Since Prestige Security Doors owners Rob and Shaw Hudson both grew up watching their dads run their own businesses, it might have been inevitable for these Prescott High School sweethearts to do the same.
“For me, that was always a goal,” Rob recalled. “I didn’t know what, other than I wanted to work for myself.”
Shaw agreed, “I knew that was something I wanted to do.”
The Hudsons married as soon as Rob returned from a five-year stint in the Army, including service in the Gulf War. During the early years, they worked for other people.
Their plunge into their own business came with the Great Recession. Shaw, a fourth-generation Prescottonian, was laid off from her title company job as the real estate market crashed. Rob was working at a national home improvement store. Bolstered by their confidence in their abilities that they acquired growing up around their fathers’ paving and VW repair businesses, the couple started thinking about what the Prescott area might need in the construction contracting arena.
“We realized that it was time to make that move, and we had the skills to do that,” Shaw recalled.
Rob came up with the idea of selling top-quality security doors, thinking about their own bad experience with buying a security door from a big box store. Their research concluded the need existed.
“So many people were only aware of what you could buy at a big box store,” Rob said. Their own big-box door never fit the doorway right, so it provided poor security as well as a welcome mat for bugs to crawl into their home. They knew they could do way better.
The Hudsons launched Prestige Security Doors in January 2007. At the beginning, Rob kept his other job, then installed doors after work. Shaw scheduled appointments from their home while caring for their two daughters. They opened their Prescott showroom in 2011 and by 2012 they were manufacturing their own doors right here in Prescott. More showrooms opened in Lake Havasu City in 2014 and Cottonwood in 2015. Prestige has continued to grow every year, even during the Recession, and now it has 10 employees.
Rob credits their success to “our customer service and our drive to provide the best possible product.” Customers can choose any color and design, including ones they are just picturing in their minds. The Prestige team will design, measure, fabricate, install and service each custom door.
The Prestige woven stainless steel mesh screens are incredibly strong yet breathable. Other features include powder-coated color, steel hinges, solid brass handles, full-size deadbolts and bug-proof seals. It’s no wonder they include a lifetime warranty.
A few years ago Prestige added gates to its product line, so now customers can buy matching custom doors and gates.
And now, of course, the Hudsons have Prestige security doors on their own home.
“We leave the (solid) doors open all night long, and no bugs come in through our security doors,” Shaw said with a smile.