Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennie Tanner.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was living in Atlanta working as a flight attendant and decided to come home after 10 years of soul searching. My father owned a construction company supplying and installing door and bath hardware, mirrors, and shower glass. I went to work for him as a sales representative serving the Wasatch Front and Park City area.
After 5 years, he closed down his co-owned company and we opened our own family business and called it Tanner Glass & Hardware. My father, brother, husband, and I worked hard to maintain the building relationships we had established and grew the business from 10 employees to 40 in 2008. My brother passed away in 2011 during the recession and my father retired in 2012.
I continued to grow the company and expanded our lines to storefront glazing and opened a picture framing department. Today, Tanner Glass employs 75 loyal, incredible people that work well together and strive to give the best customer service experience to our customers. We have 2 showrooms located in Midvale and Park City, Utah.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The entire journey of running a business is always challenging no matter what industry you are in. Construction is either feast or famine and when it’s feast it is still difficult because it is nearly impossible to find qualified and experienced labor. Every up and down in the economy affects the construction industry. Our journey started right out of the gate competing with my father’s previous partner and every previous employee who thought they could start a competing business.
Then came the recession which was devastating to our entire nation. We made it through but then losing my brother in 2011 and my father retiring a year later was a real test of my strength. The pandemic enabled us to be considered an essential business but like everyone else, we never knew what to expect each day and we were all holding our breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. Smooth road? Maybe now, just a little, but I never get too comfortable.
We’ve been impressed with Tanner Glass & Hardware, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Tanner Glass & Hardware is a women-owned construction company that is considered a trade in the industry. We supply and install door and bath hardware, mirrors, shower glass, specialty glass, and commercial storefront glazing, and have a picture framing department. My father started selling doorknobs in the 1970s and couldn’t get anyone interested enough to buy from him so he offered to install them.
Today, he is responsible for the way the Utah market operates in the hardware world. If you sell door knobs, you had better install them. We sell everything from $10 door hardware to $1000 door hardware. Our customer service sets us apart from our competition. The average employee tenure is 10+ years which shows our customers that they like their jobs and enjoy what they do. Many of our customers have been with us since before we started Tanner Glass and followed us from my father’s company.
That speaks volumes about how we treat our customers. We want our showrooms to be a lifestyle experience and to feel an easy flow to picking out products for their homes. We have a variety of offerings in different finishes and styles. I consider door hardware to be functional jewelry and I’m passionate about showing beautiful pieces.
What does success mean to you?
I consider time to be the best recognition of success. If I can do what I want when I want or nothing at all, that defines my success.
I’m very lucky now, I get to give back to my community and have the comfort of knowing that the business is being run by competent professionals.
Contact Info:
- Website: tannerglass.com
- Instagram: @tannerglassandhardware
- Facebook: @tannerglassandhardware
- Linkedin: @tanner-glass
