Lodi, Calif.–Stefan Sekula and David Worfolk know that nothing worth having comes easy, and they’ve proven that time and time again as co-owners of Design Woodworking, Inc. When the pair made Wood & Wood Product’s WOOD 100 list a few years ago, for example, they were quick to point out that their success was largely due to a concerted effort to challenge their employees to increase their skills.
“We support their efforts with teaching, tooling and technology,” said Worfolk. “The ultimate goal is company growth – both in size as well as scope.” The co-owners have stuck with that philosophy, even through the most recent economic downturn.
Most of Design Woodworking’s projects have a particular species and grade of wood called out in advance. The firm uses Hardwood solids and veneers in Poplar, Maple, White Oak (American and Spessart, in quarter-sawn, rift and flat sawn cuts), American Walnut, Elm, Teak (FEQ), Lyptus, Mahogany (Honduran and African), and Wenge.
With 33 employees and 30,000 square feet of production space, Design Woodworking manufactures and sells architectural woodworking. Its products include cabinetry, furniture and interior millwork such as doors, paneling, engineered flooring and ceiling beams.
Stephan Sekula and David Worfolk, owners of Design Woodworking of Lodi, Calif., purchase Poplar, Maple, White Oak, American Walnut and Elm for their products. Pictured is a slab of English Elm used in tabletop fabrication at the plant.
According to Worfolk, grades and thicknesses are selected per job requirements “but we generally purchase the best grade available in primarily 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses, in unit quantities.”
Veneers are also purchased based on architectural specification, and include all types, including engineered (Alpi) products from Europe.
“Purchases are made primarily through local lumber and veneer vendors,” said Worfolk, “but we have also gone directly to mills and vendors throughout the U.S. and Europe for project-specific solid woods and veneers.”
Founded by Worfolk in 1985, Design Woodworking got its start as a small, custom cabinet shop. Sekula came onboard in 1989, and the pair kicked off a slow, steady period of growth that included taking on more employees, more production space and ever more sophisticated machinery, all the while “expanding our scope of work for each increasingly-larger project,” said Worfolk.
With a reputation for being a detail-oriented millwork/cabinet/design business that provides exemplary customer service, problem solving and extensive engineering capabilities, Design Woodworking has completed projects in California, Hawaii and abroad. The firm uses no advertising, and instead relies on its strong bonds with contractors, architects and designers to generate business referrals.
“We generally subcontract to contractors that are engaged in high-end residential construction in California, and we’re currently working on projects in the Palo Alto area, Sonoma County, Berkeley and Hawaii,” said Worfolk. “The contractors’ customer bases have remained somewhat consistent over the years, although more attention is being paid to overall construction budgets now than ever before.”
Like other companies, Design Woodworking is making more careful decisions these days regarding rising overhead, benefits and capital improvement costs. “Our emphasis is on keeping our talented group of employees gainfully employed and their benefits as consistent as possible,” said Worfolk, “while encouraging continued efficiencies in how we structure and execute increasingly complex projects.”
For use in its products, Design Woodworking purchases primarily 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses in unit quantities.
The firm is also innovative in that it controls most of the component parts of its projects, thanks to the company’s in-house veneer, millwork and finish operations. Design Woodworking works on projects from layout to completion, including both finishing and installation. “Our draftsmen will create computer generated, fabrication-ready documents,” said Worfolk. “We also strive to incorporate data from other trades into our shop drawings (such as HVAC, lighting, electrical and stonework) to coordinate all information pertinent to the successful completion of the project.”
Right now, Worfolk and Sekula say they’re focused on weathering the uncertain, and increasingly competitive market, with a very slim profit margin without compromise to quality. “We’re trying to balance decreasing profit margins with our commitment to maintaining a living wage for our employees,” said Worfolk. “At the same time, we are trying to preserve the highest standards of craftsmanship in the industry that meet or exceed every expectation of our clients.”
To get there, Worfolk said he and Sekula will rely heavily on their employees, who since the 1980s have proven themselves to be a key driving force behind the company’s growth. “We have a talented, industrious and imaginative workforce that takes pride in producing work for some of the finest homes in the U.S.,” said Worfolk, noting that the pair is also fastidious in its awareness of how work must integrate with other trades within the confines of each project.
“We are creative in our approaches to new technology and challenges within an architectural envelope, and will engineer new solutions to meet them,” said Worfolk, who believes that the company’s reputation and attention to design, detail and quality will help it weather the economic storm that’s affecting the industry right now. “We’re committed to providing the finest woodworking products and services possible and to sustain growth, whether in capital improvements, technology or manpower, in response to improved market conditions.”
With 33 employees and 30,000 square feet of production space, Design Woodworking manufactures and sells architectural woodworking. Its products include cabinetry, furniture and interior millwork such as doors, paneling, engineered flooring and ceiling beams.
For more information about Design Woodworking Inc., go online to www.deswood.com or call 209-334-6674.
