Applied Knowledge Brings Rewards
Lapsley, Inc. specializes in current window treatment solutions
Donita Mudd, President of Lapsley, Inc., based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, became knowledgeable about window treatments as a teenager. Her mother, Mildred Lapsley, had a drapery workroom where she produced residential drapes. Installation of the final product became her father, Osie’s, department with occasional outside help. Until going off to college, Donita worked in the family business, O&M Lapsley Custom Draperies, as time allowed. But her view of the enterprise was limited to the manufacturing aspect. “I didn’t see the consumer’s side, and staying in a workroom making draperies held no interest for me,” she says.
After college, Donita worked in corporate marketing for a couple of manufacturing companies. Occasionally, she pursued commercial projects for her parents and scored success a number of times.
A Soul-Searching Change in Direction
In late 2001, after 9/11 rocked the nation and the U.S. economy spiraled downward, Donita found herself downsized. Securing another job proved next to impossible and presented an opportunity to do some soul searching. Her parents had scaled back over time and eventually retired out of their business. Still, after two years, Donita figured she would return to what she knew—window treatments.
“Since I was accustomed to business-to-business type work from my corporate experience, looking at the window- treatment industry with that in mind appealed to me,” Donita says. Initially she pursued government work and expanded from there to education, health care, military, municipal/institutional, multihousing/mixed use, commercial, industrial and residential.
Building a Business
“I learned how the industry worked, how to go about getting opportunities and how to connect with local construction companies and architects—building relationships,” Donita says. In the process, Lapsley began participating in some of the construction and renovation projects that were going on in the Indianapolis area.
“Throughout the first few years, I also worked at what I laughingly refer to as ‘multiple side hustles’ to keep things going. During one of the first larger projects, I worked as a substitute teacher in order to pay the man that was doing the installs on the jobsite while I substituted,” she says.
Employees and Family Heritage
The corporation now has six dedicated employees. One employee has been with it about 12 years and another close to 10 years. And her daughter and son have also joined in the adventure.
“My son, Landon, began on the installation side much like his grandfather, but recently he has been concentrating on market development, finding projects and interacting with contractors,” Donita says. “He’s also examining different aspects of the business as far as the labor is concerned. Because we self-perform, we don’t sub out the installation,” Donita says. “My daughter, Simone, works on the estimating side and does project management—following orders through the factory, taking care of any expediting and helping out on the jobsite when the material comes in. She also programs and addresses motors on projects that involve automated shades.”
Keeping Up with Trends
Over the years, Donita has seen the marketplace change. Aluminum blinds, once the preferred product, would often be what architects called for; but now they are rarely seen in specifications, and roller shades and motorized shades have become common. The company’s team has become well-informed when it comes to that particular scope—both with shades and with the motorization and automation. The group’s expertise has grown to include high volume, motorization, automation integration, LEED considerations and daylight harvesting while continually looking to increase its knowledge of options and trends.
Resolving Challenges
“I would say all Lapsley employees are on the same page when it comes to presenting our best face when we’re on the jobsite and performing quality workmanship,” Donita says. “If for some reason there’s an issue with a product, we will assure the owner or contractor that we’ll have it resolved.”
A case in point is a recent project at a hospital that required motorized shades. At first the medical facility wanted all the shades along a wall to work off one switch. Then, after the project was completed and the patients were in and out, they decided that it would be better if the people could operate the shades at each infusion bay based on their individual needs. “So then our charge was to figure out what components or accessories were available whereby the shades could accomplish what was needed and at the same time not require any added wiring,” Donita says. This required interaction with factory technical support to find out what was available that would allow their preferred need or method accomplished. The answer—individual operation via Wi-Fi.
Choosing Well Suited Products
“Because of our work experience and familiarity with the products, we try to help customers see what will work best for their situation,” Donita says. “The use of the area, lighting requirements and aesthetics are all factors to consider.”
Initially a client might want something such as vertical blinds, and Lapsley suggests thinking about how that looks from the outside especially if one vane is twisted. “Other than the windows themselves, window treatments are one of the only architectural components seen from the inside and the outside,” she notes.
For example, the Indianapolis Housing Agency planned to renovate the John J. Barton Tower, a 21-story apartment building. The original vertical blinds gave the building an extremely messy, congested look. When it was time to redo the window treatments, the architect and the builder/owner were going to put in one-inch horizontal, white aluminum blinds. “I suggested that they use a darker color like a bronze or brown,” Donita says. When she showed them a mock-up with the white, it did not look good. The same product in brown gained a favorable reaction. “The darker color gave the outside of the building a totally different look. With zero work being done on the exterior, it made the building look like it had been refurbished and it was very satisfying to know that we had made a difference in the community,” Donita adds.
Sharing Product and Expertise with Those in Need
Donita also enjoys helping those in their neighborhood who are using make-shift window coverings, such as sheets, newspaper or foil. “Because we do window treatments, a lot of times people in the area, who may not be living in the greatest situation, will come by our location and let us know what size their windows are. We’ll share extra product with them and provide complimentary installation,” Donita says.
Helping Other Entrepreneurs Get Started
“Our community service includes working with the Fort Wayne Black Chamber of Commerce as well,” Donita says. The company participates in counseling situations, interacting with folks about receiving the types of designations in which Lapsley has obtained certification such as: State of Indiana Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Minority Women’s Business Enterprise (MWBE), City of Indianapolis Minority and Business Enterprise (MBE), Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and the Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development program, a federal government contracting designation for small and disadvantaged businesses based on socio-economic situation.
To those who want to become established in the marketplace, Donita recommends doing whatever it takes to keep an untarnished reputation in workmanship and interaction with everyone on the jobsite. “Be respectful and follow through. That’s a major principle—if you say you’re going to do something, then do it,” Donita says.
She also advises small companies to learn how to use technology and the internet thereby sitting in a better position to compete with larger companies. “Specialize in what you know and continually strive to gain knowledge in relevant areas,” she adds.