Our Story

We have a long heritage, starting in 1985 at our kitchen table, “expanding” to our dining room table, basement, and an office addition onto our home.

We purchased our current location – on Mequon Road – in 1992. By 1994 we had outgrown the “little building”, as we affectionately call it. Construction began in 1995 to build a new “big building” and we moved in during spring of 1996. This “big building” of 8000 square feet was huge – or so we thought.

In 2005, with our growth, the “big building” was not big enough so once again, we added an addition, effectively doubling our building size! Our two-story, state-of-the-art warehouse now holds hundreds of custom windows and doors ready for installation. WHEW!  What a journey it has been!

• We are proud of our growth, financial stability, business success and many awards.
• We have a great team of employees committed to you and your project.
• You can’t go far without seeing the All American Window & Door logo in your neighborhood.
• You can’t go far without meeting someone for whom we have done work.
• This all speaks to our commitment and dedication to doing business the right way.
• We have enjoyed the last 40 years and look forward to the next 40 years!

In today’s economy, it is important to work with a company that has a long track record and expert knowledge. We do!!! We are here for the long haul.

We have been blessed to work with the leading companies in the industry. To be the best, you need to surround yourself with cutting-edge companies that are the gold standard for their products and services. We are thankful to have been recognized by many of the companies we partner with, as well as by the remodeling industry, media companies and state and local government.

Below are a few of the many awards and designations we are proud of:

2022 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2021 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2020 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2019 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2018 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2018 BEST OF THE BEST TELEVISION – NATIONAL AWARD
2017 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2017 BEST OF THE BEST TELEVISION – NATIONAL AWARD
2016 Executive Women International – Terri is Milw. Chapter President
2016 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2016 BEST OF THE BEST TELEVISION – NATIONAL AWARD
2015 Terri Awarded Outstanding Women in the Industry click here
2015 BEST OF THE BEST TELEVISION – NATIONAL AWARD
2015 State of Wisconsin Commendation for 30th Anniversary
2015 Village of Germantown Commendation for 30th Anniversary
2015 Soft-Lite Commendation for 30th Anniversary
2015 Waudena Millwork Commendation for 30th Anniversary
2015 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2014 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2013 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2012 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2012 Wall Street Journal Article on our job swap program
2011 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2011 Angie’s List Super Star Award (2003 & 2006 too!)
2010 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2009 BBB Torch Award for Business Ethics & Integrity
2008 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2007 Soft-Lite Dealer of the Year and President’s Award
2006 Angie’s List Super Star Award (2003 & 2011 too!)
2005 Germantown’s Business of the Year
2005 Germantown’s Celebrate Success Award
2004, 2005, 2006 Terri was Director of July 4th Festivities for Germantown
2003 Angie’s List Super Star Award (2006 & 2011 too!)
2003 Top 101 Remodelers in America to Work For
2002 Top 101 Remodelers in America to Work For
2002 Two National Pinnacle Awards for Marketing (presented in Boston)
2001 Certified Graduate Remodeler with the NAHB
2001 Milwaukee/NARI Service Award
2000 National Remodeling Quality Award (runner up) for overall business leadership and management
2000 Milwaukee/NARI Presidents Award
1988 to current – Dealer of the Year, President’s Award, Elite Dealer Awards from vendors
19 Metropolitan Builders Standard of Excellence Awards
12 Milwaukee/NARI Wisconsin Remodelers Awards
National Trade Magazines: Home Gallery, Professional Remodeler, Winning Work Places
Articles in several community newspapers
Several community awards for July 4th and Christmas parade floats
Terri has been a speaker at trade shows, schools and many events

Buy from trusted professionals who are passionate about quality. Why settle for less when you can have windows, doors and siding from All American?

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The fact of the matter is, it’s all of those things and we here at All American Window and Door wouldn’t miss it for the world. This marks our (we stopped counting) year at the fair. We go, of course, to interact with our customers, find more customers, find out what people really think and feel. But, just being honest here, we go because we love the fair. There’s no place like it and though it is occasionally like a questionable gumbo made from noise, fried jalapenos, laffy taffy and cotton candy, there is no place better to experience the state than its fair.

The little baby animals don’t hurt either. How can you resist the adorable little piglets? You can’t. Just admit it.

So… we’re at the state fair this week. Come visit us. We would love to chat. Show us your proudest questionable tattoo decision. Let us know which fried delicacy you’ve sampled. Come fill out an estimate form. And take it all in in all of its wonderous state fairy glory: from the giant whirlpool directly in front of our booth to the strange blinking remote control UFO’s that periodically fly overhead. Take it all in while you say hi to your favorite Window and Door Company and its people.
Did i mention, not far away is Amateur Wrestling? Now just how could you miss it? Deep Fried Everything, UFO’s, questionable tattoos, little piglets, mesh shirts on wookies… Answer: You cannot miss this.

And… of course… there are the cream puffs.

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Summer has come to Wisconsin! Business is booming, our spirits are raised, and the weather is perfect!

We’re in the middle of parade season here, and we’ve been working hard on our company float, complete with sample windows and doors from our inventory. We’ve been a part of this community tradition for more than 20 of our 31 years, and cannot even guess at the number of tootsie rolls we’ve tossed out into the outstretched hands of excited children (and probably a few adults)!

We were in the Mequon parade on Saturday, June 26th, Menomonee Falls on the 3rd, and then Germantown and Wauwatosa on the 4th. Hope you saw us and got your share of Tootsie Rolls!!

One of our owners and founders, Terri, answered a few questions:

How and why did AAWD first get into doing these parades? I’ve always loved parades. We made our first float in 1991, following my family’s tradition (my father owned a towing company, so we were involved in a lot of parades while growing up).

What is your favorite part about them? The smiles from the kids (and adults)!

What about the AAWD float? It was originally built in the early 1990s on an old farm hay wagon and has been rebuilt once or twice. We redecorate yearly, with windows and doors along with banners appropriate to each parade’s theme. A lot of work goes into them, but the fun we help create for everyone makes it well worth our time, effort, and cost. We also toss into the crowd about 100,000 tootsie rolls per year. All together, we’ve likely given a few million to parade-goers!

Why tootsie rolls? We chose them because they’re one of our family’s favorite candies, they’re small, and everyone knows them. Just as a side-note, our family eats our fill of them at our 4th of July celebration and doesn’t touch them for the rest of the year!

Happy 4th from our family to yours!

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This Friday and Saturday, August 21-22^nd, we are celebrating and having an open house. Come celebrate with us!! Schedule an appointment during this Open House and mention this blog post to get extra discounts and savings during your free estimate appointment. You won’t want to miss this event or the savings!

Come get treats and buy some raffle tickets. We are raising money for EWI of Milwaukee’s educational programs in the form of scholarships for both high school and adult students as well as funding for childhood and adult literacy programs throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.

You won’t want to miss some of these awesome raffle items – grill, golf packages, hotel packages, wine tastings, salon and massage packages, and the list goes on. Did you think I’d tell you all of them?! I can’t do that; it spoils the surprise and fun! Stop by Friday and Saturday to see all these great raffle items, purchase some tickets and help us celebrate this milestone 🙂

Come to our Open House to find out what raffle items are behind this door…

A special thanks to…

All our customers for referring us to others and helping us reach this HUGE milestone. We wouldn’t be where we are without you – thank you!

All our vendors through the years for keeping us on track, laughing and crying with us through the mountains and valleys, and making amazing products.

Our family and friends for continually supporting us – We wouldn’t be here without your constant love and encouragement.

All of the many people and businesses listed below that sponsored our Open House and Event and donated the many AWESOME raffle items.

~ My apologies if I missed anyone, it was not intended. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough! We truly appreciate it more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for participating in this amazing milestone in our business history, kicking off our Open House Event, and helping us raise money for EWI Milwaukee. ~

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Today is National Sarah Day here at All American Window and Door Co. A year ago today, Sarah was in the doctor’s office for her breast ultrasound where it showed she had a mass in her right breast. The ultrasound led to a biopsy, which led to her breast cancer diagnosis.

There are no guarantees in life. Life is complicated, full of unknowns, and what-if’s. Anyone that’s gone through cancer, watched someone go through it, or lost loved ones to the terrible disease understands life is fragile.

After Sarah’s initial ultrasound, it was a rollercoaster of things to follow – biopsy, diagnosis, BRCA testing, doctor appointments, plans, treatment, and the list goes on. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t full of worry, fear, and anxiety during that period of unknowns. How could my older sister be diagnosed with cancer at 29? What did that mean for me and her BRCA1 positive test result?

Aside from all of this, I did test positive and had my prophylactic double mastectomy in September. Sarah and I had our double mastectomies and exchange surgeries two and a half weeks apart. I may not have had cancer and gone through that with her, but we went through our surgeries together. We have that special bond no one can take away from us. We can relate to each other in that aspect.

Our family banded together to surround Sarah with encouragement, support, love and faith. We determined as a family that we would come out on the other side joyful, rejoicing and sweet. We agreed that we would not be angry, bitter, or crabby people. Our mom moved in with Sarah and spent many months taking care of her. Mom and Dad trusted us kids and staff to keep All American Window & Door functioning and they went into super parent mode.    

All of this being said, Sarah is a SURVIVOR!!! She’s doing extremely well, upbeat and smiling. Today, she’s struggling and rightly so. Today brings back a surge of emotions; it takes her back to that place where she was a year ago. I’m very proud of Sarah and the mountains she’s had to climb the past year. She’s a very strong woman! She will still go through valleys and cloudy days, but she’s cancer-free. Our family is blessed.

Hannah Lodwick

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 Our guys built this beautiful new display booth and their expert installation knowledge and skill is on display for you to see. Come check it out! You are going to LOVE it…and so will the owners when they finally get to see it! Come to the show and speak with some of our customers and ask them about their home improvement experience. We have a section in our booth called “Ask the Customer.” Previous customers spend time in our booth talking to potential clients about their experience and why they picked All American Window & Door to do the work on their home. Come talk with our staff and play with full-sized windows. You’re welcome to slam a few doors too. Looking to do that siding project? Come look at our siding walls and pictures.

Hopefully you can make it to the show. If not, we’ll be at the Realtors Home and Garden Show in March. Or stop in our showroom or call us to set up your free estimate. We’re celebrating 35 years and you get all the presents. See what all the hype is 🙂

PS: All pictures with customer’s and client’s were used with permission.

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Just a sampling of that surprise!

I was going through boxes of pictures and albums the other day picking and choosing random ones to use for a project. That surprise project was revealed yesterday. There were days I was overwhelmed with emotions and other days I was completely speechless and had no words.

My parent’s Ben and Terri Lodwick started their business in 1985, two years before I was born. They both wanted to own their own company and have a large family. The business started in the basement and eventually grew to the property and location it’s at now on Mequon Road in Germantown. This year they are celebrating 35 years in business.

Family is the driving force behind the business. As I was going through pictures, I came across a newspaper article Mom was talking about parades, family traditions, and how maybe some of us kids would want to go into the business some day.

As I was reflecting the other day, I was brought to tears. I never wanted to be part of the family business. I was the extremely musical child and took to learning instruments rather quickly and easily. Started violin and piano when I was 4 and have learned endless instruments the past 23 years, whether it was through private lessons or teaching myself. Music was my gift and I wanted to share that with the world. I wanted to go to college for music education, become a teacher, work for the family business as needed, and live my teacher life. I would have summers off, winter breaks, and do what I wanted. However, that passion quickly shifted the more I got involved in the family business. I finished my music degree, along with a business minor. You can plan for stuff, but life doesn’t always work out as planned.

Liz and Hannah

I joke with people and say I’ve been working for the company for 27 years. I started off 7 1/2 years ago as a part-time receptionist; 6 1/2 years ago I came on as a full-time employee. It wasn’t until that point that I saw a completely different side of my parent’s. I knew they were extremely dedicated, passionate, caring, and simply awesome. I grew up hearing stories of the good and bad days, customers, and the business life. After school, Mom would take us to the office where we’d play by the railroad tracks, help scrub toilets, do our homework at the big kid’s desk while swiveling in the chairs.

I didn’t see what it truly took to run a business until I was actually in the middle of it. I knew of the late nights, sleepless nights, tears, sweat and blood it took. We felt the growing pains of the business as a family. We hurt when our parents hurt. We wanted to tell customers to stop being mean! We’d go on appointments with Dad. In fact, we’d argue and fight over who got to go. Eventually a system was created and we couldn’t wait until it was our turn. Those appointment times were Daddy-daughter dates. I got to hang with him and have that special one-on-one time. We worked trade shows and events with Mom and Dad. We’d get dressed up and compete against siblings for who handed out the most fliers.

Once I came on full-time, I saw what it truly took to be successful. I developed such a deeper respect and admiration for my parents than I’ve ever had before. My respect and admiration continually grows the more I’ve gotten involved and worked my way through the business. I am currently the Director of Customer Care and have the front row seat to helping customers with questions.

As I type this, I’m overwhelmed with emotions and tears are flowing down my cheeks. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for all you’ve done for the community, people around you, business colleagues, organizations you’ve been part of, your employees, extended family, and everything and everyone I haven’t even mentioned. Thank you for your compassion and love. Thank you for never throwing in the towel and quitting when you wanted to. Thank you for persevering. Thank you for involving us on the journey, ups and downs, successes and failures. Thank you for teaching us life lessons while growing up in the business. Saying thank you doesn’t seem to be enough.

It’s been neat going through boxes of pictures, newspaper articles, letters from customers and miscellaneous items. I’ve enjoyed seeing the change in letterhead, the property, buildings, procedures, and so much more. Ohhhh the memories! I’m excited for the future and growing even more.

Congratulations on 30 amazing years, Mom and Dad! I’m proud of your amazing accomplishment and being part of your team. Your passion is now my passion! Let’s celebrate this milestone…together and with everyone else!!

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We don’t want to confuse a bay window with a bow window, although there are a lot of similarities with the Elements bay and bows; however, there are differences. Bay windows extend outwardly and protrude from the home much more than a bow window. Bays have a significantly deeper seat and have only three “units” – left operating casement (or double hung), fixed picture window, and right operating casement (or double hung). The configuration is commonly known as quarter, half, quarter. On bow windows the configuration is always equal lites.

You can do a lot to a bay window: tuck it right under your overhang or install it right on your home and allow us to build a roof. Oh, and did you know, you don’t have to already have a bay window in your home to swap out with a new bay window! You can get rid of that large picture window, triple casement or other window and install a beautiful, dimensional bay window. You can completely change the look of your home! Another option is altering an opening by making it larger to accommodate a bay window. Or, you could take out that patio door you don’t use and raise the walls and put in the glamorous bay window. All American Window & Door has altered many homes to be able to give the homeowner their special window. In fact, one customer surprised his wife with a bay window for their 30th wedding anniversary gift. He wanted us to put it in his wife’s sitting room because she spent a lot of time there. Only problem? They had a double hung in the existing opening. Our solution? Expand the opening and build a custom roof for them. I had the privilege of working with this customer on several different occasions. He came into the showroom to show his wife what he purchased and seeing his wife’s face and smile was priceless!! I will never forget them – they made my day!

Bay windows are also exciting because you can decorate them and add life not only to the exterior of your home, but also the interior. Terri loves decorating – You’d know that if you’ve ever been in our showroom. See how she decorated hers in a lovely winter theme…

And if you don’t want to jazz them up, why not use that space to put up picture frames. Or, you could use it as a favorite hangout place for that dog or cat of yours…The options are endless and yours for the taking. Call us today to set up that free bay window consultation. We’ll transform your curb appeal!

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We’ve done lots of work in Racine from small projects like a few windows to big projects like replacing everything – windows, siding and doors. This morning the “We Love Wisconsin Tour” was in Racine at Robert’s Roost Restaurant. Every month on the tour Terri Lodwick and All American Window and Door donate $1,000.00 to a special charity. This month Women’s Resource Center was the special recipient of the $1,000. Women’s Resource Center is an outlet in the community that provides a place for victims of specific abuse and/or assault to turn to at any hour of the day. They are the only abuse shelter serving the entire Racine County and have provided a safe haven for thousands of women and children since 1977.

The Women’s Resource Center is a support group for those that walk through their doors. Terri had the opportunity to be live on-air with Katy Stephan-Cothell who’s the Development Director. Katy shared what the Center is all about and how they get their funding. They are in the process of opening a second shelter and want to use the money specifically for that new endeavor to do things they only had dreamed of being able to do. Terri shared her heart in how she chooses each organization. It must be local, small and be of specific benefit for children. As Terri presented the $1,000 check, she did what she normally does EVERY TIME, she cried. Terri starts so serious in her sentence to say this money is to honor you for what you do and before the end of her second sentence has tears. Terri wears her heart on her sleeve so every month it happens, everyone expects it and no one bets against the tears!

I had the opportunity to speak with Katy. She said, “This morning was fun! Terri is phenomenal and such a sweet, genuine lady. She’s a lot of fun. I cannot thank her enough for the donation. The $1000.00 donation means so much to us. It gives us a resource and means to do the things we thought we couldn’t do otherwise. To some, $1,000.00 donation doesn’t mean a lot or make a dent. To us it means a whole new way of communicating with people. It gives us something that we could not have without it. We are excited to use this gift. I cannot thank Terri and All American Window and Door Co. enough. Thank you!”

Katy is a fantastic person and a little ball of energy. After the morning radio show, Terri was invited to see the facility. She was able to see what they do, where the money would go, and meet those within the organization. It was a very humbling experience and reinforced that choosing Women’s Resource Center as our charity this month was the right decision.

Thank you, Katy, for allowing All American Window and Door Co. to be a special part of your organization. We appreciate all you’re doing in the community and you making a difference!

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It’s a cold brisk morning and you don’t want to get out of that warm, toasty bed, but you do anyway. You waltz into the kitchen to start brewing that perfect pot of coffee and the sunlight hits the window just right and you instantly freak, “what is this water on my beautiful new windows?”

Water on windows is condensation. Your windows sweat! Did you know that? They sweat because the inside and outside of the window has a big difference in temperature. The first place you notice it is on the glass because it’s the lowest temperature on the entire wall.  In the winter, it’s commonly seen on the interior of the window and in the summer, it’s seen on the exterior of the window.

Do not blame the windows – they’re doing their job! The easiest way to explain condensation is using the shower and bathroom as an example. What happens when you take a steamy, hot shower? The warm moist air comes in contact with the cooler air and the bathroom mirror steams up. Where do you see the condensation? The glass!

Elements windows are designed to keep the winter cold air and temperature outside, and the heat inside of your home. It’s the same as in summer – your cool air conditioned home stays cool and the heat stays outside.

You may not have noticed the condensation on your old windows for many reasons. First, they weren’t energy efficient. They allowed moisture and air to escape between the window frame and wall frame or through the sashes. Your windows were most likely drafty. Drafty windows are like watching $$ float in and out of the home. You’re not doing yourself a favor by keeping those old, drafty, inefficient windows.

Condensation can be reduced by controlling the humidity inside your home. This is extremely important. The more humidity you have in your home (due to plants, showers, cooking, pets, etc), the more condensation you’ll notice. Moisture is all around us. Some quick solutions would be to get the humidity levels in your home tested, open blinds or drapes to allow air to circulate, use of a dehumidifier, and cracking a window or door open for a few minutes.

I should mention that if you see condensation between the panes of glass that means you have a seal failure. A Seal failure is completely different than condensation. 

Remember, new windows and doors do not cause the condensation. It is the moisture in the air and the more moisture in the air, the higher the humidity. Condensation is extremely common in such extreme temperatures that we deal with in Wisconsin. One day we’re experiencing an Indian summer, and the next we’re pulling out our Eskimo suits. If you want to test the humidity levels in your home, I’d highly suggest getting a digital hygrometer. So, next time you walk in the kitchen and see a little condensation on the window, don’t freak out. It’s telling you your windows are working perfectly!

For more information on condensation, please visit these sites.

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