Focused Excellence in Community Service
Giving Back

Our Responsibility as Business People

They say that if you serve Charleston, South Carolina, Charleston will serve you. For most, it’s a simple expression. For Henry Hay, president and owner of The Muhler Co.—a building supplies provider of windows and doors, shutters, patio enclosures and more—it’s a lifestyle.

Much like the stately homes, lofty churches and well-preserved sites that stand in the city today, Hay and his company are modern-day representatives of historical Charleston. Specifically, the days when major business deals were struck over a handshake and, more importantly, people took care of one another. It’s a philosophy that Hay has subscribed to all of his life, and serves as his motivation to give back to the community. “Giving back to those who may be less fortunate than us is our responsibility as business people and members of the community,” says Hay. “It’s something we’ve always done, and will continue to do because it’s a way that we can improve someone else’s quality of life.”

Hay’s philosophy about giving back to the community is evident in the company’s sales approach. “In talking with a potential customer, we always ask the question, ‘what are you looking for in a window?’ up front,” Hay explains. “We make it a point not to push them into buying a specific brand. Instead, we want to show them that they have options and really focus on finding the best solution for the customer.” And this hands-on approach is easily realized for customers as they stroll through Muhler’s 14,000-square-foot showroom, where products by Weather Shield, Jeld-Wen, Marvin, Accu-Weld, Great Lakes Window, Temo and more are showcased.

Located off Interstate 26, a thruway for the highest traffic flow of any roadway in South Carolina, the Muhler showroom is the largest of its kind in the state. For a company that started from scratch 16 years ago, the showroom, and the company, has experienced significant growth. Muhler got its start as a dual distributor of Marvin Windows & Doors. As their business volume began to grow, Muhler diversified by adding additional product lines and services like commercial glazing fabrication and commercial installation, specializing in mixed-use applications. The AAMA-certified company has truly gravitated toward becoming a single source supplier.

CHANGING LIVES
For Hay, giving back to the community takes many forms including monetary contributions, sponsorships and product donations to local branches of organizations like the Ronald McDonald House, Boy Scouts of America, the United Way and Habitat for Humanity. But the generosity doesn’t stop there for this winner of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award for Community Involvement in 2005. Donations in the form of service also are common practice. “When one of my sales guys returned from a call at the Jenkins Orphanage, and told me that the girls’ dormitory was in urgent need of replacement windows but could not afford to pay for them, I went to the site to see for myself,” says Hay. “I was shocked to find that the windows were literally falling out of the walls. I knew something needed to be done.” Hay discovered that the people of the 150-year-old establishment had replaced the windows in the girls’ dormitory only a few years prior, but that low-end product, which failed to meet the necessary specifications, had been used by another local window dealer to complete the job. Knowing the importance of creating a safe environment for the resident orphans, and preserving the historical integrity of this community landmark, Hay recruited more than 60 volunteers to do a job one Saturday. “We went to the orphanage, fed everyone breakfast, and installed 30 new replacement windows—free of product and installed cost,” he says. “In less than three hours time, we were really able to make a difference for the orphans.”

Rosemarie West served as the executive director for Jenkins Orphanage at the time of the installation. “It was a magnificent day,” she says. “Muhler came out with all of the materials needed to put in new windows. They even brought family members and other people of the community to install them. And [Henry Hay] came out to be sure that everything was done properly.

“The new windows made a significant difference in terms of quality of life for the girls of our facility,” West says, adding that the new windows helped the girls to feel more secure in their living environment—safe from the elements and more protected from unwanted intrusions.

Hay and the company have completed many other installations like the Jenkins Orphanage project, sans compensation. On two different occasions, Hay donated replacement windows to Trinitas House, a place where underprivileged schoolchildren in the community can go to study and have access to computers. Muhler was honored with a Community Spirit Award for Giving Back from Charleston magazine for contributing windows to the Hebron Presbyterian Church on Johns Island. The church, which was originally constructed in the 1870’s out of the remains of a shipwreck, had been severely damaged by Hurricane Hugo. “We really wanted to help the people of the church, so we donated our labor and supplied the windows,” Hay explains. “While the renovations were taking place, we allowed people in the community to sponsor our efforts by buying a window to show their support.”

Chris Rose, president of Christopher Rose Architects who led the restoration effort at Hebron Church, remembers starting his architectural firm around the same time that Hay was entering the building supplies business. “I’ve known Henry a long time and have nothing but great things to say about him and the contributions he has made,” says Rose. “The beautiful, handcrafted mahogany windows he installed were an integral part of the design to restore the church. We’re very grateful to have them as part of the finished project.”

Installations aside, Hay’s charitable support sometimes is delivered in the form of sponsorship. For the past three consecutive years, Muhler has served as the title sponsor of the Sertoma Football Classic—an event that draws up to 25,000 residents of the community, local bands and cheerleaders to watch local high school football teams battle one another in a six-game series that ultimately benefits a local shelter for abused children. For Hay, this activity for charity is personal. “I used to play in the Classic when I was a kid,” he says. “When the major sponsor pulled out three years ago, I knew I had to step in and support the event. It’s preserving a piece of my own past and, much more importantly, it helps children in need.”

FOLLOWING HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS
While many window and door dealers contribute to charity, few do as much for their local communities as Henry Hay. So why does he give so much? “Aside from the desire to do what I can to help others, I suppose it’s because I come from generations of very giving people,” Hay explains. “My father was a very generous man, as was my grandfather. My father was always doing favors for people and contributing monetarily to his church.” Hay adds that his father always emphasized the importance of civil service and was an active member of their local Sertoma chapter for 40 years.

Hay feels that being from a family that has always been tied in to the community helps to generate business, as well as present charitable opportunities for Muhler. “My uncle, who is involved with the Trinitas House, immediately thought of my company when he learned that the facility needed replacement windows. He is the one that referred them to me,” he says.

Even Hay’s employees serve as an inspiration. “Everyone is committed to providing superior products and service to our community,” he says, adding that in addition to the television and print advertising that he does on behalf of Muhler, much of the company’s business is generated through referrals—a result of Hay’s direct and personal involvement with his projects and visibility in the community.

SELLING LIFELONG PARTNERSHIPS
The Muhler Co. services builders, contractors and architects on the residential and commercial sides of the industry, in addition to homeowners on the retail end. Rather than simply selling his products, Hay aims to foster long-lasting relationships with his customers so that they’ll turn to Muhler for all of their future building supply needs. “We’re the guys you can rely on,” Hay explains. “Our maintenance and repair service is one of the main reasons customers trust us, because we service everything we’ve ever sold. Many of our competitors will install a particular window and eventually discontinue it to be able to carry a new, more modern product in its place. Then, when a customer calls a few years later to request service, they’re forced to turn to the manufacturer for assistance.” In cases like this, it’s not unusual for the competitors’ customers to call Muhler for service. “It’s not always easy, but we do our best to service everyone,” says Hay.

Rose appreciates the Muhler ethics when it comes to service. “Henry is forthright when handling product issues,” says Rose. “They’re not common, but when they do happen, he’ll do everything in his power to correct the problem, and then report back to the manufacturer. He would never leave anyone out in the cold.”

Education is another reason that customers look to Muhler. The company recently hosted more than 60 local architects in its spacious showroom for a lunch-and-learn seminar about impact resistance and the company’s selection of products that comply. Muhler also makes a point to invite new builders in the community to the facility for an informative tour and background on the company’s products and services.

With valuable partners, a successful business, and a mission to actively support his community, Hay has goals for growing his business by 50 percent and solidifying The Muhler Co.’s reputation for being a no hassles, value-added window and door supplier and installer. Of course, for Hay, personal and workplace philanthropy, and service to Charleston, remains a priority.