Michael Fahey: Garage Door Guru

By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter

SAN JOSE — When Michael Fahey answered an ad for a management position, he had no idea where it would lead him…especially because it didn’t specify the industry. “It was just a generic ad placed by an owner looking for someone to run his company for him,” he recounts. “It wasn’t until later that I found out it was a garage door company. With my background in sales, marketing and home improvement, I had all the qualifications the owner was looking for, so I decided to give it a shot.” In 2018, nearly a decade later, Michael took the knowledge and experience he’d accumulated and started an independent garage door service company with partners Cory Wikstrom and Chad Wolffe.

Today, as CEO of Vulcan Garage Services Inc., Michael says his favorite part of his job is educating customers. “When it comes to garage door replacement, most homeowners don’t know the full extent of their options. That’s why I like educating customers and helping them find products that best suit their needs. It’s very rewarding when a customer is ecstatic because their door looks and functions better than they’d ever imagined.”

A resident of San Jose (where he lives with his wife, Lisa), Michael spends his time outside of work on a variety of active pastimes. “I’m an avid gardener,” he details. “I’m on a continual mission to grow the perfect tomatoes, beets and asparagus. I’m also involved in an adult flag football league along with my daughter. At my age, I prefer to just watch my daughter play, but if they’re short on people, I’ll get in there, too.”

In regard to his business, Michael espouses the value of a dedicated employee team. “When you’re in a service-based industry, you need employees who aren’t only skilled at their jobs but also take care of customers,” he explains. “In addition to hiring good people, it helps to provide your employees with motivation. That’s why Cory, Chad and I offer our guys financial incentives for meeting specific goals, one of which is customer satisfaction. When your employees have a vested interest in making your customers happy, that’s a recipe for success.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: What’s your favorite sports team?

A: The San Jose Sharks.

Q: Music or talk radio?

A: Talk radio.

Q: If you could instantly pick up any skill, what would you choose?

A: Computer coding.

Q: What’s your favorite snack?

A: Toasted almonds.

Q: If you were to retire tomorrow, what’s the first thing you would do?

A: I’d take my wife to Italy.

Cory Wikstrom: Working in Doors

By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter

SAN JOSE — Starting in his early 20s, Cory Wikstrom has spent nearly his entire professional career working in doors—garage doors, specifically. “Right out of high school, my younger brother got a job with a garage door company owned by his friend’s family,” he remembers. “It seemed like a good job, so I decided to apply and got hired. I spent the next eight years there before moving on and working for a few other garage door companies.”

Eventually, Cory started talking with his friend/co-worker Chad Wolffe about starting their own garage door business. However, one element was still missing. “While Chad and I had lots of knowledge and experience, we needed someone with a strong sales and administrative background—someone who knew how to keep books and get the phones to ring,” he explains. “We found that someone in Mike Fahey, who had managed the company Chad and I were working at. Together, we officially launched our own business in 2018.”

Today, as secretary of Vulcan Garage Services Inc., Cory wears more than a few hats. “I handle pretty much anything from answering the phone to training our technicians to doing installations,” he says. “If we get a call from outside the area our technicians are working in, I’ll often run out and take care of it.”

A resident of South San Jose, Cory spends the bulk of his time outside of work with his family. “My wife, Missy, and I have four kids, three of whom still live at home,” he details. “We enjoy activities like bowling, hiking at Almaden Quicksilver County Park and spending the day at Pismo Beach. We also have two dogs, a German Shepherd and a Great Pyrenees, so we’re always looking for new dog parks and hiking trails.”

In regard to his professional career, Cory espouses the importance of honesty. “At my old job, I’d actually get in trouble for being too honest with customers,” he laughs. “If a customer asked me, ‘Do I need to replace this part?’ I’d tell them the truth, even if that meant less money for the company. A lot of guys would be happy to sell the customer something they didn’t need, but that seemed wrong to me. Plus, when you’re honest, it usually pays off in the form of a good reputation and increased customer loyalty.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A: Australia.

Q: Are you an early bird or a night owl?

A: An early bird.

Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant?

A: Pizza Jack’s in San Jose. They have the best calzones.

Q: What’s your favorite sports team?

A: The San Francisco Giants.

Q: What’s your favorite kind of music?

A: I’m all over the board. I probably listen to country music the most, but I also like hip-hop and even classical.

Chad Wolffe: A Fitting Career

By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter

SAN JOSE — When Chad Wolffe first looked into becoming a garage door technician, he found it was a good fit in more ways than one. “Before I got into garage door service, I was a technician for DirecTV,” he recounts. “One thing I didn’t like about my job was that I always had to access hard-to-reach places. If I wasn’t up on a 40-foot ladder, I was squeezing into a tight crawl space or attic. Being a larger guy, this was a constant struggle. Eventually, I decided to look for a different line of work and put my resume online. Soon after, I was contacted by a garage door service company and agreed to go on a ride-along. I immediately liked it—not only was it a good fit for my skill set, it didn’t require any tall ladders or crawl spaces!”

From that point, Chad’s professional path took several turns, from starting his own garage door business to joining the police force. “When my garage door business slowed down, I decided to switch gears and follow my lifelong dream of becoming a police officer,” he says. “After about two years on the force, I decided it wasn’t for me, so I went back to doing what I knew best.” A few years later, Chad joined forces with his friend/co-worker, Cory Wikstrom, and their former manager, Mike Fahey, to start an independent garage door service company.

Today, as CFO of Vulcan Garage Services Inc., Chad says his favorite part of his job is watching his employees grow. “When we started, rather than hiring seasoned technicians, we intentionally hired people with no prior industry experience. That way, we wouldn’t get technicians who had already developed bad habits—we could teach them the right way from the start. It has been very rewarding to watch our guys go from knowing nothing to being successful and loving their trade.”

A resident of San Jose (where he lives with his wife, Jennifer, and son, Brandon) Chad spends his time outside of work on a variety of active pastimes. “Being a mechanically inclined person, I enjoy working on automobiles,” he details. “I also love standup comedy and spending time with my family. My wife and I like going on walks and hikes together, and my son is an avid rugby player, so I enjoy being involved with that.”

In his life and career, Chad espouses the importance of happiness. “The way I see it, if I’m not happy in my work, I’m not doing myself or anyone else any favors,” he explains. “The same goes for my employees. Their happiness is important—after all, they’re out there interacting with clients and representing the business. By treating our guys right and keeping them happy, we know our customers will be treated right and kept happy, so it’s a win-win.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: What was your first job?

A: During my sophomore year of high school, I got hired as an apprentice technician at a Chevron gas station.

Q: Who’s your favorite comedian?

A: Sebastian Maniscalco.

Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant?

A: Vic Stewart’s in Brentwood.

Q: If you could time travel, would you go to the past or the future?

A: I would go back to a time before the internet and cellphones, when life was simpler.

Q: What’s your favorite holiday?

A: Christmas. There are about 60 people in my extended family and we always have a fun time getting together.