Representing $2.6 billion dollars in annual sales, the 2006 Specialty 200 list is a comprehensive tally of the largest exterior home improvement companies in the United States. These companies specialize in window replacement, siding, roofing, decks and sunrooms.

On average, 40 percent of the total annual sales among companies on the list derives from window replacement. It is the largest specialty category. Sunrooms represent 23 percent of sales on average and siding 21 percent.

As is to be expected with businesses that rely on high-volume selling (the average number of jobs on this year’s list was 1,659), these exterior home improvement specialists tell QR that their opportunities and challenges center on increasing the amount of new business from all sources.
Pat Pagano, vice president of sales and marketing for American Siding and Window Systems, Urbandale, Iowa, is a good example. He says his No. 1 challenge and opportunity lies in lead generation.

“It used to be so much easier for companies to sell their product,” says Pagano, No. 31 on the 2006 Specialty 200. “Now, with the Do Not Call list enforced, we are starting to see the smaller companies go away and the larger companies up their game.”