Page 18 - CMA PROfiles Spring 2020

ASSOCIATE OF THE QUARTER: COLONIAL SAW
When family members can carve out their own territory and
have mutual respect, it goes a long way toward creating a
dynamic where everyone can contribute without stepping on
each other’s toes.
Rakauskas believes it helps that there are only two family
members working together to run Colonial Saw. His wife is an
only child, but some family businesses have multiple siblings in
each generation, and with more family cooks in the kitchen, so
to speak, the dynamic can get more complicated. While there
are always some differences in viewpoint from one generation
to the next, he says Colonial Saw’s family team has worked
together well.
Tip #2: In a family business, it’s especially helpful to maintain
a strong skillset and remind yourself regularly that you can
choose to go and work elsewhere if you ever decide a change
makes sense. This mindset can prevent tension from building up,
Rakauskas says.
Finally, Rakauskas has strong opinions about how to bring the
next generation into a family business. He and his wife have
three children — two in college and one in high school – and he
has given them some heartfelt career advice.
"Figure out what you want to do, go to school, and go work
somewhere else for five years," he has told them, "and if you go
become a doctor or you get a job at Boeing, and you love that
and you want to stay there forever, great. If you do come here, at
least you’ve gone out and seen something else – and you’ll bring
valuable experience.”
Taking this approach with your kids is not easy, he acknowledges. valuable,” Rakauskas says. “Our two
“Good employees are tough to come by,” Rakauskas says. “A
lot of our customers are small, family-owned businesses and if
your kids are sharp and show some promise, you think ‘Wow, I’d
actually love to have them here. They could take over sales or
tech or accounting, and it would make my life so much easier.’
But I believe that business owners need to avoid the temptation
to pull them in early. Let them explore and learn first.”
16 PROFILES SPRING 2020
CELEBRATING A
MILESTONE
In 2019, Colonial Saw was proud to take part
in the celebration marking Lamello’s 50th
anniversary.
The celebration in Switzerland included
dealers from around the world, alumni of the
company, and Steiner family members, says
Rakauskas, who attended the event with his
wife, Kim.
“They invented the biscuit joiner, and we
introduced it to America,” he says. “It’s their
milestone, but there’s so much history and
respect for each other that we did feel like
it was our anniversary, too. There’s a lot of
pride in the invention of the biscuit.” A bit of
trivia: Colonial Saw worked to get the biscuit
into the Museum of Modern Art in New York
City, something Lamello Switzerland is very
proud of, Rakauskas says.
“We’re all proud of the history, but neither
of us is sitting back and relying on that for
the future,” he points out. “Those guys are
constantly innovating, and we’re keeping up
with the times in terms of marketing, social
media and technology.”
Colonial Saw’s relationship with the CMA
fits in well with its efforts to keep spreading
the word about Lamello and Striebig to
American woodworkers.
“The opportunity to network with
customers and potential customers is
products are popular with smaller shops,
and being an active Associate member also
provides a chance for us to give back to the
industry and support small shop education
and growth.”