Store Around the Corner: Universal Window Solutions

Universal Window Solutions offers clients convenience and variety by supplying a large selection of windows, doors and hurricane-protection products at their location in The Centre Shops on Gulf of Mexico Drive.

“We opened this location so that we could service Longboat Key better than anybody else by being right here on the island,” says CEO Bob Smith, who co-owns the company with his brother, Rocky.

The brothers bought Universal Window Solutions in 1995 and opened their Longboat Key showroom about a year-and-a-half ago.

Although most window- and door-replacement companies specialize in a certain area, Universal Window Solutions offers a wide breadth of products, from entry level to high end. The company is also one of the largest dealers of Anderson windows in the southern United States, carrying 50 different custom colors.

Carrying such a wide array of products enables the company to accommodate every client’s needs, because, according to Smith, every job is different.

“The thing I like about this business is that it’s always challenging,” says Smith. “To be able to help the customer through the whole process and then be able to stand back and see what you’ve accomplished is great.”
 

Name: Universal Window Solutions
Address: 5390 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Owners: Bob and Rocky Smith
Number of employees: 27
Hours: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments are recommended.
Phone: 383-7600
Website: www.universalwindowsolutions.com
What's unique about them: Universal Window Solutions is one of the largest dealers of Anderson windows in the southern United States.