April 2012 Blog Posts (9)

A few observations from the KBIS show in Chicago this week: There were fewer cabinet displays, and fewer trends seen.

Affordable cabinets were one ongoing trend. LED lighting is coming into its own. More people noted dark colors were growing. Cabinet companies partnered with hardware companies to display new technology Rutt displayed a center lift in the Hafele booth. There were fewer domestic manufacturers displaying cabinets. We surveyed 20 companies for our annual cabinet style…

I ran across this interesting discussion of what is considered a rising trend of the return of the solo craftsman/entrepreneur. One of the people profiled, Raven Toney, is somebody who became a custom furniture maker. The discussion makes reference to "The State of…

I've always been a strong advocate of developing a written business plan. The process of developing the plan forces you to ask important questions about your business and to do some serious research to define the reality of your assumptions. That can be really valuable, but the reality is that once the document is written, it will likely gather dust. Unless you are trying to use the plan to secure funding of some sort, the value might not really be there.

That's why I was…

I visited the close-in, relatively affluent suburb again this week. The hammers and saws are mostly quiet these days, but I did see a few large residential structures still being built in this area that saw so many modest houses replaced with suburban castles. There is still a low level of work in cabinets and millwork. In the aftermath of the teardown boom you can see some curious sights, like the small wood-framed 1920s bungalow flanked by two large brick-and-stone mansions.

If you want a job as a marine mechanic, step right up. There's no one else in line. According to an article in the Detroit News, marinas are having a tough time reeling in skilled workers. Midwestern boat owners bring out their watercraft this time of year, but there's no one to make repairs needed to get them ready for the water.

One business owner has called hundreds of people to offer a…

Because of the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, there's been a lot of Titanic-related stories in the news lately, and I ran across a particularly intriguing one involving Oliver Machinery, which was then a growing force in Grand Rapids, Mich. Apparently the sinking affected a potential patent dispute between Oliver and Wadkin as one of the principals of…

I saw an interesting story on LinkedIn listing the 10 things successful local contractors do. The list suggests that contractors look at markets with local job growth, know about…

I was cruising the Internet for news and ran across an item about a woodworking show in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. It wasn't the show that caught my eye so much as the first name in the story and circumstances. The story begins by recounting how well-known Shaker box craftsman…

A new site is designed to offer a variety of information to homeowners that use the internet for cabinet remodeling specifying and purchasing.  MasterBrand Cabinets launched www.masterbrand.com recently to help drive pre-qualified consumers to their dealer showrooms. The site includes a renovation budget calculator, side-by-side cabinet comparisons, and information on cabinet…