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Featured Customer
During these economically trying times, it's nice to know that there are companies in a world of corporate giants still focused on customer satisfaction. In this month's newsletter, we are highlighting California Door Company, a premier and elite wholesale manufacturer of kitchen cabinets and drawer fronts.
Conceived as a "mom and pop" operation founded by Joseph Rossi as Cabinet Door Company, success came with a customer-driven approach. Joseph's son, Edward saw a niche within the industry and established California Door Company in 1988. The company, which opened with 25-30 employees, began by tackling the challenge to succeed in a very demanding market acquiring other smaller shops within the region to become a leader in the industry.
The company, which now occupies two buildings and employs a staff of more than 400 attributes its success not only to hard work, but an attention to detail that sets it apart from the expected norm within the industry.
California Door takes great pride in consistently offering its customers the finest kitchen cabinets and drawer fronts in an almost endless variety of styles. Using only the highest grade of hand selected color and grain matched materials, its products are crafted using the thinnest glue lines and tightest overall construction.
In conjunction with this commitment to quality, California Door developed a 150,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility in Salinas, CA. It has combined offices and manicured production lines with a state of the art scrap removal and environmental mitigation system. Carefully crafted procedures ensure the ability to deliver consistent results. The company uses Opti-Rip, a computer system that utilizes a multiple laser counting guide, which helps in maximizing dimensional yields and minimizing waste. This system reports on yield percentages, material cost, average board length and piece counts, maximizing efficiencies that keep costs down. Each customer at California Door is assigned a specific service representative to handle that particular customer's needs- adding more of a personal feel to the organization.
Mark Souza, head of purchasing with California Door, says, "that to stand as a leader in such a very competitive market, you need not sacrifice quality". Mr. Souza, with over 20 years of experience in the industry, started with Cabinet Door Company. When Edward Rossi decided to open California Door he was asked to join the team. Mr. Souza oversees all the abrasives purchasing while serving as a technical advisor to some of the plant managers. Since starting out in the factory, Mr. Souza has the knowledge to understand the underlying commitment to quality that the Rossi family has instilled in the craftsmanship of such a high quality product. "In over 20 years with this organization, our number one priority has always been quality. We as a company cannot expect to make a high-grade product while wanting to cut costs in the process; that's why sanding quality is very important. That's why we will not compromise our standard based on price comparisons or sales pitches".
The company's success is attributed to a target demographic. The company is situated near Silicon Valley and that type of exposure helped to grow California Door into what it is now. Catering its product to the needs of high-end customers "leaves no room for error", proclaimed Mr. Souza. "We have to make sure that we provide a quality product that is ready to use right out of the box and that appeals to our customers. Keeping our client base in mind reflects in our product and allows us to make an impression with unmatched quality. Paying attention to detail has helped this company establish an unmistakable brand distinction" says Mr. Souza.
Other exposure has been obtained through trade shows, most noticeably the IWF show in Atlanta, GA. This notoriety has opened up opportunities in the Eastern markets and logically, sales have been positively affected from this exposure.
"The company's growth, even through this time of a subdued recession, is constant", says Mr. Souza. "Ever since I have known both Joseph and Edward Rossi, I have known them to be very savvy businessmen. With that being said, I am sure that as we grow, our main position will not change. We will always provide a quality product to our clientele and we will never compromise that for any reason- that's our tradition"!!
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