Marvin Windows Customer Reviews: Mitch’s Story

By: Architectural Visions

Though at AVI we beautify and improve customers’ homes, it’s working with the homeowners we enjoy the most. With a product such as Marvin that is made to order for each customer, the stories behind the orders often get very personal.
Recently many customers wrote to Marvin in response to national media coverage about how they avoided layoffs, preserving their valuable workforce – a key to what makes Marvin so great. Out of those responses came one customers’ story …
When Mitch’s family built their prized vacation house on Long Beach Island, NJ in the 1950’s, his father and grandfather, who were coppersmiths, handcrafted the flashings.
Over the decades, along with the parties and summer fun, the home was battered by the extremes that go with life on a barrier beach.
As surrounding houses of the same vintage were restored, 2006 found Mitch pondering the options for preserving his little bit of heaven. He weighed a full tear down versus a renovation, and began extensive research on building materials. Being a vacation home, it could not be a budget breaker; still he wanted the home to be there for his daughter and for generations beyond. When it came to windows, Mitch ruled out vinyl – it would never survive. On the other hand, the copper on the house lasted because it was made with care, especially for this home.

Mitch hit upon Integrity® from Marvin windows and doors. He knew it made sense to build a window for a house near the ocean the way you build a boat, out of fiberglass. What’s more, Long Beach Island residents have worked for decades to protect their wildlife and environment, leading Mitch to further appreciate Integrity’s earth friendly ways.
For example, the main ingredient, sand, is an abundant resource constantly renewed by the environment –appropriate for a beachside home. His builder, Marty Bennett, also agreed Integrity was a great choice. Two qualifications that gave Marty’s opinion weight: He’d built a home for Steve Jobs and therefore had an impressive reputation, and he built custom fiberglass surfboards. Marty understood this material was perfect for coastal windows. The renovation proceeded in 2008 with Integrity throughout the house.

This story came full circle in October 2011 when Mitch read about Marvin in the NY Times. After learning how Marvin had stood by its employees, avoiding layoffs throughout the recession, Mitch was inspired to tell Marvin about how their integrity and commitment to employees fit as perfectly in the close-knit Long Beach Island community as Integrity windows had fit into his coastal island home. Like the Long Beach community, who practiced stewardship of their homes, community, and environment, Marvin valued their people, community, and environment.
Have a story about your own Marvin window and doors products? Let us know.