● Your garage door should be regularly inspected for basic function. Please contact a professional installer before performing any significant work on your own.
● Your automatic door is a convenience: It should safely function with ease and without much noise. If the movement of the door is not smooth, you may have an unsafe condition. It is
possible the spring system has become unbalanced and should only be maintained by a trained professional.
● The genius of a garage door opener is its ability to reverse direction. When a descending garage door meets an obstruction, it reverses to avoid it. If your door does not reverse readily after
contacting an obstruction, the opener's sensitivity may need adjustment. See your owner's manual for how to adjust your opener's sensitivity or call a professional.
● Included in the reverse feature is the photoelectric eye system. Installed 4-6" above the garage floor, and the eyes should be facing each other. As the door descends, the photoelectric eyes
will catch any people or animals crossing the light beam. If your opener does not have photoelectric eyes, you may want to call a professional for an upgrade.
● Normal wear and tear may invite some squeaks and noise. As the squeaks and noises present, try a spray-on lubricant (recommended especially for garage doors). If this doesn't resolve the
problem, reach out to a professional to assess the system. This is important because the springs are the most important and dangerous port of the door. Though they should last 5-10 years, it
is important to listen and watch for any issues to avoid catastrophe.
● When a garage door is properly installed, it should be rather quiet in its movements and operation. Any time grinding or scratching sounds present, consider it a red flag to call a
professional.  

Observe:

In most homes, the garage door is typically the largest moving system and is normally used several times a day. Over time, parts can wear out and break - creating potential safety problems. Although we
encourage monthly safety checks – May is Garage Door Safety month and a great time to get a professional installer to check your system. To find a dealer near you, visit our dealer locator!
A HUGE thank you to our Partners at the IDA for sharing this incredible information with us in order to help serve you, our customer!

#GarageDoorSafety

#MoreInAGarageDoor

It's been one year to the day that the way we lived, worked, and communicated changed with the onset of COVID-19 in the United States. Our executive team met for the last in person meeting on March 13, 2020. At this time, we had no idea what the future would bring, and we shared with the world a feeling of venturing into the unknown. This feeling could have paralyzed us; however, we chose to persevere with our values of quality, service, and safety driving us.

Working with the International Door Association and our legal advisors, we were able to establish our industry and subsequently our company and employees as essential workers. To keep safety as our priority, we relied on our agility to transition all possible employees to a remote working situation and kept only those essential employees in our buildings. With stringent adherence to the CDC and state guidelines, we worked tirelessly and safely to keep pace with our demand while protecting each individual - from our employees, to our vendors, to our dealers.

It was challenging to manage the company across facilities in two states as well as our delivery trucks traveling from Virginia to Maine. Our success in this effort springs from many aspects that allowed us to remain operational and healthy.

• We were agile and responsive. We quickly shifted our operations, marketing, sales tactics, and any aspect we could to provide the best service while ensuring safety.
• We were creative. We utilized skills and resources to best meet the changing demands of our customers, partners, and team members with new eyes and curiosity.
• We were human. We know how intense this time was for the wonderful people we work with, and we allowed our decisions to support the needs of our team, their families, and our company at large.

Though we went to sleep each night wondering how we would know if we were doing the right thing while we challenged ourselves regularly to determine if our efforts were enough, we are incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment our team members showed. In a letter to our employees, Erin Fimbel, President of Fimbel ADS stated:

"Fantastic job team!! Despite the obstacles we experienced in 2020 and into 2021, as a team we remained focused on quality, and we are seeing the results of that effort and commitment. When put under pressure, many companies lose focus on priorities such as safety, quality, and service. We on the other hand, continue to improve. That is a huge accomplishment and differentiates us from others in our industry. Thank you and keep it up!"

These sentiments demonstrate the family values that have tied our company and family together for almost 100 years. Dedication, teamwork, and focus allowed us to keep our team gainfully employed, focused on the care of their families, and overall incredibly healthy.

We may never know the answer to the question of 'did we do enough', but we know that we gave every effort to navigate this incredible obstacle while making our dedication to quality, service, and safety paramount in the way we operate. We may have seen an ample amount of fear, loss, and isolation, but we also saw a tremendous amount of strength, collaboration, and growth.

As we move past this anniversary, we look forward with hope to what tomorrow will bring us all. May we learn from the experience and use this opportunity to continuously improve for ourselves, our partners, and our world.

In our home, there is one rule that will always lead the rest: Safety First. Our kids are programmed and trained to respond quickly to the question of, "what is our first rule of anything?", and they come back with a swift reply of, "Safety. Always." This same rule applies to our family business. For 95 years, we have proudly manufactured doors and track set-ups to be safe, made with quality, and beautiful enough for our own homes. It is our commitment to our family, and it is our commitment to your family, too.

In recent studies, we learned that 71% of Americans use their garage door as the primary entrance to their home. Considering the busy nature of life today, the function of the garage door is clearly essential.

Each June, the International Door Association (IDA) promotes Garage Door Safety month across the globe. To help you protect your family and your investment, we have gathered some tips to make sure that your garage offers you everything you need without the headache! We are truly thankful for the continued information and support the IDA offers us as members of the industry and manufacturers for our Dealers and homeowners. It is our honor to pass along their well-thought tips and tricks to keep you and yours safe all year round!

We'd like to thank our partners at the IDA for sharing this incredible information with us in order to help serve you, our customer!

Security:

• Burglars are smarter than you may think! Avoid leaving your garage door open unnecessarily, and make sure you know where the remote is at all times! In the event that your remote is lost, make sure to clear the codes and have the remotes and keypads reprogrammed.
  
• Do you lock your car when it is left in the driveway? If you have your automatic operator linked to your car, a burglar could get in unbeknownst. Remembering to lock your car helps to protect your home!
  
• The convenience of an automatic door is truly a great value; however, in the event of an emergency, such as a power outage, there are two things that will help you gain access to the garage. The first is making sure there is an emergency release cord within reach and know how to use it. Be sure that it functions properly. Also consider a garage door opener with a battery backup system to be sure the door can be opened and closed regardless of additional energy Sources.
  
• Keep the garage door opener and remote control out of reach of children. These features are tools - not toys!

Function:

• Your automatic door is a convenience: It should safely function with ease and without much noise. If the movement of the door is not smooth, you may have an unsafe condition. It is possible the spring system has become unbalanced and should only be maintained by a trained Professional.
  
• The genius of a garage door opener is its ability to reverse direction. When a descending garage door meets an obstruction, it reverses to avoid it. If your door does not reverse readily after contacting an obstruction, the opener's sensitivity may need adjustment. See your owner's manual for how to adjust your opener's sensitivity or call a professional.
  
• Included in the reverse feature is the photoelectric eye system. Installed 4-6" above the garage floor, and the eyes should be facing each other. As the door descends, the photoelectric eyes will catch any people or animals crossing the light beam. If your opener does not have photoelectric eyes, you may want to call a professional for an upgrade.
  
• Normal wear and tear may invite some squeaks and noise. As the squeaks and noises present, try a spray-on lubricant (recommended especially for garage doors). If this doesn't resolve the problem, reach out to a professional to assess the system. This is important because the springs are the most important and dangerous port of the door. Though they should last 5-10 years, it is important to listen and watch for any issues to avoid catastrophe.
• When a garage door is properly installed, it should be rather quiet in its movements and operation. Any time grinding or scratching sounds present, consider it a red flag to call a professional.

Observe:

• 20,000 children visit the emergency room each year due to garage door accidents. The wall push button for your garage door opener should be mounted at least 5' above the floor, and out of the reach of children. Teach kids to never touch the cable and roller areas, even if the door is not in motion. Visit doors.org for more information.
• When closing your automatic garage door, always watch the door until it completely closes to make sure no person or animal is caught under a closing door. Remember, never install wall buttons where they can be pushed and operated without clear sight of the door.

Our goal is to provide the highest quality under the safest conditions to offer you superior performance and a garage door with a long and beautiful life. Following these tips will add longevity and security to your home and convenience and peace of mind to your life.

In most homes, the garage door is typically the largest moving system and is normally used several times a day. Over time, parts can wear out and break - creating potential safety problems. Although we encourage monthly safety checks – June is Garage Door Safety month and a great time to get a professional installer to check your system. To find a dealer near you, visit our website.