Opening Doors, Building Trust: Mark's Door Service

By Jen Laclair
Photos by Brian Peters

In 1992, Mark Burdiek pulled into a car lot on Topeka Boulevard and bought a utility truck. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to do with it, but that unplanned purchase has since grown into a Topeka home service company now in its fourth decade.

Mark’s Door Service has focused not just on installing and repairing garage doors, but on fostering customer relationships. And it all started with an unexpected push.

“I had just had my first son,” said Mark, the company’s founder and co-owner, recalling the moment everything changed. “I was told by my employer on Friday that I didn’t have a job come Monday.”

After years working in the industry, Mark suddenly found himself unemployed and searching for a way forward. A brief stint with another company didn’t offer stability, and a missed opportunity in another field left him at a crossroads. He decided to go out on his own.

“I didn’t even really know what I was going to do yet,” he said. “I just knew I had to try something.”

From that truck, Mark’s Door Service was born.

HINGING ON HARD WORK

In those early years, the business was a one-man operation. Mark handled service calls, installations and customer relationships, often recruiting family members to help on larger jobs. A scissor lift, a trailer and eventually a repurposed semi-trailer in his yard served as his equipment and inventory system. Sales were modest, and profit margins even slimmer.

A turning point came when a supplier took a chance on him, offering better pricing that allowed Mark to compete in the market. From there, the business gradually began to grow.

As the business picked up, Mark added a secretarial role to the operation to manage the administrative side.

“That’s when things really changed,” he said. “I could focus on the work, and we started to grow.”Mark completed jobs late into the night and scheduled service calls around his children’s afterschool activities.

“I wasn’t going to miss their games,” he said. “I thought I might lose some business, but most people understood.”

A BIGGER OPENING

Today, Mark’s Door Service looks very different from its humble beginnings. The company now operates out of a renovated 11,000-square-foot facility on nine acres, employs around 15 people and serves a wide region stretching from the Nebraska border to Manhattan and the Kansas City region. The facility includes a dedicated showroom where customers can see and compare garage door styles, materials and operator options in person. Meanwhile, he has also expanded its inventory to stock a wider range of doors and operators, allowing for same-day installations in many cases.

Sales have grown between 15% and 25% annually in recent years, according to the company. Business picked up even more when co-owner Jeremy Mays joined the company.

Jeremy, a business broker and real estate professional, was initially brought in to help sell the business. But during the process, he saw something worth investing in.

“I got to know Mark, and I realized this was something special,” Jeremy said. “A friend told me, ‘You guys would be a match made in heaven if you bought that business.’”Jeremy ultimately became a partner, bringing a complementary skill set to Mark’s technical expertise and customer-first mindset.

“I’m not really a businessman,” Mark said. “Jeremy is really good at that.”

Together, the two have expanded operations and pursued continuous growth while working to preserve the company’s personal touch.

That personal touch is evident in everything they do, starting with a simple but increasingly rare practice: answering the phone.

“When you call here, you’re going to get a voice,” Jeremy said. “We want people to feel like they’re talking to someone who knows them.”

The company’s slogan, “honest work done right,” guides how Mark and Jeremy approach every job: taking the time to build rapport, explain options and follow through when something isn’t right.

“If we mess up, we fix it,” Mark said. “We’re not going to stop until it’s right.”

Jeremy said one customer was troubled by a faint noise coming from her garage door system. The sound was something their technicians couldn’t initially hear.

“She thought we might think she was crazy,” he said. “But we were committed to figuring it out.”

The team invited her to their facility, tested different solutions and resolved the issue.

NEW DOORS, SAME VALUES

Many of their employees have been with the company for years. One team member, affectionately known as “Stretch,” has been part of the business for nearly three decades and was Mark’s first official employee.

“You start looking around and see that kind of longevity, and you can’t help but feel like family,” Jeremy said.

Family, in fact, is a recurring theme throughout the company. Both Mark and Jeremy have had family members, from children and spouses to extended family, contribute over the years, helping on job sites or supporting marketing and staffing efforts.

“We know each other’s kids, we go to their games, we celebrate together,” Jeremy said. “It’s more than just work.”

He says their company culture has helped them attract and retain employees in an industry where skilled labor can be hard to find. It also creates a sense of trust for customers, who know the people coming into their homes have been carefully vetted.

The garage door industry has changed, according to Mark and Jeremy. The business used to be straightforward, usually involving the installation of one of a handful of wood or steel door options. Today, it’s far more complex: there are hundreds of styles, materials and smart technology features available.

“Now you can open your garage door from your phone, from anywhere,” Jeremy said. “People expect that.”

The company offers garage door operators with Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing customers to monitor and control their doors remotely. Comparing and choosing from those options can be overwhelming for customers, but Mark says that’s where the team’s expertise comes in. He meets clients in person, helping them narrow down choices based on their needs, preferences and budget.

“Most people want you to help them figure out what they want,” he said.

Behind the scenes, Jeremy focuses on scaling the business and exploring opportunities for expansion, including potential distribution capabilities and additional locations. The company is also preparing to launch a yearly tune-up program designed to extend the life of garage doors and operators.

“Our goal is to grow in a way that still maintains our standards,” he said. “That’s not always easy, but it’s what we’re working toward.”

For Mark, the measure of success is simple.

“That most people still like me,” he said. “And that we make people happy.”

For Jeremy, it comes down to this: “We’ve been opening doors for years, so let us open the door for you.”