Olney Sales Inc. makes an impact throughout the U.S.

Melvin Greenhaw, the owner of Olney Sales, Inc. (OSI), said many people in town do not realize what they do. Some people may get confused about the name. Greenhaw said, “We’re still called Olney Door and Screen because that was the name when the Duncans owned [the company] for several years. Our invoices have Olney Sales, but when [customer’s] checks come in payable to Olney Door and Screen.”

There is some confusion with the name because many people were used to the name given by the original owners, Fred and Betty Duncan, who moved to Olney from Houston. They operated the company—manufacturing doors and screens—in Olney for approximately 30 years while raising their son Brad.

Greenhaw said the Duncans moved to Olney to be close to Tower Extrusions—the company that provided the metal they used to build the screen doors. In an Olney Enterprise article published Aug. 2, 1990, Fred Duncan praised Tower Extrusions for the company’s success. “Their quality control is second to none in the industry and they have worked closely with us on all of our projects and continue to work with us to solve unique problems,” Ducan stated.

Greenhaw concurs with Duncan’s accolades about Tower and states OSI still works closely with them as they continue to provide quality products across the U.S.

With more than a million dollars in annual sales, Greenhaw attributes the company’s success to the employees who he refers to as family as well as building rapport with the clients. Greenhaw said the company is doing well with the 14 employees who work hard to manufacture heavy duty screen doors and storm doors mostly for public housing arena throughout the U.S.

“We have sold our product to colleges and grade schools, and we are manufacturing 22, 000 screen doors for Norfolk, Virginia right now,” Greenhaw touted. “It’s about building relationships to keep the business,” Greenhaw added. “I venture to say that the housing authorities in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri have our products. And I just finished selling 330 doors in Illinois. We’re working on an air base in California right now.”

Greenhaw, who has resided in Olney since 1970, said after Fred Duncan passed away, Betty and Brad tried to run it without Fred. After experiencing some difficulty, they sold [the company] to Greg Miller and he continued to work in outside sales for them until the company went under. PSI bought the company and Greenhaw continued working for the company as a distributor until the new owner from California bought the company from PSI.

“After deciding they did not want the company, they offered me a chance to buy it and I bought it 11 years ago. I changed the name to Olney Sales Inc,” Greenhaw stated.

OSI is a family business —with Greenhaw’s daughter and son working at the company. OSI embraces the concept of supporting the community in any way it can.

For more information, visit their website: www.OlneySales.com. If anyone is interested in working for OSI, stop by the Main Street office to complete an application.