When Adam Blanck’s father and uncle — Wallside Windows co-owners Stanford Blanck and Stuart Blanck, respectively — approached him about joining the family business five years ago, he saw it as a great opportunity for himself and for the company.
Stanford and Adam Blanck are in the family business at Wallside Windows, celebrating 75 years in Michigan.
Adam, who was working as corporate law attorney at the time and has degrees from the University of Michigan Law School and Ross School of Business, says he saw an opportunity to bring his business and legal expertise to the company his grandfather, father and uncles had built over seven decades to help it thrive into the future. It was also the chance to carry his family’s legacy to the next generation, with a focus on something bigger than himself.
At the Taylor, Michigan-based company, Adam has charted his own path as chief of staff. Day to day, he has no shortage of tasks at Wallside and is always working to prioritize where he’s most needed. He views himself as “somewhat of a servant leader,” and provides support to managers and leaders to make their jobs easier. But his list of responsibilities extends well beyond that.
Adam is involved in trouble shooting with sales reps, contractors and customer issues. He is the primary liaison between Wallside and its creative and media buying agencies for advertising and marketing. He works on strategic development and how the company can achieve better results. Adam ensures suppliers meet Wallside’s expectations on quality, pricing and service. And he monitors the overall health of the company.
Adam calls on his business, legal and political backgrounds to guide him in his role at Wallside.
He says business school helped him learn to make decisions to the best of his ability with the information available to him. Among his takeaways from his take as an attorney are that he can better understand how the law impacts the business world, as well as identify risks and liabilities. Meanwhile, working in operations and logistics of political campaigns helped him learn to think on his feet and get things done with little direction or time.
“No one’s going to tell you how to do it; you’ve just got to figure it out. If you see there’s an issue, go solve it,” he says of his work in politics. “And a lot was about communication and learning how to craft a message, honing in on how do we want to sell ourselves.”
He says that part about messaging has been key at Wallside and helping to make sure customers understand the high standards Wallside holds itself and its products to.
As he looks forward, Adam’s focus is taking care of every customer while utilizing modern technology and continuing to grow.
“Our biggest goal is to modernize so we can improve our processes,” he says. “Part of that is utilizing what’s out there to better deliver what our core values are.”
He says the company also has plans for growth beyond Michigan and Ohio, expanding the offerings of its energy-efficient vinyl replacement window products and services throughout the Great Lakes region.
While he is carving out his own path and legacy at Wallside, Adam credits his father and uncle with setting key examples for how to be a leader that keeps a company’s long legacy and strong reputation intact.
“What they both have taught me is relationships are extremely important and partnerships are important,” he says, explaining that it’s critical to have strong relationships within the organization and beyond to vendors, contractors and customers.
“They have both taught me the importance of hard work and showing up and being visible. In many ways we’re in the trenches with our folks. We are here day in and day out,” he says.
And his favorite part of his job at Wallside?
“Working with my dad every day,” Adam says. “I think that’s a gift.”
Wallside Windows is proud to celebrate 75 years as a family business. If it’s time to get your replacement vinyl windows visit WallsideWindows.com/estimate or call 1-800-521-7800 to schedule your free estimate.
