History of Optimum Window Manufacturing

Optimum Window Manufacturing Corporation was formed in 1985 by Candido Perez, whose experience in all facets of the window industry spans five decades. The company began in the Hunts Point industrial area of the Bronx, in New York City, with 7 employees in a 20,000-ft² factory. Not long after an impressive first year in sales, Optimum doubled its manufacturing space to meet growing demand for its products, particularly fire-rated windows for the New York City market.

The company continued to grow steadily, adding major markets in the Chicago area and on the West Coast. In 1989, Optimum moved just market outside the New York metropolitan area to Warwick, NY, to a larger facility. A few years later, the company purchased the famous Schrade knife factory in Ellenville and relocated its operations to this 137,000-ft² facility. The entire Optimum product line is manufactured here.

Optimum's success is largely a result of the experience the company's founder and key senior management personnel bring from the fenestration industry, combined with their business vision. Candido Perez was instrumental in establishing businesses in glazing and storefront glass systems, window product wholesaling, window manufacturing, and installations before launching Optimum. It was through this very comprehensive experience that market opportunities for growth with product specialization became clear. Mr. Perez realized that a tremendous need for fire-rated and other quality steel windows existed in urban environments such as New York City, with stringent building and fire codes as well as historic and landmark structures.

He teamed up with and Italian window maker to design and manufacture a fire-rate window line, well-suited to the demands presented by New York and other U.S. cities. Optimum was created to focus on these windows, and the company continues to introduce new window products and features regularly.

The move to Ellenville, NY, just outside the high-expense New York metropolitan area, allows Optimum to operate cost-effectively yet remain well poised to serve the entire Northeast region's metropolitan centers. A strong, competent local labor pool is readily available to meet the need as the company expands and the current factory space permits new lines and equipment to be added with ease.

Optimum's strategic planning ensures it is prepared to take advantage of opportunities, shifts and changes that lie ahead.