We were delighted to see this insightful, in-depth story about Marvin Windows and Doors  in Sunday’s New York Times. The reporter, Andrew Martin, spent three days in our hometown of Warroad, Minn., talking with company leaders and townspeople. He wanted to look at how a mid-sized company was navigating through the economic downturn.

What he discovered was Marvin’s commitment to its community and its valued workers. Although we’ve had to make cutbacks during the downturn, we still have not laid off any of our skilled, experienced workers. As our company president, Susan Marvin, told the Times: “You can’t cut your way to prosperity. You can’t grow if you are cutting your lifeblood — and that’s the skills and experience your work force delivers.”

The story about a family-owned company that refuses to cut jobs has been flying around the Internet. For example, Fox News host Greta Van Susteren wrote about Marvin on her blog, Greta Wire.

“These are very tough times and require smart thinking, and frankly it looks like Marvin Windows is doing the right thing — not the easiest,” she wrote. “I love that Marvin Windows is called a ‘throwback to another era’ — that is a compliment!”

We think our no-layoff stance is good for business, too. We’re gaining market share from competitors that have cut back on workers, product development and investment in growing their sales. When this downturn ends — and it will end — we’re going to come out as one of the strongest players in the business.