Choosing a garage door is a long term commitment that will last years, sometimes even a lifetime. It's not a decision that should be taken lightly, but given careful thought and consideration. Tom Schneider, owner of Hudson Valley Overhead Doors, compares buying garage doors or known in the industry as overhead doors, like shopping for a car. "There are so many shapes, sizes, colors and materials to choose from" said Schneider. "And you don't buy a new garage door every year". Schneider said the industry has grown beyond the traditional wood garage doors offered in only a few colors and styles. Ready-to-install doors range to include insulated metal and various styles like Carriage and Ranch. And this doesn't take into account window styles and the fact that any door can be customized to meet an owners exact specifications. Schneider knows the overhead door business very well. He's been in the business since 1993 installing overhead doors and door openers for both residential and commercial locations throughout the Hudson Valley. His experience in the field led him to start Hudson Valley Overhead Doors as a business in May, 2006. As owner of the business, he takes pride in personally installing every door and door opener himself with assistance from Hudson Valley Overhead Door's employees. The process from ordering to installation usually takes two to four weeks; two weeks for stock items and up to four weeks for custom orders. Installation tends to be quick. As an example, Schneider said a standard two-door garage installation, with door opener takes a full day. While installation can be quicker, he prefers to make certain it's done correctly and operates perfectly. While he likes the feel of a small business, Schneider has goals to expand the business in the coming years. A five year goal is to open a location with a shop, office space and showroom all-in-one and then spend more time growing his business. Even when he's able to move himself strictly into the administrative role as business owner, he doesn't plan on losing touch with the overall process of quality and customer service. Making sure that his employees are trained to meet his expectations will be his number one priority. - Written By Ira Weiss, Hudson River Sampler