Shine of Midland

"Create a business that will impact those who work for it."
-Mark Haskin, Owner
"We help our customers, because it truly is good to help, it's not a sales tactic."
-Brad Lackie, General Manager

Brad Lackie, General Manager      Mark Haskin, Owner

Taking a bit of a different twist this time around, Let's Go Midland sought out a highly esteemed franchise in our town. We found out that indeed some franchises are "small businesses". Many start out as just that, a dream in one community that eventually branches out to others. And while we may not be huge fans of the big box stores, we are huge advocates for success, and when a small business alights into other communities, we are big cheerleaders for that growth! So, lets talk about Shine.

The story of how the Shine company began, and propelled forward, is one that truly inspires many. Starting 20 years ago in West Michigan it is now thriving throughout the country with many franchises. This business truly is doing wonderful things and much of that is due to the company's amazing core values. Merely reading through these on their webpage (which we highly recommend) is truly inspiring, but meeting with the leaders of our own town's Shine, just added to the inspiration.

Shine came to Midland in April 2013. That is when those big lettered red trucks first caught your eye.  It all started when Jim and Mary Reif saw an opportunity to bring a beneficial business to Midland and saw potential in their son in law Mark Haskin to manage the business. Mark worked for Shine in Zeeland and enjoyed the outstanding values and atmosphere, as well as what the business had to offer. He and His wife Lauren were excited to see the business come to Midland and for a chance to live near family in Lauren's hometown. Mark now owns Midland's Shine and runs it alongside General Manager, Brad Lackie of Sanford.

When asked what makes Shine a unique business, great qualities were mentioned. Honesty, straightforwardness, hardworking, guaranteed, quick response, integrity, transparency and fair pricing. If you talk to anyone who has hired Shine in our community they will likely back up that these qualities are indeed true. I have had them in my home and I was stunned by their professionalism and kindness, and the price was indeed fair! Yet I would go farther to say that what makes Midland's Shine unique is that they know why these qualities are important and... they love this town. Mark stated that the service community at times gets a wrap for being unethical and to him it is important to flip that perception. Mark and Brad want people to feel greatly at ease and respected when Shine employees are on their property. They remind employees that customers are "inviting" Shine into their homes, not just their houses, and that is to be respected. Also, Shine prides itself in finding employees that truly care and have a heart to serve with compassion in all situations.

So who inspires Mark to keep going when Small Business get's hard? He says it's the original vision of the Shine company along with what it offers employees, a chance to grow themselves and provide for their families, amongst other benefits. Brad says the good days make it all worth it, when teamwork and positive energy are growing as well as simply knowing you are genuinely helping people, some whom cannot safely do certain things for themselves anymore.

Small business ownership is indeed a double edge sword according to Mark. In many ways it offers the flexibility to be available for your family, but some days it certainly encroaches on time outside the shop as well. Yet being a part of something that is so helpful to customers as well as impactful to employees, he humbly says, is a good feeling. Mark is quick to make it clear that it really is not about how he feels. He also commented their is a great opportunity in business ownership to strengthen the community by providing positive employment and the healthy franchise structure in this case, offers wonderful community support as well.

The difficulties of running a small business according to Mark is the many hats that often need to be worn such as counselor, financial planner, HR, marketing, equipment manager to name a few. Mark and Brad both seem to feel that the positives far outweigh any negatives however. Positive energy is a main core value to the entire Shine company and Mark and Brad exude that exact energy fittingly. They shared with me that true success for Midland's Shine comes from the crew leaders' dedication and their employees honest, servant hearts. Mark stated "(success) is not necessarily about marketing" in reference to how integrity and trustworthiness spread by word of mouth more rapidly advertising. Midland's Shine truly values what the customers value, clear honest communication and integrity. They instill in their employees to have a mentality of thinking what they would expect out of a window company if they personally hired one, and meeting that vision.

We often like to ask Midland's business owners what they like about Midland. Brad,  who is also very involved in his home town of Sanford, shared he enjoyed the small town feel Midland offers and the many "interwoven connections" the small businesses have. Mark agreed saying Midland has the unique quality for being a great town for small businesses to start and succeed because there is a wonderful "element of support" among a new generation of small businesses in our town. He also adds that Midland has a wonderful amount of resources that it can pour into itself with its many foundations.

It is indeed a great time of year to feature Midland's Shine because beyond windows, they do much more. They also do pressure washing, gutter cleaning, certain aspects of home detailing and... holiday lighting! Right now is a wonderful time to call Shine and get on their schedule to have your lights put up while there are still openings. Shine provides the lighting for you, consisting of various styles of high grade LED lights for your roof tops, trees and shrubs. I could not think of a better business to do the job personally.

Shine has been in town long enough that Mark and Brad enjoy telling stories of how regulars have touched their lives with things as simple as always having cookies available at the end of the job, to certain regulars requesting specific employees that they seem to have made a connection with. They also take to heart the many notes sent from customers thanking them for a job well done. This business gave me such a positive upbeat feeling, on the job and in the interview. Their genuineness and integrity was top notch. This is a business you need to check out, the prices are wonderful and the staff, even better. You will feel safe and respected with a business like Shine in your home. What a perfect addition they have been to the Midland community.

Article written by Hope Krotzer