Innovators in the industry
Tropical Wholesale’s owner Matthew Houar’s work in the vinyl industry came as a natural progression. With a father who pioneered the industry in Hawaii, Houar grew up with a keen eye for what works best in Hawaii’s climate.
Houar’s father specialized in vinyl siding, but it was Houar who thought to incorporate windows into the company, starting the first ever vinyl and window factory in the state. While Houar’s factory did well for quite some time, he eventually found a brand that was doing just as well: Simon-ton, ranked consistently as No. 1 by J.D. Power and Associates. What Houar decided to do next is something only the most savvy of professionals would do. He partnered with the brand and helped it design a window specifically for Hawaii. The result is a special line of Simonton’s Madeira windows. The line itself is built for southern-state climates, but the special line Houar helped to design was made specifically with Hawaii in mind.
The windows are done so well, that Tropical even offers Hawaii’s only factory lifetime window warranty, according to Houar, covering everything from materials and labor to hardware and workmanship.
What if the windows accidentally break? They are covered with a 10-year accidental breakage warranty.
“For Hawaii, it’s the best you can get, bar none,” Houar said. “It also has a 20-year warranty not to cloud up, which is a big deal over here, because there is no machine in the state of Hawaii that can fix that type of glass.”
This type of thinking helped carry the company for more than 30 years of business in Hawaii — the longest running residential window business in the state, according to Houar.
The company has a family-mentality, and its team spans generations. Houar, his father and his uncle run the business. Houar’s sister, a designer, helps as well, and his mom also comes in occasionally, along with her sisters and even Houar’s grandparents.
“We don’t have sales reps, so we aren’t wasting money on sales commissions,” Houar said. “In our industry, sometimes people can pay up to 10 to 35 percent of the gross price on commissions. We’d rather give you a better product – more bang for your buck.”
Houar also believes that good handiwork matters just as much as the materials being installed. Only the best employees handle Tropical installations and repairs.
