HammerNetwork Opens (Garage) Doors for Homeowners and Businesses

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

When everything in your home is working well, you take it for granted. However, when something you depend on suddenly starts giving you problems, you can only tolerate it for so long before it becomes a nuisance. Such is certainly the case with garage doors and, if you need to replace the one on your home, you might want to consider a call to HammerNetwork at 3875 Hopyard Road.

HammerNetwork was founded February 22, 2000 by three home improvement industry experts and a home improvement computer expert. In 2003, the company became a division of Amarr Garage Doors, one of the industry's largest manufacturers. Amarr makes a broad range of residential and commercial garage doors, including products like carriage house style doors that operate like traditional garage doors. Amarr has been in business since 1951.

"Our primary products are garage doors and openers," says Geoff Foreman, CEO of HammerNetwork. Our customers are the garage door replacement market. We have a national network of installation contractors that we certify and approve within our network to make sure the job is done right."

HammerNetwork has been at Hacienda for approximately a year and a half, with some 20 employees working in the 3,700 square foot facility serving both individual homeowners on its own and through its partners. "One our company's major partners is Costco, Foreman says. "So, if you buy a garage door through Costco, the installation would be managed by HammerNetwork."

HammerNetwork strives to make it easy for consumers to gain access to their home improvement services either on the web, by phone, or in person. One of the company's stated goals is to take the guesswork out of the project definition by creating installation standards that can be viewed by the consumer so they know exactly what they are buying. They also take on the task of investigating contractors to make certain they do excellent work, stand behind their warranties; and make it safe to pay online, by check, by credit card.

The company was founded based on a need that was recognized by the company's founders. "We started out on the principal that the industry in this product category didn't work very well," Foreman says. "It involves manufacturers, consumers, retailers, and contractors. However, consumers were often finding that the contractors were less reliable than they expected, which we now ensure. Our retail partners can offer a complete solution to the customer that includes the product and the installation service. Before HammerNetwork was created, they would often have a difficult time handling the installation necessary for this unique category of home improvement. The manufacturers also wanted to be able to provide a solution for the end user where the product is both sold and installed - just like the retailer. Specializing in managing the installation side of the project was a much needed area of service in addition to the sale of the doors themselves."

Though HammerNetwork provides many of its services through large partners like Costco and others, it also deals directly with homeowners through its Hacienda facility. "We do the sales work, purchasing, marketing, and project coordination right here. New construction is not a focus for us. It's typically the homeowner or condo association who wants somebody to replace a garage door that isn't working well or they want to add a new look to their home. We excel in customer service. We have the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry and always stay with a project until the customer is happy."

Photo: HammerNetwork CEO Geoff Foreman has found a large market for his company's services through retailers such as Costco.

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