A Legacy of Family and Focused Work: Frontier Siding & Windows’ 50 Years

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand.  The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” ~Alexander Graham Bell

Gary Shepard, founder and President of Frontier Siding & Windows, knows a bit about focusing on goals. His uncle was a good example, having come to Enid after WWII to establish a business similar to the one Gary now owns. Gary went to work at Vance AFB after high school and advanced to crew chief. Then Vietnam called and instead of going into the service through the draft, he joined the U.S. Navy and worked in aviation.

After the service, he went to aviation school and even taught at the school. However, there wasn’t the upward movement he desired, so his uncle offered him the opportunity to come work for him and learn about running a business. Shepard did this for a year with his uncle and then moved to Ponca City with the purpose of starting his own company after researching the city’s income per capita, its location centered between Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita, and deciding it would be a good location for a vinyl siding business. That was the start of what has been a 50-year business with measured growth due to solid business choices.

Siding is still a good business, but Shepard says the replacement window market is the one moving even more quickly in today’s market. He has had to expand his physical location more than a few times over the years to accommodate his method of business. He knows his overall success is better achieved due to their purchasing stock from wholesalers rather than as needed, so storage is important. They receive a few large truckloads of stock each week for the work they do.

Recently they built a new warehouse across the alley from their primary location to have more storage and provide better workspace for their employees. There are numerous work areas in their warehouse locations, such as those for cutting glass to the correct size (especially commercial projects that don’t necessarily use standard sizes), cutting molding for both their siding and window work as well as replacement pieces for customers needing custom fitting, and even replacing/repairing older screen windows and doors for customers. The extent of services offered is far more than a person would realize without visiting their business and exploring all they do.

The business is a family affair, with Shepard’s sons having worked in all areas of it to best learn about the work they do. Son Mark is the Vice President and General Manager, and he runs much of the overall business as well as keeps all things moving daily in Ponca City. He came back to work at Frontier full-time after his 1993 college graduation, and he remembers working in all facets of the business and oversees those now. He mentions many weeks are 60-80-hour ones since he often must leave quotes until after the regular workday.

Frontier’s employees are long-term, with the longest still with them for over 30 years, others over 20 and most working toward those long tenures. With around 25 employees (they are often hiring good people, with the business always requiring knowledgeable workers), it’s obvious Frontier is a good place to work. When asked about this longevity, Gary says, “Well, I guess we treat them well.”

That is likely very true, but so is the fact they can keep their workforce busy year-round. In a market that is sometimes thought of as more seasonal, Frontier is not. Serving as Treasurer/Secretary & Commercial Project Manager, son Ryan obtains numerous challenging commercial projects in an even larger radius from Ponca City than their normal 45-mile radius for residential work. With this level of work on their docket, Gary says, “You always want to keep your employees once you train them, and to do that we treat them like family.”

Gary’s third son is Jason, who worked for Frontier previously but moved with his family to Kansas City where his wife is from. He still works in the industry with a wholesaler.

Frontier has expanded to include a store in Stillwater managed by Jeremy Day. They started the business there in 1996 and in 2010 moved into their building. Stillwater also has a warehouse, so the two locations can work together with stock needs for projects.

All of this after first being located here in Ponca City in the current Turtles building, with an office and a bit of storage. Gary rented a customer’s garage once he saw it was empty to house some of his storage in early days. He has always been creative in meeting the needs of a growing company, his goal from the beginning.

Frontier has handled commercial projects such as Ponca City High School (don’t you love the appearance of their new windows?), state of Oklahoma projects like the Workers Compensation Court, Broken Arrow PD, Claremore Water Treatment Plant and many more. They have a contract for the city of Bartlesville, Vance AFB and the FAA at Will Rogers Airport. Currently, they are working on a dozen different commercial projects. Gary and his sons thrive on the work they do for many communities.

You can visit Frontier Siding & Windows at 1723 North Third St. and see their lovely showroom with examples of what they can offer to help you meet your residential or commercial building goals. However, if your needs or desires are different than what you see, visit one of their knowledgeable sales experts to help you decide between the many choices. Frontier can be called at 580-762-8122, where you’ll most likely get to visit with Dione, their office manager and another one of their 20-year employees. She’s just one of their extended family. Online you can find them on Facebook or at frontiersiding.com.

All this work and Gary still has time to think about how proud he is of his family: his sons and their wives, daughter Ann Jackson and her family. He says he has four Shepard grandchildren and 4 Jacksons, and he can tell you exactly what each of them are busy accomplishing in school, college and careers in their own lives. It is all part of his legacy—a business that has served its customers well and a family working to make their own way using that focus on goals exampled by their father/grandfather. It’s a fine legacy.