Meet Trey Raney, Pella of DFW's President
Growing up, Trey Raney enjoyed a blessed childhood. A product of a tight family and a small town of 3,500 people outside of Wichita, Kansas, Trey has always carried with him a work ethic and drive to excel. He was gifted with athletic skills, playing quarterback for the high school football team in the fall and then transitioning to playing guard on the basketball team each spring.
He would go on to take his skills to the next level becoming a two-sport and multiple position athlete at Grinnell College in Iowa, where he earned all-conference honors in football. On the basketball court, he had success as well. He was the guard on a run-and-gun, three-point shot heavy offense. The team was electric, averaging 130 points a game during one season (yes, 130!) Quick trivia: Grinnell was the first D-3 school ever to have a game broadcast live on ESPN and one of the first teams ever to win a game shooting only three-pointers.
“Athletics and competing with and for my teammates taught me a lot,” said Trey. “It’s all about leadership and teamwork and I think sports educated me as much as my classes did. You can be the brightest person in the world, but if you can’t be a great teammate and you can’t motivate others by your actions, then you won’t succeed.”
Trey’s college years included impressive academics as well. He was on the pre-med trail at Grinnell before shifting gears and graduating with a chemistry degree. This scientific view of the world ultimately led Trey to his true-life passion, the chemistry of uniting teams.
How did that all lead to a career with Pella Windows and Doors, which has now culminated as President at Pella of DFW, one of Pella’s largest independent distributors in the country? Upon graduation, Trey was offered a job at Pella Corporation’s main headquarters in Pella, Iowa. “In the interview process, they not only looked at your education but also at your leadership skills,” recalled Trey. “They understood the benefits of athletics, especially when it came to dedication and teamwork. I was the right fit for them, and they were the right fit for me.”
A Night Owl
First jobs can be interesting and demanding, and for Trey, that meant working the night shift in the Pella manufacturing plant. Over the next three years, he developed as a department manager, supervising 20 team members. He got to see the light of day in 2008 when he was promoted to the day shift. However, that only lasted three months as Pella saw something special in Trey’s leadership abilities. He was promoted to production manager which meant going back to the night shift where he managed five department managers and their teams.
First jobs can be interesting and demanding, and for Trey, that meant working the night shift in the Pella manufacturing plant. Over the next three years, he developed as a department manager, supervising 20 team members. He got to see the light of day in 2008 when he was promoted to the day shift. However, that only lasted three months as Pella saw something special in Trey’s leadership abilities. He was promoted to production manager which meant going back to the night shift where he managed five department managers and their teams.
When an opening came for a 1st shift production manager position in Pella’s Carroll, Iowa factory, a few hours away from Pella, Trey made the move. It was a fulfilling position, and it was there that Trey first got his taste of sales. He was invited to Dallas for a week to shadow sales and operations for the then Pella Corporation-owned location. “I saw sales in action and how the sales team worked with customers. I liked it, and in the back of my mind, it was something I thought I’d eventually like to work towards.”
The Lone Star State, The Pacific Northwest
The sales leadership opportunity would have to wait. For a company the size of Pella Corporation, climbing the corporate ladder often meant a ladder that went across state lines. For Trey, his next opportunity would take him away from Iowa to the great state of Texas. Now married to Jenica and a family man, his first child Brynn was born in Iowa, and she would be followed over the next decade by four brothers, Jaxon and Xander, born in Texas, Jase and Beckett born in Washington. Trey and his soon-to-be rapidly growing family were off on an adventure that would crisscross the United States. First stop: the Dallas area.
From 2012 to 2015, Trey served as the plant manager for Pella’s Premium Wood Entry Door plant. There, Trey not only managed people but also gained experience running the plant as a profitable business unit. “It was invigorating and a new experience,” he said. “I learned so much, and it set the stage for more advancement in my career.”
On the fast track, Pella saw Trey as a strong leader. They wanted him to manage a sales branch. With limited top spots in Pella-owned sales branches, Trey waited for the call. “And when I got it, it happened to be a market Jenica, and I were excited about, the Pacific Northwest, leading Pella’s sales subsidiaries (in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia), with the main office in Seattle."
Moving to Seattle in 2015, he managed the sales team and helped build and transform the small sales office into a robust and growing business. He also was instrumental in transitioning Pella locations in Vancouver, BC, and Spokane, Washington, to private independent ownership.
New Beginnings back in Texas
In 2019, a unique opportunity to move back to DFW opened. But this would be joining a branch under private independent ownership. Trey would step away from Pella Corporation, but at the same time, he would stay with the brand he loved so much.
“It was time,” Trey said. “Pella Corporation had been so good to us, but our family was growing, and continuing to relocate was tough on family life. Jenica and I talked about the need to establish roots, and the Dallas area is where we wanted to be planted.”
With that, he took over as the General Manager of Operations with Pella of the DFW team. Trey led efforts to develop and improve operational metrics, created simplified installation pricing for replacement and new home construction, and led the business’ transition to Pella of DFW’s new HQ facility in Grapevine. He led these efforts all during COVID with no major business or customer interruptions. Through his passion for teamwork he, his family, and the Pella of DFW operations team were thriving even through the strange days of the pandemic.
Trey was now used to navigating change, and in early 2021, change came again. But this time, it didn’t mean moving to a new location. It was a change of ownership as Greg Hirsch and Jamie Ogle purchased the DFW/WTX distributorship. Trey became the Vice President of Business Performance and started to look at the business through a bigger-picture lens.
“Greg and Jamie came in with a vision of growth, opportunity, and investment,” said Trey. “And what you see today with our new experience centers is reflective of that. They also invested in people with an understanding that we sell premium windows and doors, and it needed to be backed up and serviced by a team dedicated to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”
Trey said that with more than an estimated 400 people moving to the Dallas/Fort Worth area each day and with West Texas growing rapidly, construction activity continues to be hot. “Our area ranks as one of the top markets in the country for metro-to-metro incoming moves,” he said. “That’s why new construction, along with remodels/replacement, is such a great opportunity for us to earn new business. We work closely every day with homeowners, as well as custom and semi-custom builders, and that’s why I’m so excited about our three new experience centers in Ft. Worth, the Dallas Design District, and Frisco, along with our recently remodeled showrooms in Lubbock and Amarillo. They not only showcase our quality brand and an amazing assortment of wood, fiberglass, and vinyl products, but they also serve as a gathering space for the builder communities and their customers. We want to be a vital partner and member of the builder community, and we had that in mind when we designed our new facilities.”
Looking Forward
Trey is ready for the future as he takes on the role of President.
“Trey’s leadership, dedication, and strategic vision have been instrumental in driving our organization forward,” said Jamie Ogle, co-owner of Pella of DFW/West Texas. “His ability to inspire and empower those around him sets a remarkable example for all of us – he’s ready for his new role.”
“Trey’s measured, empathetic approach to developing leaders strengthens the organization by ensuring we have the experienced talent necessary to meet our ongoing business goals,” added Greg Hirsch, co-owner of Pella of DFW/West Texas. I am confident our company will continue to thrive as Trey takes on more responsibilities over the broader business.”
“The new position is exciting and will test the knowledge and insights I have earned on my life journey so far,” reflected Trey.
After several years of being very deliberate about finding the right people and supporting their development to find “the right seat on the bus,” a never-ending journey along with continuously investing in enterprise-level systems, Pella of DFW is on a roll. Trey said he couldn’t be more bullish about the future. “It goes back to my earlier life in sports,” he said. “Teamwork and belief in each other drive success,” he said. “Our senior leadership team, Jared Canter, Tim Gilchrist, Chris Welch, Amy Gutierrez, Wendy Wilson, Roxanne Jimenez, and Hung Tran are all dedicated to striving toward continuous improvement, innovation, and an unsurpassed customer experience. That’s why it’s so gratifying working with this team. On top of that, we feel extremely good about the doors and windows we represent. Working on the Pella corporate side and in several plants, I saw the passion and quality that went into the products. That’s why we all know the Pella brand has the best and most diverse products in the market, and our team is ready to serve and grow DFW and West Texas.”
