Raynor Doors of Nebraska, Inc. is a locally owned and operated garage door company. Jacob Hiatt is a Residential Salesman for Raynor Doors of Nebraska.
Tell me a little about your business. – We specialize in the sale, installation and service of residential and commercial garage doors, operators, specialized warehouse doors and specialized dock equipment. There are a wide variety of applications ranging from very small to very large. We like to say that there’s nothing we haven’t seen.
How did you get started in the business? – My dad, Gene Hiatt has owned Raynor Doors of Nebraska since April of 1996. I was 6 years old at the time, and have been around the business ever since. As I grew older, I started to understand how everything really worked and it all kind of clicked into place.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – My biggest challenge would definitely be my hearing impairment. I was born completely deaf in my left ear, and 70% deaf in my right ear. I’ve worn a hearing aid in my right ear since I was 3. Since then, I have learned a lot of different ways to cope with different noise situations. A lot of people say that they cannot even notice–both speech wise and hearing wise–and that is the greatest compliment I can accept. It is a challenge in my business because I am always talking face-to-face with customers.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – Stepping up to my current position in sales. For the first four years after college, I was out in the field doing installation and service calls. Navigating that learning curve has allowed me to be successful in my current position and a well-rounded asset to our company.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – I went to college at UNK and played baseball for the Lopers. I became a starting pitcher during my freshman year and at the end of the year in the conference tournament I tore my labrum in my shoulder, which has hindered my baseball career ever since. That was the time when I realized I needed to get out there and start taking school and a job a lot more seriously. It just kind of hit me when I didn’t have a game to prepare for each week.
What are you the most proud of? – In our business, I am the most proud of our services we have to offer. We have a large showroom that displays eight different full doors, two working doors and we also have a giant selection of samples. You can really get the true experience of selecting a new garage door by seeing it in person. We want to make sure you are 100% confident in your selection before you purchase your next garage door.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Golfing and being at the lake are my go-to activities on the weekend.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Derek Jeter. He played the game the way it should be played, and people could learn a lot from his attitude and work ethic.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Our office is located at 1634 S. 3rd St. around 3rd and A. We encourage you to stop by and take a look! Our phone number is (402) 477-5504. We are open Monday- Friday from 7:30-5:00, or you can check out our website at www.raynordoorsofnebraska.com.