The “Martha Stewart of Garage Doors”

© 2004 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Spring 2004
Author: Tom Wadsworth
Page 74


CLIPPINGS
Garage Doors and Openers in the Media


The “Martha Stewart of Garage Doors”

“Jennifer Maher, a make-up artist for ABC News in Washington for the last 16 years, believes nothing should be unattractive, including garage doors,” writes reporter Swesey.

FrenchPorte, Maher’s Rockville, Md.-based company, makes garage doors patterned after interior French doors. Maher has worked for five years to secure eight patents for her designs.

Swesey quotes Maher as saying, “I’m sort of the ‘Martha Stewart’ of garage doors. I got tired of looking at old garage doors. The women really get it. They like pretty things.”

FrenchPorte doors reportedly cost $2,000 to $3,000 and are made of aluminum and polycarbonate. Maher reportedly partnered with a venture company from China to lower manufacturing costs.


Voice-Activated GDOs?

This release says the alliance of two high-tech firms “brings together for the first time speech recognition and wireless connectivity at a breakthrough price/performance ratio for next generation … consumer electronics.”

The partnership of Integration Associates and Sensory hopes to result in “voice-controlled garage door openers … and biometric keyless entry through speaker verification.”

Editor’s Note: Could this be “the next big thing” in GDO remote controls?

Garage Door Teaches DIYer Lesson

A Cleveland columnist tells his frightening tale of trying to fix his sticking garage door. He thought the task would be simple: “Just whip that baby off, straighten out a few rails, reinstall, and you’re good to go.”

However, “I nearly decapitated myself,” he writes. “Turns out the spring in a spring-loaded garage door is strong enough to retract Duluth.”

He soon called his fix-it buddies to the rescue. When they arrived, “The panels of the door had crossed into an X, and I was on the floor blithely wondering how many beers THIS was going to cost me.”

Editor’s Note: Instead of calling your beer-drinking buddies, call your local garage door professional.

Open the Door in a Flash

This motorcycle magazine tells of a new product, “the ingenious BIGDO (Built-In Garage Door Opener) from MotoFX.” Thanks to this novel idea, bikers no longer need to dig in their pockets for the garage door remote control.

“The BIGDO lets you open your garage do’ with a simple flash of the headlights (or turn signals, your choice).” The product (www.motofx.com) reportedly costs less than $75, installs in minutes with no tools, and can open automated gates, too.

“Digital Ghosts” Multiplying

This story describes the million-dollar high-tech house of Alvin Cowans, a former NFL player. “He had barely plugged everything in when the ghosts appeared. Cowans heard them over his cordless phone … and they played with the automatic garage door, sending it up and down when no one was home.”

With all of today’s wireless devices, “digital poltergeists” seem to be lurking everywhere. The report says the FCC “has seen the number of complaints about interference jump to more than a half-dozen a day from almost none in the 1970s.”

The problem seems to stem from all the “signals that travel in limited frequencies on the radio spectrum, like cars driving side-by-side on a multilane highway.” FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell believes that manufacturers of wireless products will find ways to minimize interference.

Vaseline Tip for Garage Door Seals

On a cold wintry morning, a customer calls and says his garage door keeps freezing to the floor. What do you say?

“Rub Vaseline on the bottom of your garage door seal,” says Dave Gelzleighter in this Fort Wayne news report. Gelzleighter is 26-year veteran garage door technician.

“The ice is still … going to freeze, but it’s not going to stick to the seal itself if you have something in between.”