Vulcan Garage Services Inc.

Cory Wikstrom: Working in Doors

By James Florence, Diamond Certified Resource Reporter

SAN JOSE — Starting in his early 20s, Cory Wikstrom has spent nearly his entire professional career working in doors—garage doors, specifically. “Right out of high school, my younger brother got a job with a garage door company owned by his friend’s family,” he remembers. “It seemed like a good job, so I decided to apply and got hired. I spent the next eight years there before moving on and working for a few other garage door companies.”

Eventually, Cory started talking with his friend/co-worker Chad Wolffe about starting their own garage door business. However, one element was still missing. “While Chad and I had lots of knowledge and experience, we needed someone with a strong sales and administrative background—someone who knew how to keep books and get the phones to ring,” he explains. “We found that someone in Mike Fahey, who had managed the company Chad and I were working at. Together, we officially launched our own business in 2018.”

Today, as secretary of Vulcan Garage Services Inc., Cory wears more than a few hats. “I handle pretty much anything from answering the phone to training our technicians to doing installations,” he says. “If we get a call from outside the area our technicians are working in, I’ll often run out and take care of it.”

A resident of South San Jose, Cory spends the bulk of his time outside of work with his family. “My wife, Missy, and I have four kids, three of whom still live at home,” he details. “We enjoy activities like bowling, hiking at Almaden Quicksilver County Park and spending the day at Pismo Beach. We also have two dogs, a German Shepherd and a Great Pyrenees, so we’re always looking for new dog parks and hiking trails.”

In regard to his professional career, Cory espouses the importance of honesty. “At my old job, I’d actually get in trouble for being too honest with customers,” he laughs. “If a customer asked me, ‘Do I need to replace this part?’ I’d tell them the truth, even if that meant less money for the company. A lot of guys would be happy to sell the customer something they didn’t need, but that seemed wrong to me. Plus, when you’re honest, it usually pays off in the form of a good reputation and increased customer loyalty.”

Ask Me Anything!

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A: Australia.

Q: Are you an early bird or a night owl?

A: An early bird.

Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant?

A: Pizza Jack’s in San Jose. They have the best calzones.

Q: What’s your favorite sports team?

A: The San Francisco Giants.

Q: What’s your favorite kind of music?

A: I’m all over the board. I probably listen to country music the most, but I also like hip-hop and even classical.