Page 24 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

“Our family’s been
in the trades for
generations, so
we’re passionate
about that, and
the apprentice
program has been
fuel for our growth
for sure. People
love working for
a company that’s
passionate about
what they do.”
we put those two together and expanded that service in-house,
and the kitchen business has been phenomenal for us,” Drost
said.
Go Green, on the other hand — which specializes in insulation
and the performance of a building’s envelope — was built from
the ground up.
“We brought in some experienced guys that we’d been work-
ing with for years and years at a local company, brought their
team in, and developed that,” he said. “You need to be looking at
the building, not just from a carpentry standpoint, but also from a
building performance. Obviously, with all the ice dams and things
like that, people really can see it this year. But we want to be hav-
ing an intelligent conversation with our customers when they’re
replacing things, to not just look at fixing the thing that’s broken,
but also improving the spaces where they live.”
All these companies — and Window World is also looking to
purchase another local company in the HVAC and solar realm —
essentially work together to give clients, which include builders,
developers, and homeowners alike — a one-stop shop for any-
thing they may need.
“I understand the service portion of the business and how
companies need to evolve to meet customers’ needs today,” Drost
added. “Also, I realized that there’s a massive gap in the way that
home improvement businesses are managing the field today,
compared to years ago, with a lot of the work being done by sub-
contractors and poor-quality labor. You don’t have an unbelievable
labor pool today like you did when I was a kid, 30, 40 years ago,
where people were passionate about being in the trades.
“I mean, if you look at the roofing business today, probably
90% of it is done by subcontractors or inferior labor. That’s a
weakness in the marketplace, and it’s become accepted because
everybody’s doing it,” Drost went on. “So we’re very focused on
developing labor.”
He said he works closely with manufacturers in developing in-
house apprenticeship programs.
“Then we break it down by trade. So window guys just do
windows, door guys just do doors. We feel it’s been the rocket
fuel of our growth — because it’s not normal to deal with sub-
contractors and unskilled labor. Customers want things done
right,” he said. “So as we bring these other trades in to the family
business, we can offer a complete service for the customer, and
take the complexity out of doing home improvement. We’re very
focused on that, and we will continue to be.”
From the Ground Up
Window World’s leadership, however, often wear many hats,
Lanéa Bushey said.
“We have our hands in everything. But primarily, what I’m
focused on is working directly with our customers, talking about
energy efficiency, making sure their installation is perfect,” she
explained. “I go to customer homes and do assessments; I love
to work directly with our customer base and be able to be in the
field, seeing what’s going on.
“And we all are heavily involved in our marketing and making
sure that all of our businesses align and present a clear represen-
tation of who we are,” she added.
Grace Drost said she handles more of the back end in the
office, speaking with customers at the start of the process and
ensuring that the process goes smoothly on projects.
“With both Grace and Lanéa, we think that the brick and mor-
tar is a massive piece,” Tim said of the company’s showrooms
in Belchertown, Westfield, and one soon to open in Adams. “A
lot of times, planning for home improvement is done on people’s
kitchen tables, and you can’t get a real feel for what that actual
building material is. With our showrooms, you can actually touch
and feel and see those pieces installed. It helps customers make
educated decisions.”
Nick Drost, meanwhile, is more focused on installations
and spends most of his time in the field handling everything
from the design phase and assembling a material list to seeing
the job through to
completion.
“I’m at pretty
Window
Continued on page 27 >>
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