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GET OUTSIDE THE EVERYDAY

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OutsideTheEveryday.com

Owner: Mel, Brandon & Jordan Dueck

Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Year Founded: 1993

Website: windeck.ca

Instagram: @windeckltd

Facebook.com: WindeckLtd

Specialty: Wolf decking

Q. Take us to the beginning of Windeck.

A. Mel Dueck, founder, and principal owner of Windeck: I’ve been a part of the decking and railing industry for 42 years. The first 12 years was primarily wooden fences and decks. I became the leader in the wooden deck industry, however the never-ending question by customers was how often will I scrape, paint or stain, and replace rotten deck boards, joists, beams, or the entire deck? This led me to researching what products could alleviate these concerns and give us an edge over our competition.

Q. How did you discover Wolf Home Products?

A. I reached out to a few suppliers and decided the best prod- ucts at that time were S.T.A.R. Aluminum Railing, and Duradek. With those two products, I launched a new company, Windeck Ltd., May 10, 1993, now 30 years old. After 21 years, our team realized we needed an audible play. We starting to miss out on business by not having a high-quality synthetic deck board. Once again, I did due diligence in seeking different product lines that were best in industry. I sampled many different products and Wolf Home Products fit our customers’ needs the best. Bob and Mark from Wolf Home Products were amazing to deal with and supportive in helping us set up our Wolf distributorship, from product knowledge-to-training. Wolf made the trip to Winnipeg, whereupon a strong business relationship was cemented. The appearance and benefits made it an easy sale to dealers, contractor and homeowners.

Q. Any projects for which Wolf products were particularly beneficial?

A. The wholesale part of our company grew very rapidly, and Wolf Products helped grow all our product lines. Coupled with strong radio, television, social media, and website, we became recognized as a one-stop shop for outdoor decking.

Q. Where does your project inspiration come from?

A. Windeck has received some of the highest design awards at NADRA within the last five years, and are looking to compete once again. Along with my professional team, we gather for inspiration and design ideas where our “war room” thinking is created. We have learned creating a competitive environment, mixed with a team-centered mentality unlocks the key to being the best designers in our industry. The fresh new ideas born in war room is what I believe separates the decks from #sexydecks.

Q. What are your preferred Wolf products?

A. I appreciate the versatility to install LED lighting into our deck designs, which was a much bigger challenge before we carried the Wolf Products. We presently carry the Wolf Serenity Series.

Q. How has business been in the past few years?

A. Windeck experienced record sales during the pandemic, due to isolation and families spending more time in their backyards. Sales stabilized last year when people were able to travel again, combined with the growing concerns of increased living costs and supply chain issues. I remain optimistic this year will be a record by a landslide.

Q. What’s next for Windeck?

A. Windeck’s goal is growing the supply side of our business and continuing to compete North American wide for top design-built decks. It’s an absolute honor, to have been selected Wolf Home Products Deck Specialist of the Year. “Do it once, do it right.”

YellaWood Specialist of the Year

Cedarbrook Outdoor Design/Build, Inc.

Q. How did Cedarbrook Outdoor get started in construction?

A. I began working in construction at a young age with my father and grandfather. I continued working and learning different construction fields as summer jobs all through college. After college, I started working for a large construction company that specialized in outdoor construction. After several years with that company, I realized the company’s vision and my own were no longer in alignment. I saw there was a growing need in the Washington, D.C., area for custom outdoor living spaces and I wanted to fill that void. In 2006, I opened the doors at Cedarbrook.

Q. How did you first begin using YellaWood?

A. We began using YellaWood in 2016. At that time, it was not always stocked with our local suppliers so we were using many different types of treated lumber (some good, some bad). In 2021, the Extreme Treated YellaWood product became available in our market, and we met with local distribution channels to make sure it would be readily available, and we could use this on every project. This was critical to us so that we could stand by our guarantee to our clients of offering the best available materials.

Owner: Michael Arneson, Jr.

Location: Mount Airy, MD.

Year Founded: 2006

Website: cedarbrookinc.com

Instagram: @cedarbrook_outdoor_designbuild

Facebook.com: CedarbrookDesign

Specialty: Treated wood outdoor projects

Q. Where does your project inspiration come from?

A. My inspiration comes from the client, most often. Our vision is to create functional environments for families that instills pride while allowing them to truly relax and find enjoyment in their own home as the dynamics of homelife evolve and change. I also enjoy traveling and seeing how outdoor living spaces are designed throughout other parts of the world.

Q. What’s ahead for Cedarbrook Outdoor?

A. Our main focus moving forward is to continue improving the customer experience and our general portfolio of work. Cedarbrook will continue to grow our outdoor showroom to include outdoor kitchens, furniture, and pergolas. We feel that it is important for our clients to be able to see the variety of high-quality products they are purchasing.

We are also planning on having educational Saturdays for the local metropolitan community to come and tour our showroom, meet our staff, and learn about the different materials. Education and community are very important to the Cedarbrook team, and I can definitely see us going more in that direction.

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