Who is Rick Wuest, president of Thompson Creek Window Company?

Snapshot

Who is Rick Wuest?

Rick Wuest is the president of Thompson Creek Window Company, a family-owned, vertically integrated window and door manufacturer and remodeler serving the Washington DC and Mid-Atlantic market from Lanham, Maryland. He grew up in the family business his father founded, took it over in 2001, renamed it from Mid-Lantic Corp. to Thompson Creek, and shifted it from manufacturing only to a combined manufacture-and-install model. He has more than 40 years in the industry.

A company that makes what it installs

Thompson Creek's distinction is vertical integration. It builds its own replacement windows for the Mid-Atlantic climate in its own factory and sells and installs them directly, eliminating the middleman. Wuest's public positioning centers on energy-efficient, sustainable home upgrades, a theme that put the company in the national spotlight.

He expressed a desire to continue to promote energy efficiency, in particular with windows.

The presidential visit

In January 2011, President Obama chose Thompson Creek's Landover, Maryland plant to speak about jobs and energy-efficient windows, citing the company's hiring growth. Wuest, who started in the business sweeping floors as a teenager, found himself hosting the president on his own factory floor.

Why Rick Wuest matters

Wuest runs one of the few remodelers that manufactures its own product, a vertically integrated model that is rare in a category dominated by installers who buy from others. His four-decade run and energy-efficiency positioning make Thompson Creek a distinctive Mid-Atlantic case study.