The Story Behind the Duncan Name | Duncan’s Window & Door

When people hear Duncan’s Window & Door, I hope they think of more than just a window and door company in Oshkosh. I hope they think of honest work, strong communication, and a business that still believes in doing things the right way.

The name Duncan is personal. It is my name, and that matters to me. If my name is on the truck, on the building, and on the work, then I want it to stand for something. I want customers to know they are working with a company that cares about quality, follows through, and treats people with respect from the first phone call to the final walkthrough.

That mindset did not begin when I started Duncan’s Window & Door in Wisconsin. It was built over a lifetime in construction and the trades.

A Lifelong Background in Construction and the Trades

I have been around construction for most of my life. I started working for a general contractor when I was 14. Later, I worked on cars, then at a lumberyard during high school, where I learned a lot about building products and how different materials were used on real job sites. I was always interested in how things went together, how products performed, and why some methods worked better than others.

By the time I was 19, I was working in a window factory. I started by building windows and making deliveries, then moved into installation. That is where the work really clicked for me. Over time, I gained experience in manufacturing, delivery, installation, service, and jobsite problem-solving. I learned how to do the work, but I also learned how to think through the details, refine the process, and keep improving over time.

That background still shapes the way I look at every replacement window and door installation job today.

A Family Legacy Connected to Windows

There is also a deeper family connection behind the Duncan name. In my family history, there is a tie to A.J. Phillips, who is credited with inventing the first expandable window screen. That is not something I grew up using as a sales line. It is simply part of the story and part of the legacy behind the work. When you spend your life in the trades, you come to appreciate the value of practical skill, craftsmanship, and building something that lasts.

Another important part of that legacy came from my grandfather. He was a mason, a World War II veteran, and someone who believed in hard work and doing things well. After he passed, he left me $3,000, and that money helped me buy my first set of tools in 2008. That was not some big business loan or flashy startup story. It was a foundation. It was a reminder that the people who came before me had already invested in the kind of man and kind of work they hoped I would carry forward.

How Duncan’s Window & Door Began

Before moving to Wisconsin, I had already spent years working in the industry and running my own business in Michigan. In 2015, I moved to Wisconsin planning to work for someone else for a while. That plan changed pretty quickly. After a short time, I realized I still cared too much about doing things the right way to stay in a setup where the decisions did not line up with the work. So I made the decision to build something of my own again. Duncan’s Window & Door officially launched on April 1, 2016.

Since then, Duncan’s has grown steadily through hard work, word of mouth, and a commitment to serving customers well. It was never about chasing fast growth for the sake of growth. It was about building a local window company in Oshkosh that people could trust.

Why the Duncan Name Matters

Today, there are a lot of big companies in the replacement window and door industry focused on scaling fast, spending big on advertising, and turning everything into a numbers game. That was never my goal. I do not want Duncan’s to become the kind of company that forgets how to treat customers like people. I want it to stay personal, local, and relationship-driven - while still being professional, responsive, and always moving forward.

To me, the Duncan name should stand for quality work, honest communication, and follow-through. It should mean that if we take on a job, we are going to do it right. It should mean customers know who they are dealing with. And it should mean that our team takes pride in the work, because our reputation is tied directly to every home and every project.

That matters whether we are installing replacement windows in Oshkosh, helping a homeowner compare options for Wisconsin weather, or simply answering questions and pointing someone in the right direction.

Not How Many - But How Well

One phrase tied to my family story has always stuck with me:

Not how many, but how well. 

That is a good summary of how I think about business, craftsmanship, and long-term reputation. It is not about doing the most jobs or becoming the biggest company just to say we did. It is about doing the work well enough that the name behind it actually means something.

That is what I want people to think of when they hear Duncan’s Window & Door.

Not just a company name. A standard.

Building for the Future in Northeast Wisconsin

Duncan’s Window & Door continues to grow across Oshkosh and Northeast Wisconsin, but the goal is still the same as it was in the beginning: serve customers well, do right by neighbors, and build something lasting. The name on the building matters because the people behind it matter. And the work matters because families are trusting us with their homes.

That is the story behind the Duncan name - and it is a story we are still working to live up to every day.