The first time the Better Business Bureau called Energy Swing Windows to let them know they’d won its ethics award, co-owner Betty Rennekamp hung up on them.
“She’s a real pit bull, and I mean that in the best possible way,” said Energy Swing Vice President Donnie Darragh.
Rennekamp thought the bureau was soliciting.
“She told them, ‘We’re already members,’ and they had to call back to say, ‘No, no — we want to give you an award!’ ” Darragh said.
On Friday, the bureau presented the Murrysville window, door and basement finishing company with its fifth consecutive Torch Award for Ethics, which recognizes companies that employ ethical business practices and excellent customer service.
Companies that win the award must wait four years before reapplying.
Since 2008, Energy Swing has taken it home every time they’ve been eligible.
“It’s all about people,” said founder Steve Rennekamp, a former Alcoa engineer who started Energy Swing 25 years ago. “Energy Swing is the people in this room, who’ve worked to build the business and the brand. These awards reflect what doing the right thing can accomplish.”
Warren King, the BBB’s Western Pennsylvania president, said Energy Swing exemplifies all of the qualities the award is meant to honor.
“In an industry known for problematic companies, Energy Swing has only had one Better Business Bureau dispute in all the years they’ve been with us,” King said.
In a further effort to increase customer education and their transparency — no pun intended, even for a window company — Energy Swing unveiled a new price estimator tool on its website, which allows potential customers to choose different options and features and get a rough cost for a window, door or basement project.
“We wanted a way to answer questions before a customer even picks up the phone,” Energy Swing content manager Isabella White said.
Judges who evaluate applicants for the Torch Award — typically regional academics and professors who teach business ethics — also examine the ways they give back to their community.
In addition to having raised more than $140,000 over the years for diabetes research, Energy Swing also unveiled a new fundraiser in partnership with Breakthrough T1D, a national nonprofit that raises money for Type I diabetes research and treatment.
Rennekamp’s first wife and his son both died of complications related to Type I diabetes.
“Type I is hard on people who are diagnosed, and it’s hard on their families,” Rennekamp said.
The fundraiser, “Creating Breakthroughs One Window at a Time,” will collect old window sashes and repurpose them by partnering with local artists. The artists will create unique works of art on the old glass panes and auction them off at future events to benefit Breakthrough T1D.
Rennekamp got the idea from a Wisconsin colleague who is also in the window industry.
“I’m not averse to stealing good ideas. We have plenty of windows we were tossing in the dumpster,” Rennekamp said. “So we thought: Let’s see what we can do to raise even more money for Breakthrough T1D.”
Interested artists can take part in the program by calling 724-387-2991, ext. 108.