Delden Garage Doors

A Tale of Two Leaders: Their Lessons and Legacy

Leadership is so important; it can mean the difference between a company that survives and thrives for decades and a company that folds early on. The employees of Delden Garage Doors feel blessed to be where they are based on the actions of two great leaders, Gene Renner and Denise Dahms.

In the Beginning

In 1956, Gene Renner partnered with his father, Elmer, to sell garage doors as R&R Garage Door company in Kansas City, Missouri. While the door company did not do very well the first year and came close to closing the doors permanently, a tornado came through the area in 1957, and in its wake, garage door sales soared. R&R became Renner Supply, selling and installing garage doors and hardware.

In 1964, Renner  bought the Lincoln Door Clamp, and with three minority owners, created a manufacturing company to make wood garage doors. Renner named the company Delden after Deelayne, Dennis, and Denise, his three children. In 1969, the company expanded into the production of fiberglass, and aluminum doors. Then in 1980, Delden bought a rollformer and began producing commercial steel doors. 

Renner was known as a good business man, with an entrepreneurial spirit and an innovative and risk-tolerant approach. Gene credited his success to surrounding himself with good people who filled the gaps in his own knowledge and experience. A very personable man, he remembered names and people, and he taught his daughter to keep looking forward. 

The company grew significantly under Renner’s leadership, and by the time he retired in 2003, the company had a strong footprint in the Midwest. 

Coming of Age

Brad Dodson, third generation co-owner, son of Dee Layne, said that while Renner was forever looking to be ahead of the next innovation, Denise Dahms, Renner’s daughter and successor, had her own style and her own gifts to bring to the company. She saw that they had benefitted from Renner’s innovative spirit and had thrived upon it, but they needed some stability. Dahms brought that financial stability to the company.

The company provides garage doors and operators to pole barn builders, shed builders, garage door dealers, lumber yards, and shed builders. They have recently begun manufacturing boxed garage door kits that include tracks and all, and these are often purchased by shed builders. 

One of the lessons Dahms instilled in the management team is to value every customer, both big and small. Everyone is treated with the same care.

Employees and Culture

“Care about your people. That’s big,” Dodson said. “If you don’t care about them, they will not work hard for you.” 

The company now boasts about 125 workers. Dodson says that one of the ways  they retain employees is through providing people with a safe environment where no one is watching over their shoulder, and each employee is given a chance to contribute, to spread their wings, and be successful. They promote from within; most of the top-level people started at another job in the company and worked their way up to their current positions. 

The expectation is that everyone in the company treats everyone else like they want to be treated.

Challenges and Opportunities

Some employees can be a real challenge, Dodson acknowledges. When there is high demand for the company’s service and few workers and job applicants, a company can find themselves with some employees who take advantage. However, that is short-term thinking on the employee’s part, and once the worst of the rush is over, the situation is remedied. The company comes out of the situation stronger for the experience, knowing who their loyal employees are, Dodson said. 

Delden came through the supply chain issues that accompanied the COVID-19 lockdown more swiftly than many competitors, Dodson believes, because while they do not make anything from raw materials, they maintain relationships with many vendors for components, so they were in a position where they could quickly pivot. 

Philosophy and Advice

It takes grit and a competitive spirit to make it in this industry, Dodson said. You have to be able to deal with failure. And when you have failed, you need to focus on what you learned, not the failure itself. You also need to be able to think outside of the box. And something that Dahms and Renner both strongly believed is that it’s important to surround yourself with good, smart people.

“These were some of the values Dahms taught me and William,” Dodson said referring to Dahms’ son, fellow co-owner of the company.

“Find out what differentiates you from your competitors,” Dodson advised. If you can’t find that differentiating factor, then create one. Look for a need and figure out how to fill it. Find out what other competitors are unwilling to do, and do it. 

Have patience with older employees; it may take them longer to do some things, but they still have plenty to bring to the table and will likely teach you something.

Whatever challenges you are going through, believe that you are becoming stronger for it, and you will.

Keep Looking Ahead

Denise Dahms passed away last year after 42 years at the company, 30 as the president. The company as a whole feels her loss keenly. 

“Denise Dahms and Gene Renner are dear to many people here,” Dodson said. “They, and their lessons, will not be forgotten,” he added.

However, as both of these great leaders would have wished, the company they founded and nurtured is looking toward the future with excitement. 

“There is a lot of growth potential out there,” Dodson said. 

The company has a presence in eight states currently, so there are many places they could go. 

“We have a great leadership team,” Dodson said, “and our people are the best. They make the real difference. Without them, we couldn’t do it.”