Our Stories
Josh Elgard
Becoming a small business owner was never my goal. After college in the mid-90s, I pursued and earned a graduate degree in philosophy, intending to teach at the collegiate level. Upon graduation, however, my life began to take a different path. Securing a professorship proved inordinately difficult. And with a growing family, I soon realized I needed to seek other vocational opportunities.
Jon, whom I’ve known since college, owned and operated Denver Window Company for 20 years. During my time in graduate school, Jon was kind to support me, offering me a part-time position as a window installer in his company.
In 2007, Jon and I amicably parted ways. He remained with Denver Window Company and I found work as a pastor in a small church.
As the years rolled by, my pastoral ministry came to end when our leadership decided to merge with a larger church in the Denver area. This was not a discouragement for me, as I desired to be a professor more than a pastor. At the outset of 2015, however, having spent the previous two years applying for many teaching posts, Jon, who remained a close friend, encouraged me to launch my own window installation business. While I wasn’t interested in diving back into the window business, I knew I didn’t have many options.
So in 2015 I, somewhat begrudgingly, started my own window company, called Liminal Windows, LLC. I maintained a small crew and worked tirelessly to earn a strong reputation with my customers, knowing this would be most vital to Liminal’s sustained growth and success.
In 2021, I was approaching a crossroad. Owning and operating Liminal was enormously gratifying, but it was time to take the next step. Azora Windows LLC is that next step.
Jon and I began dreaming in late 2021 about merging our window businesses, as we each had strengths the other needed to greater succeed. Azora is the result of our dreaming.
With a combined 30 years of experience, Jon and I are passionate about our work. We’re thankful to be reunited in a capacity that will continue to serve our customers well. Independently, Jon and I have each strived to provide our customers with a level of integrity and professionalism that’s second to none. Through Azora, we now have the opportunity to further enhance these qualities, which gives us tremendous joy.
Jon Newcome
I basically fell into the window business—actually you could say I married into the window business. 20 years ago, I wanted to start my own business, but I was unclear about what exactly I should do.
My father-in-law owned a window distributorship and he was getting requests from homeowners wanting someone to install their windows. Though still unsure about my vocational path forward, I jumped at the opportunity to use my construction background to begin installing windows. Many years on board, and with about every kind of project you can imagine under my belt, I am still installing (and selling) windows and doors.
The team I’ve built the last two decades and the collective experience we have is a huge asset in an industry that has such a wide range of options, from what products to use to how best to install them.
The most satisfying thing I do is to help homeowners navigate their way through the avalanche of options and information out there to find a solution that fits their project and budget. It would be nice to simply rely on my years of experience, but the truth is that the industry is always changing (from new glass options to better installation materials, etc.), and I’ve tried to stay on top of these changes so that our homeowners can achieve the best possible outcome for their project.
It’s been immensely gratifying helping people update their homes with new windows, and I look forward to many more years in this industry. I’m grateful that my father-in-law was a window supplier and not a plumbing-parts dealer (no offense to our friends who are plumbers!).