Getting Started

In early 2020 I'd been helping my dad (79 yrs. old) do some renovation to the house. For those of you lucky enough to know my dad - you know he worked hard to run his cabinet shop and the task that he seemed to enjoy most was running full panels of plywood, melamine, MDF through his trusty old table saw* which is why I still think of dad as 'the saw man'.

So, we had to cut some plywood on the table saw this week and it was like sliding back into a comfortable old shoe that I had forgotten I had ever worn. We carried the plywood from the truck to the saw, laid it on the table. Dad took his end of the plywood - guiding it against the fence while pushing it into the blade, meanwhile I pulled it from the opposite side, making sure it didn't catch or bind, moving it to the side when done. We did this for a handful of sheets until all the sheets were done and it was if 20+ years hadn’t passed.

Whether building, moving, unloading, or installing cabinets, Dad and I worked together like a team, not needing to tell each other what to do - we just knew what the other needed and the most efficient steps to get it done safely and without comprising quality.

I put an asterisk * on my comment 'trusty old saw' ... that cast iron base table saw survived a fire when Dad's shop burned down in E St Louis, Illinois back in 1980/81 ... anyway we removed the melted parts, stripped that old saw down with a sand blaster, replaced bearings, bushings, and electrical components, painted it, and still using it today (in a hobby capacity, Dad retired decades ago).

I believe this picture was from the old shop, Dad was smoothing a board on the edge sander, pencil behind his ear, whistling while he worked ... a familiar sight and one I’ll never forget.

So, why my company name is 'Specialty Cabinet Services' ...

Dad had named his company ‘Specialty Cabinets, Inc.’ and as a small business owner he was able to provide jobs to family and friends and to people who became family and friends. When I was little, I would accompany Dad to deliver and install and as he drove, he would point out all the houses he’d built cabinets for. As I grew older, he would point out entire neighborhoods he’d built cabinets for. And when my daughter was little, she would accompany me and I pointed out the houses, neighborhoods, and commercial businesses in multiple towns across 2 states (Illinois and Missouri) where we’d built cabinets.

 A few years ago I told Dad that even though he’d retired and I’d not continued to run the shop, that by naming my business ‘Specialty Cabinet Services’ I was continuing his legacy. It’s a name to be proud of and I hope that I’ll be able to honor Dad’s legacy by supporting cabinet shops with their software needs.