The main reason for Kevin Dahl’s entrepreneurial success is as clear as glass: he treats his customers right.

But then, customer service is a priority passed down to the owner of Dahl Glass from his dad, and his father before him. Kevin prides himself on giving his clients as much personal attention as Ole Dahl showered on his customers as proprietor of the original business, called Dahl’s Cabinet Shop, which opened its doors in 1932.

“People really put a value next to our name; and our priority of customer service is one of the things I’m proud of,” said Kevin. “My parents taught me that serving your customers is the utmost priority.”

Ole took on a partner in 1946, and for a number of years the business, which included a lumberyard and the window operations, was called Dahl & Peterson. “We still have people who write their checks out to Dahl & Peterson,” chuckled Kevin, “and when we see that, we know they’ve been around a while.”

Kevin’s father, Harold, stepped up to bat 1972, keeping only the glass part of the business; then Kevin bought the business from his mom and dad in 1991.

“They thought maybe it was time to pass the reigns on,” said Kevin, who earned his bachelor’s degree in business and economics at Washington State University in 1985. “I consulted with my wife, and I decided I would go ahead and buy the business.”

Kevin actually renamed the company KED Inc., dba Dahl Glass, when he took over.

“I wanted my vendors to know that this was me now,” he explained.

Indeed, Kevin has made some changes, broadening the business’ scope from residential glass to include commercial glazing. His jobs have included projects at Alderwood, Kitsap and Bellis Fair malls. Under Kevin’s watch, annual sales at Dahl Glass soared from $280,000 in 1991 to $2 million this year, a time period when many company’s profits charted quite a different course.

The staff has also grown from four to 16 over the past decade. And Dahl Glass moved in 1996 to Fairfield Complex after an extensive search.

“When you look around Silverdale, there really aren’t a lot of office and warehouse buildings, but to me Dahl Glass is about Silverdale,” said Kevin, who was born and raised in Silverdale. “So when that became available, I thought this is perfect.”

Dahl now has 1,400 square feet of office space and 4,300 square feet of warehouse.

Back in the company’s early days, it was a much smaller operation. In fact, Ole Dahl had no receptionist. Customers would just come into the store, decide what they needed and write a note telling Ole what they had taken.

Times have changed, and the honor system is no longer a viable model, but Kevin still places great value in his relationship with his customers. That’s why clients like Martin Sievertson, co-owner of Drury Construction, keep coming back.

“We go back to even earlier generations with Dahl, and continue the tradition with Kevin,” said Sievertson. “It’s small, so you always talk to Kevin, and he always follows through to completion. Any problems or questions, he’s always been right there.”

Dahl has been recognized even beyond his customer base. In 2000, the company was among the five finalists for Business of the Year by the Better Business Bureau for Western Washington, and landed the Community Involvement award.

And no wonder. Dahl Glass donates to local schools, churches, Rotary projects, and a variety of other organizations.

“We’re cost-conscious, but we’ve tried to give back what we can to the community that really provides for us,” said Kevin. “It’s a two-way street.”

Will Dahl Glass eventually become a fourth-generation family business? Too early to tell, says Kevin. He and his wife, Sue, have two daughters and a son. Once when Kevin asked for a plaque for his door, older daughter Kyla put a plaque above his that read: “Kyla Dahl, soon to be president.”

If she wants to do that someday, that would be fine,” said Kevin, whose ultimate goal is to find someone – whether Kyla or an employee – to run the business while he pursues his dream job, teaching.

But for now, he’s just happy that business is going so well and that one of his major goals has been met. When he bought Dahl Glass, it wasn’t the best-known local glass firm.

“I wanted to be the No. 1 name when people thought of glass,” Kevin said, “and I believe we’ve achieved that.”.