Page 6 - CMA PROfiles Winter 2015

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S DESK

Putting the Cap on a Groundbreaking Year

by Dave Grulke, CMA Executive Director We launched a new regional event in October 2014. The
he CMA entered its 17th year of existence in 2014, and first Design and Build a Kitchen for Habitat Day saw about
much of the custom woodworking industry has significant- 40 shop owners, managers and sponsors come together to
T ly changed since it began on a cold December day in an donate 100% of the materials and 100% of the labor to build
office in Chicago. We’ve seen healthy, growing markets for the an entire set of kitchen cabinets for a very deserving family
goods and services created and consumed within this industry, in Owensboro, KY. We’ll continue this kind of event in 2015,
and we’ve been through a recession that took its toll on many with the next Build for Habitat Day scheduled for February
who were in this business. The best way I can describe 2014 is 20 in Winter Haven, FL. We hope you can join us for one of
a year of transition and of renewed optimism by many of us. these outstanding events where we will produce something of
significant value while networking with others in our industry
We began the year with the first ever co-location of two trade show and/or that you would consider hosting a similar event in your area.
giants – KBIS and the Builders Show – whose officials saw the You will come away with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment by
wisdom of bringing together the home building and kitchen/bath doing something for someone else who truly needs your help and ap-
industries in a single setting for their showcase events. Their insight preciates your generous donation of time, materials and talent.
paid off. In January 2015, The International Surfaces Event and two
other shows joined them concurrently in Las Vegas. This new event Our live webinars are now delivering business management and
has a new name as well – the Design and Construction Week (DCW). technical topics, with many of them coming from both shop own-
The CMA participated as an exhibitor, specifically to introduce show ers’ experiences as well as from technical experts in the subject
attendees to custom cabinetry and woodworking as well as to our matter. We will be adding a number of brand new sessions in
members. We provided an introductory service where sales leads gen- 2015, reaching further and providing guidance into some of the is-
erated at this show will be forwarded at no charge to CMA members sues we face in our individual businesses. You will likely be able
who have registered to receive them. to learn more about recruiting and training new employees, legal
issues, marketing and advertising, growth strategies, strategic
Other tradeshows where the CMA exhibited and provided education- planning and a number of other areas where you have indicated
al sessions during 2014 included the Cabinets and Closets Confer- you would like to learn more. We will continue to record these
ence and Expo (held in Somerset, NJ) and a new one – Wood Pro sessions so you can view them at your convenience 24/7 if you
Expo (Baltimore, MD). Those shows are owned and produced by two cannot attend the live events.
trade press publishers (Woodworking Network and Cabinetmaker
FDM respectively) and the CMA participated with both as an edu- As 2015 rolls on, we’ll continue expand existing programming and
cational partner and exhibitor. And, of course, we cannot forget the develop new opportunities to reach out to our members, our industry
largest trade show of the year, the International Woodworking Fair and beyond to offer what our mission statement expresses simply and
(IWF-Atlanta) where the CMA exhibited and delivered 15 education- eloquently: “The mission of the Cabinet Makers Association shall
al sessions during the show’s run. We were by far the largest producer be to uphold the highest level of professionalism in the industry by
of education sessions at IWF and attracted the highest numbers of providing its members with networking opportunities, continuing
session attendees. We are very pleased with our partnership with IWF education, and ongoing professional development.”
as a main producer of educational programming for CMA members
and other interested custom wood shop owners and managers. Our Thanks for all you do to support the mission of the Cabinet Makers
role as educational partner with IWF has extended our reach into Association. We hope you will find yourself engaging with what we
the Design and Construction Week as we delivered two of our most have to offer in 2015 and helping yourself and your business become
popular educational sessions in Las Vegas in January 2015. better and stronger along the way.❖

President's Message … continued from page 4 As I think back to the mountain bikes, go-karts and money I was
so focused on as a teenager that are long since gone, I realize the
When parts were needed that were beyond what could be produced in real treasure was the time spent and the knowledge gained with
his basement workshop, Grandpa Pete knew just where to go and find my grandfather. These experiences taught me a lifetime of lessons
the exact right thing, no matter how obscure. To top it off, the prices about family, life, religion, politics, war and all things mechanical.
were always next to nothing. We rode all over town in his old red There’s not much I can’t fix or build as a result of what he shared
Caprice with the saggy headliner and the custom rearview mirror he with me. I have a resourcefulness and a problem-solving ability, for
had made that allowed you to see 180 degrees by only moving your which I give full credit to Grandpa Pete. I am forever grateful for
eyes. I can only describe the smell of his car as a mixture of the sweet the many days we spent together and the stories I was able to hear
smell of pipe tobacco and cutting oil. He showed me all of his favor- while we worked, from serving in WWII and traveling the world,
ite out-of-the-way places for bearings, electronics, gaskets, random to farming, hunting and working. He shared the great joy of friends
surplus deals and inventing supplies. As we set up the shop, we took and family, a cold beer, a hot cup of coffee, a good meal and having
a lot of trips to the local steel yards to get just the right scrap pieces a laugh. It won’t be the same without him, but I can’t look very far
to fabricate fences, lumber racks, machine bases, safety guards and and not see him all around. ❖
wide belt storage systems. Even today, I can look around the shop
and see so many little inventions and solutions of that Grandpa came
up with to what would have otherwise been annoyances.
6 PROFILES • Volume 15 • Issue 1, 2015 • www.cabinetmakers.org