Sunny Days: Modern Exteriors of Springfield

Owner: Glenn Atkinson

Founded: August 1973

Address: 810 W. Norton Road, Springfield, MO 65803

Phone: (417) 833-5574

Fax: (417) 833-0175

Web site: www.modernexteriors.com

E-mail: info@modernexteriors.com

Services/Products: Sunrooms, cabinets, vinyl siding, basement finishing systems, insulation, windows, doors, composite decks, vinyl railing, guttering, roofing

2006 Revenues: $6 million

Employees: 53 full-time, 12 part-time

Home improvement must run in the veins of the Atkinson family.

Glenn Atkinson, who founded Modern Exteriors of Springfield in 1973, hails from a family who has worked in the home-improvement business for more than 50 years in his hometown of Virginia Beach, Va.

Atkinson credits his grandfather for coining the phrase, “Where quality and price become friends.” Those words now serve as the slogan for Modern Exteriors, 810 W. Norton Road in Springfield, which offers a variety of home-improvement products installed by certified technicians.

Atkinson says he learned the value of quality from his family.

“We put everything in writing and stand behind it,” Atkinson says.

Adding on

Modern Exteriors has built a niche in the sunroom business, as 63 percent of the $6 million in annual revenues comes from the sale of thermal-engineered sunrooms, according to Atkinson.

The company’s sunrooms come in three styles: California, cathedral or studio, the most popular. In addition, they offer ventilated solariums, conservatories and more custom additions made to blend with the existing look of the home.

Rates for sunroom installations vary and are based on each customer’s particular needs.

“(We began) offering sunrooms in 1998 and have sold thousands since,” says Randy Dickens, Modern Exteriors director of marketing.

As one of three TEMO – Trust, Enthusiasm, Motivation and Opportunity – Sunrooms Inc. dealers in Missouri, Modern Exteriors markets its products in 23 southwest Missouri counties. Such marketing efforts involve 12 part-time employees working at product displays within eight area Home Depot stores. Those locations are Springfield; Branson; Joplin; Osage Beach; Columbia; Harrison and Mountain Home, Ark.; and Pittsburg, Kan.

In addition, Modern Exteriors promotes sunrooms at Sam’s Club stores in Springfield and Joplin.

“We have a portable sunroom display inside Sam’s for three weeks at a time, four different times a year,” Dickens says.

Other products offered by Modern Exteriors include vinyl siding, roofing, insulation, composite decks, vinyl railing, guttering, and Renewal by Anderson windows and doors.

According to Dickens, the company started looking at additional products that require interior work as a way to increase business during winter months.

In October, Atkinson expanded the kitchen and bath product lines to include Medallion Cabinetry Inc. by opening a subsidiary business, Modern Cabinets of Springfield at 2202 N. Grant Ave.

In addition, Modern Exteriors began offering TEMO basement finishing systems in January.

Around that same time, Atkinson said the residential roofing division of his company began seeing an influx of business following the January ice storm.

“We expect to see around $1 million in revenues this year from roofing jobs that are a result of insurance claims and storm damage,” he says.

Repeats and referrals

According to Dickens, 38 percent of the company’s sales are the result of a combination of direct customer referrals and repeat business.

As for the future of Modern Exteriors, both Atkinson and Dickens agree that current industry trends indicate their business will grow steadily.

“There are a lot of homes in this particular market that are paid for,” Dickens says, “and we’re seeing more and more of those homeowners investing in remodeling.”

Karen and Bill Krittenbrink of Springfield hired Modern Exteriors to build a sunroom addition to their home a year ago.

“I would highly recommend them because they did nice work and were very professional,” Bill Krittenbrink says. “Now, when we have company over to our house, the sunroom is the first place they seem to go.”

Modern Exteriors Awards and Recognitions

• Named in the Top 100 Home Improvement Companies by Replacement Contractor Magazine, 2006

• Voted Best of the Ozarks for home improvement by readers of Springfield News-Leader, 2006

• Named in the Top 100 U.S. Remodeling Companies by Customer Satisfaction in Qualified Remodeler Magazine, 2005

• Selected member of Springfield’s Best for the last 10 years[[In-content Ad]]