VELUX Partnership: A Better Business Model
Leonard Parise
Sunburst Skylights
Leonard Parise has been a general contractor for most of his adult life. A young man with a knack for fixing things, he started working in property management right out of high school. He was able to do most repairs, which gave him a lot of satisfaction. From there, he started working in construction, but knew very quickly that he wanted to be the guy in charge.
“If you’re going to work hard, you want the reward,” said Leonard, of his decision to run his own construction business at a young age.
About 10 years ago, Leonard and his crews started doing a bunch of large custom skylight installations for a company called Sunburst Skylights. Sunburst was a VELUX Skylight Specialist, and two things immediately attracted Leonard to the business model:
First, the owner had a lifestyle that Leonard wanted. He had lots of flexibility and control over his schedule. The nature of skylight installation made this possible. Instead of working on home builds or remodels that lasted a year or two, skylight installations or repairs could be completed in a day — sometimes multiple jobs per day.
Second, skylight installation is a niche business, and with VELUX, the company had the backing of a well-respected product in addition to the lead generation and marketing that VELUX provides. “As a business owner, I wanted to focus my business on one thing and do it well. And I knew that VELUX is a brand recognized for high-quality products and great customer service,” said Leonard.
So when the former owner of Sunburst Skylights retired in 2019, Leonard bought the business. Leonard and his crew have more than tripled the volume of sales — they perform 20-25 installs every month.
In addition to training and education, VELUX provides leads through their website. “They do a lot of advertising in places like HGTV. VELUX marketing and lead generation is quite a big engine.” said Leonard. “Customers love the name recognition, quality, and great warranty that comes with VELUX. A lot of architects and designers specify the brand in their plans, too.”
Leonard sells the full range of VELUX products, though he sells Solar Powered Fresh Air Skylights the most. “They have the most benefit to the customer,” he said. “We do a ton of replacements as well. We knock those out really fast.”
The best part of the job, for Leonard, is the daily interaction with people and the flexibility to be with his family. “I meet one to three new people a day,” he says. “I talk to them, walk through their homes, and make their living spaces better. It’s very gratifying to make people happy.”
Between working hard to build his business, Leonard mountain bikes three days a week, rebuilds cars, and hikes. He also loves to travel with his wife and two children, which the financial success and flexibility of his business allows him to do. Their next family trip will be to Ireland. And as for the company? Leonard plans to continue expanding his territory and adding work in high-end custom skylights.