Little did Larry Vogt know that when he and the late Dennis Carson started spraying insulation into attics and walls that their successor would celebrate 50 years in business.
The proprietors’ last initials became what was called C&V Insulation in 1976. The next year, Vogt sold his half of the business to Carson, who expanded services to include gutters, doors, windows, siding and more. The name became C&V Home Improvement.
A few decades later, enter Matt Hoisington, who took ownership of C&V in 2010 and added Kansas Doors in 2016. Today, the name of the business at 1107 10th in Great Bend is C&V Kansas Doors.
Vogt, Ellinwood, originally became involved when the owners of an insulation-manufacturing company in Hesston approached him.
“I was raised in Hesston and became acquainted with the father-and-son team of Alvin and John Blough. They asked if I was interested in the insulation business,” Vogt recalled. “Since Dennis and I were teachers at Ellinwood High School, it was a summer and weekend job.”
Even though he enjoyed working with Carson, Vogt wanted to continue teaching business and economics, and tend to his involvement in Kwik Kar Wash. Carson resigned from teaching chemistry to devote himself full-time to his new company.
“After I left, Dennis expanded the services and we remained great friends. It was a great relationship. He understood why I wanted to sell.”
Today, Vogt said he can’t take much credit for the 50-year-old company’s success but is glad to have been in on the ground floor.
“Matt has taken a successful business and made it even more successful,” Vogt commented. “The important ingredient in any business is the kind of person you are working with. Matt is a great man to know personally and to do business with.
“Dennis would be extremely pleased; he liked and respected Matt. I know he would feel good about what has happened over the years.”
More background
Hoisington will never forget meeting Dennis Carson who, in 2009, was ready to retire and sell C&V Home Improvement.
“I was making a presentation at a civic club, representing the KANSASWORKS office where I helped match job seekers with employers,” Matt recalled. “Dennis was in the audience and beat me back to my office. He said ‘work for me for a year, learn the trade and then buy the business.’
“But impatient Matt wanted to buy it then. Dennis and I met about a year later and came to an agreement.”
The company had moved from Ellinwood to 2407 10th in Great Bend before finding its new home on East 10th in 2013.
“This building housed White’s garage,” Hoisington related. “We gutted and remodeled the building and put in a heated shop. A lot was happening on this side of town; the timing was good.”
While he credits the original C&V guys for laying the groundwork, Hoisington gives much of the credit to his employees for the company’s success.
“Employees make the company, not the owner,” he said. “They are all accountable and responsible to our customers and our company. I appreciate Dennis’s foresight in realizing he had to diversify the business to make it work. Now our staff continues to succeed in all our areas of expertise.”
Hoisington started with six employees and now has 13, with a total of more than 230 years of experience. The C&V division handles jobs within an hour of Great Bend; Kansas Doors goes from I-135 to the Colorado border.
“They all understand that we stand by our work, and if there is a problem, we make it right. I learned from Dennis that if you don’t take care of your customers, you won’t get return calls. Because of this, most of our business is word-of-mouth, with repeat customers and referrals.”
