This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.

After finishing graduate school, Brad Boyle had big plans to join a consulting group or work on Wall Street. However, things didn't turn out exactly as he imagined.

Brad's wife' uncle, John Norman, was president of a local mill. He had been traveling overseas for several years to buy cabinets. One day John and Brad sat down together and started talking about a possible business opportunity to sell high-quality wood doors with short lead times. Shortly after, they launched Krosswood Doors in December 2003.

Krosswood Doors sells high-end wood doors at competitive pricing. When they first started their business, Brad and John sold their doors mostly to contractors. However, the company has evolved to manufacture doors sold directly through distributors in more than 26 states. Currently, the doors are made from alder, but Krosswood Doors is launching a new product line that includes cherry, maple, mahogany and other hardwoods.

Prior to opening Krosswood Doors, Brad says real wood doors had high lead times and were too expensive for the average consumer. In its first year of business, Krosswood Doors sold more than $1 million in doors, and last year the company's sales exceeded $20 million.

Brad says Krosswood Doors has achieved success by sticking to its original business model. The company is loyal to its customers and sells only to distributors, which keeps distributors loyal to Krosswood. This model recently won Krosswood Doors the supplier of the year award from DW Distribution in Dallas.

Currently, more than 40 independent sales representatives sell Krosswood Doors to various distributors across the country. With this sales force and a focused manufacturing model, Brad anticipates the business will continue to grow as demand for wood doors increases.

For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.

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