because of our team. I’m so proud of how we have continued to be named a “Best Place To Work.” We rarely have to advertise positions here – people want to come and work with us. It’s a very close-knit company, and that’s how we always want it to be.”

Matt has brought two leaders together to grow the future of the company. Those leaders and now co-owners are Greg Hirsch, CEO, and Jamie Ogle, President. 

Jamie has been on the Pella DFW team for nearly ten years. Since he became the GM in 2015, he and the team have doubled the business. In Jamie’s thirty years in the building products industry, he has always been focused on growth. He started his professional career by building a doors and mill-work startup. During his fifteen years with Masco, he built three divisions from scratch in three varied industries; fireplace distribution, structured wiring, and home efficiency products. Jamie grew up in the trades – his dad was a carpenter; his uncles were in roofing and tile work. He spent his summers swinging a hammer and installing product. He even had a college scholarship to build sets for the theater department while pursuing his economics studies. Jamie also answers to his childhood nickname, “Colgate,” because he is always smiling. He has been married to Nicole for almost 20 years. They enjoy attending their teenage sons' sporting events, boating, and hosting foreign exchange students. 

Greg has an accomplished twenty-five-year career in leading, growing, and scaling-up companies. Greg is a former executive at Daseke (North America’s largest flatbed/specialized trucking company). Greg led Daseke’s first operating company's scaling efforts; when he joined the operation, it was similar in revenue size to where Pella Dallas is today. That team then came together to double the revenue in just three years. He later joined the Daseke corporate team, where they grew the revenue to over $1.6B. Prior to Daseke, Greg was with Sysco North Texas as a highly decorated salesperson and sales executive. He is also a former Mayor Pro Tem for the city of Addison, TX (then the youngest council person ever elected). Greg originally came to the North Texas region to play football at the University of North Texas, where he earned bachelor's and master’s degrees. Greg is a proud Eagle Scout and is still very active in scouting today. He has been married to Barbara for soon to be twenty years, and they have two teenagers.

“Greg and Jamie will use their respective skill sets and shared passion for people to make a great company even better,” said Matt. 

Jamie said, “Greg and I are so excited to team up – we each bring our areas of expertise. It’s a perfect combination to support the team in the growth we will be achieving. He can rely on me for all the industry knowledge, and I can rely on him for his business acumen and the ability to scale up our company. The people at Pella North & West Texas, and many of our customers, know me well. They’ve seen my work ethic and value system and how our sales branch works as a team, promoting from within and empowering people. They’ll soon see that Greg is cut from the same cloth. He, too, mirrors people-first qualities and understands how ‘team’ truly makes the difference. We will continue to invest in people to develop further what we have started. It’s going to be exciting.” 

For Greg, Pella was the right calling at the right time. “I was introduced to Matt by a mutual connection, and it didn’t take long to see we had a great cultural fit and a shared vision of the future,” he said.

“I wanted to invest in a real product – something that has been used through time and will always be used. You don’t get more real than windows and doors – we will always need them. Then, doing my homework, I saw that the North and West Texas territory (where Pella DFW operates) represents 40% of the state. It is blessed to be one of the fastest-growing markets in the United States. Looking further, based on a 2020 survey of leading window brands amongst homeowners, Pella DFW is rated #1 by Dallas/Ft. Worth homeowners as both the highest quality and most trusted window brand. Dallas/Ft. Worth homeowners recommend Pella windows more than any window brand. More exciting to me was that this team had worked diligently to come together to build a people-focused culture. I am thrilled and grateful to be joining this team.” 

Greg also shared, “In just our second meeting, Jamie and I shut down the restaurant like two old friends catching up; he is just awesome. I couldn’t be more excited and optimistic. I’m confident that the team is poised and ready to double our sales in three years, perhaps triple in five. The opportunity is there to become the undisputed dominant window and door company in North & West Texas. Jamie and I are ready to keep the momentum rolling.”

The Poulter Family’s Mission: 

While Matt passes the baton, he said he plans to be the branch’s biggest cheerleader. “The people there mean the world to me, but I know they’re in good hands with Greg and Jamie. I’ll still live in Dallas and provide any help I can.” 

One thing that invigorates Matt is the potential in people. Part of his new life entails mentoring and working with young entrepreneurs to kick-start opportunities. Not only does Matt provide counsel and advice, but he uses his connections to help bring a real chance to the next generation. 

While that keeps Matt’s business sense sharp, a more personal challenge is to bring life-changing care to disabled orphans. Matt and his wife, Mandy, have been adoptive caregivers themselves for years. Matt and Mandy knew each other growing up. Mandy had 16 kids in her family – many adopted, some with special needs. “When we got married, we knew we wanted to continue that service, and we did,” said Matt. “We have two biological children plus five adopted.”

But it was one special adoption that brought an extra ray of light into the family. In 2012, the family adopted Keaton – a boy born prematurely in a small village in Taiwan. Unable to leave a hospital setting (needing full-time care with a feeding tube), Keaton was placed in a nursing home with elderly patients -- heartbreaking for a vibrant and full-of-life child with a medical condition. The Poulters learned of his plight, and, after eight months, we're able to work out paperwork with the courts to adopt him. 

He was the light of the family – truly loved by all. But he succumbed to influenza complications, and in 2016, at the age of 8, he left this world with a heartbroken family behind. 

He was never to be forgotten, and soon after, the family started Keaton’s Angel Homes – providing loving homes with personal care for special needs children initially in India and Taiwan. 

“We started by being part of the solution through adoption,” said Matt. “Now we’re transitioning full-time to the ground floor – helping children out of the gate while they wait for an adoptive family. We’re trying to be part of that solution…it takes a special family to make a commitment to adopt a special needs child. There are many Keatons out there waiting to bring joy to families -- the way Keaton brought joy to ours. He’ll never be forgotten, and our mission is in his honor.”