Anyone ever go on one? Did you think it was a worthwhile excursion?
I decided to go for the free food…and networking during the trip. There will be a dozen of us flying up there on a Marvin private plane.
I’ll be gone for a couple of days next week, but I’ll take pictures.
Ciao,
Bass
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Replies
Flew up to Warroad, MN yesterday. Marvin has a sweet Beech 1900 19 passenger turboprop that made a 9 hr. drive into a 1 hr. 15 min. flight.
The tour has been great. Gotta run to breakfast, but here are a few pics. More later.
So, who's the guy in orange that couldn't smile if his life depended on it?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Looks like he didn't WANT to do the Hokey -Pokey with the others.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Maybe he's concerned the pose might match the post office picture.
Witness protection maybe?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
He is a guy who builds ICF homes in the Rushford, MN area. I don't really know him, but he seems to be in a bad mood most of the time...he and a couple of other guys were out 'til the early morning and appear to be hungover.I went out too, had a few beers, played some pool, and walked blocks from Izzys Bar to the CanAm hotel by 11:00 PM. Izzy is one of the Marvins' nicknames.
That scowl looks a tad more than a hangover, as you note on his disposition.
But you know the way some guys are when they get out away from home. Keep thinking the barmaid is going to grab 'em by the ears and have her way with them.
Hah.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Edited 2/13/2008 5:21 pm ET by calvin
Maybe it was the -30 degree windchill and he had to go smoke outside? <g>
That's the King Air - not bad, right?
Highlights -
- seeing what is being fabricated, especially the custom/large units
- wood production ('continous wood') and cutterhead room
- product showroom/classrooms
- CNC and hand production of special units
They'll treat you well and you might even get to meet Sue or Frank - they're really down-to-earth folks.
Jeff
The Beech 1900 is the big brother of the King Air (19 instead of 5 to 8 passengers)...a nice aircraft.I gathered that Marvin has made some dramatic changes in just the last couple of years. They won the JD Power Award in 2007 (rated best by builders and remodelers). It floors me that they have a 2 million s.f. facility up there with 3000 employees in a town of 2000...in the middle of nowhere. Nearest large town Winnipeg, Manitoba a 3 hr. drive or something.It was also interesting that they have had 6 Olympic medalists (all Hockey players) in that tiny town. On the Marvin manufacturing floor, no cameras were allowed, but I got some great ideas for my own shop, by watching how they set up their work...very cool.Custom stuff was nifty. I will have Marvin quote some things I have built in the past (like arch-topped all wood storms, etc.). I did not know they did that kind of stuff.The hand-carved Honduran mohagany products were impressive. I also like the European style "tilt-turn" windows, the vented picture windows, the casements with the check rails that look like double-hung windows, but meet egress in smaller openings, and the real double hung windows with sash weights, pulleys and sash chains.Here are a few more pics:
Yep - you're right.
Jeff
That door is real fine, but I really like that Oak window.
Glad to see ya havein a good time.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
It was a groovy trip.Back home already. Got half-priced Marvin sweatshirts for the whole family...the teenagers actually like them.The oak window will tilt in at the top--leaning in like a hopper--for slight ventilation with security, or it will swing in like a shutter using the hinges on the right side, and open all the way.
I've got a perfect spot for one exactly like that. I'd bet they ain't giving them away, huh? <G>Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
The hardware is German...and expensive...combined with an expensive Marvin window...yup, I'm thinkin' expensive.The function of the window is very cool though. You could leave it vented in a storm and get very little water in.
Zactly..I have a west facing gable , every storm comes from that way and it really takes a hit..I was gonna make an outswing casement, but I fear the wind would rip it off.
Inswing would be a problem, it is at the head of the stairs. DH would never get closed , and the tilt in would be used most.
Still gonna have to make 3 for the dormers, I can make em cheaper than I can buy em..for sure.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I don't know if you mentioned it but how did this trip come about?A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Calvin,Marvin encourages dealers, builders, and contractors to visit. A Marvin dealer near you can set up a tour. The duration can be a couple of days, like my trip, or longer (4 days is common for extended training).Often, the Marvin airplane will pick up groups in the Twin Cities and fly them up to Warroad. Most of the time groups have to get that far on their own dime. We were close enough, and have an airport in Winona, so they just flew on down and got us here.In our case, we got the flight, hotel, and all meals picked up by Marvin. I got enough good ideas, that it would have been worth paying for it.I took a picture of the old DeWalt RAS that was the first tool Marvin purchased to build windows and doors in 1939. I thought it inspirational. A simple start, leading to a new business...burned to the ground in 1961. They rebuilt in 1962 with 4 bays for shipping and recieving, for comparision, now they have 90 bays just for shipping (at the Warroad facility alone).I also took a picture of Marvins first molding machine...what a beast:
Thanks for the information-that was a great opportunity. Somebody still has their hat on straight up there.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Its been 10 years since I went on the Marvin trip. Some of your photos brought back alot of the knowledge that I left up there and in my office when i was an estimator at the local lumberyard.
I felt it was a very beneficial trip as it really opens your eyes as to the possibilities that are out there. It really comes in handy to have the knowledge especially when dealing with a high end home owner that needs a particular window to "make" a certain space extra special.
I have gone on other window plant tours, Andersen and Caradco and I thought the Marvin trip was the most beneficial with more applicable information shared.
Marvin also has a vinyl window plant outside of Fargo ND that would be cool to see. Vinylite also has a vinyl window plant in Fergus Falls MN. Not a huge manufacturer but a neat plant to see.
Of all the trips I thought the cool parts of the trip were how they handle the glass and how little is broken in the process. The wood sizing was real interesting in the first stages of the Marvin trip. Cool how the computer remembers where every piece of wood is, what size it is....etc.
FYI....sending a little snow your way. Enjoy 3-5++ by morning.
Ebe,We got about an inch of snow last night and may get another inch today.I was impressed with Marvins Integrity All Ultrex windows that look similar to a vinyl window and compete with the better vinyl products in the market. Marvin does not actually make a vinyl window. Ultrex is a pultruded fiberglass set with resins and a durable acrylic.Ultrex seems much better than vinyl. More stable, stronger, etc. Can you tell I've now been brainwashed by Marvin.Gotta run,Bass
I've had good luck with the Integrity's too. Probably 75% of the windows I install anymore are Integrity, most of the rest being the regular Marvin's.
I was always an Andersen guy, but I got brain-washed too. :) I was impressed with the how the tour guides don't trash the competition, just point out the differences.
IIRC, they don't cut much glass there anymore. The first time I was up there, that was one of the neatest things I saw. Had a pretty impressive setup where the glass floated on a bed of air & a computerized X-Y machine cut all the pieces out. In the custom area, we watched a guy cut panes for a true divided-light circle top, with just a regular glass cutter. He just tapped the sheet of glass a couple times & the waste just fell away leaving a bunch of little pie shaped panes.
The yard I usually work through has been selling Marvin since the beginning; they really push them.
Mike
The old glass shop would have been neato...at least they outsource the glass to Cardinal. If you have to hire it out, find someone at least as good as you.
We only ended up with about 3 inches of snow total here am glad about that.....now the -22 F for tonight tomorrow am not looking forward to that. Worked outside all day today in -5 F wasn't bad until the wind picked up. I think I get a road trip tomorrow to Watertown SD so should be lots warmer in the truck tomorrow than today.
Told you I have lost touch with some of the newer lines and products out there. I don't pound nails for a living anymore so have lost touch with it some.... still woodpecker for some of the locals that need help or just can't find a carpenter/handyman. Makes for some beer/fun money or maybe a new tool here and there that I can't live without.
dollar for dollar I would choose Marvin over Andersen any day. Better product, better service after the sale. Marvin has a repair man that travels our area that just goes around and does warranty work.
correct me if I am wrong but didn't Marvin's get their start building barn sashes?
Not sure about the barn sashes...but the area may have more barn windows than house windows...so I would believe it.Andersen and Pella have service guys too, they travel around and tell customers why the neccessary repair is not covered by the warranty ;o)
I took the tour about 6 years ago, when my bro moved back to the LaCrosse UBC from Wabasha. He arranged the trip, which I found very informative and interesting. I'm sure plenty has changed since. My boss is planning to send me and a co-worker sometime. We would do the longer training for service work and installs.
IIRC, we stayed at the same motel. Couple of jokers that went with us that time got the group in trouble for being rude to the waitresses at the resturant. I heard they re-vamped some of theretour design because of the alcohol induced poor behavior. Al & I did stay a tad too long at the tavern, but hangover wasn't a problem. Walking back in -something windchills was a problem, though.
Glad to hear the trip is worthwhile. 95% of the windows in our homes are Marvin or Intregrity. I like the product. UBC and Stock Lumber have been good sources for all the products, especially shirts, hats, sweats, coats, etc. It's good to have a brother selling! Nice perks for free stuff! Neither cold, nor darkness will deter good people from hastening to the dreadful place to quench the flame. They do it not for the sake of reward or fame; but they have a reward in themselves, and they love one another.
-Benjamin Franklin
The way the work flows there has inspired me to add some rollers, carts and an improved workbench or two in my shop. The windows and large panes of glass they handled are about the size and shape of the plywood I have to move around.I am going to make a ply vertical storage bin with a roller about 30" out from the back of the bin and another roller at the front of the bin that is engaged as you tip the ply sightly forward and pull the ply out, then a carpeted curb for rotating the sheet onto a horizontal A-frame cart. I also want to make roller cartriges for my work benches that have the roller a few thousandths above the benchtop or you could fip the cartrige over and have a continuous flat benchtop.On the booze, we had a couple of guys, out of a dozen, who got carried away and were worthless on the second day. Marvin only took courtesy vans to alcohol free places...who knew there was such a thing as "dry casinos."
Done it with Marvin up at Warroad, and also with Andersen in Bayport.
Andersen had the better wine, a Quintessa meritage from a good year.
A window plant is a window plant. Yawn.
A notable exception to all the others was the part where Andersen took us for a tour of the whole Renewal part of the operation.
When I went on the Andersen tour 25 years ago, we went to some strip club out in the midle of nowhere. Now THAT was memorable!
We also went to some fancy French restaurant the last night, where I had escargo for the first time.
All I remember about the window plant is that it's huge.
I'll bet you crossed over the river and into WI to go to the strip club.
Cheeseheads in g-strings. (sorry, Packer fans)
For crossing a line to attend one of those, there is nothing like a trip up to the outskirts of Montreal.
You 'ave a teep pour mois, monseiour? Mais oui? (pardonnez mois for my poor spelling en Francais.)
Shouldn't that be the upskirts of Montreal?
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
The offskirts.
Hey Bass, how ya been? Glad you had a good trip.
I went on that Marvin trip about three or four years ago, and again about a year ago.
Cool place, nice people.
Mike
Mike,Doing fairly well, thanks. Very busy...really did not think I had time for the trip...glad I made the time though. I told a customer I was bumping them back a few days, but I have an ex-Amish, furniture maker, friend who will work with me to speed things up.Really nice folks up there, as you said. I was shutter bugging and the batteries in my camera went dead...a complete stranger just offered to give me a couple of "AA" batts...that was cool.Have a good day,Brian
I've been to Andersen's plants.
Send the Marvin plane to pick me up
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Ah Waroad..top of the nation
Rue-Bob...I remember the Rue-bob pie
Edited 2/16/2008 2:12 pm by homedesign
I am amazed that the water there (when it is not frozen) flows North into the Hudson bay and Arctic Ocean...I would love to take a canoe trip from Lake of the Woods to Hudson bay.