Great Northern Cabinetry Building not just cabinets, but careers

For more than 45 years, Great Northern Cabinetry has been the central hub for employment in Rib Lake.

This company was established in 1972, in Rib Lake by a man named Roger H. Johnson and his wife, who had a passion for building cabinets in his garage. Johnson was a retired airline captain, who flew out of Chicago, but had ties to north central Wisconsin. He moved to the area where his passion became more than his garage could handle, so he opened up a shop, which was then called Northern Kitchens. Today’s company, known as Great Northern Cabinetry operates on the same site of the original company.

On October 1, 2020, Tim Ford, along with his two partners, bought the company and have been making great progress towards making this a career-based company. What drew Ford to this company was the impact he could make on the community, building a business where brand matters. Ford also said “This company isn’t broken and I see great potential in it. I really want to create a stronger, long-lasting company.”

The long-time employees that have worked at the factory were curious at first about how new ownership would affect them. However, when the time came, everything flowed and fell into place.

Cheryl Graumann, vice president of marketing, stated “With any change in ownership, there is the unknown of what might take place. As the previous owners looked toward their retirement, they felt the importance of finding the right buyer that would keep the company growing. Over the past year, employees have seen the commitment that the new ownership is making, investing in them to build that lasting company.”

Great Northern Cabinetry sells its cabinets to 230 dealers in 34 states, and is seeking to expand that footprint in the future. Primarily products made by Great Northern Cabinetry are centered around the kitchen and bathrooms. However, they do cater to the whole home, if you are in need of home office cabinetry, gun cabinet, dresser, and or other product, the company has built a wide variety of wood-based products.

Skyrocketing lumber prices, this past year, have made it challenging to source the high-quality materials the company uses to build its product, but the Great Northern cabinetry team is resourceful. Ford added “Not only were primary material costs affected, but we are now seeing some strain from the supply chain issues everyone is facing on other components like tracks for the drawers and other hardware. Overall, however, these supply chain issues have been more an annoyance than a hindrance.” Price increases had to be put into effect because the price of lumber had increased dramatically, but so far the market has been able to absorb these increases.

Graumann also commented “There is a high demand for our products. While waiting for particular materials to arrive to complete an order, another order is readily available to be worked on allowing employees a steady work schedule.” In June, the company changed its offi cial work schedule from five eight-hour days to four ten-hour days, allowing any overtime to be worked on Friday instead of the weekend and recently raised wages to be more competitive for new employees.

To increase worker safety, management has made it a priority that workers are cross-trained and are flexible to perform other jobs. From both a production and safety standpoint, cross-training gives employees a sense of purpose knowing that they are able to perform multiple tasks throughout the company.

The company’s stable history creates a great deal of job security with only one shift (5:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.). With strong demand and order backlog, there is some Friday overtime happening; however, the company is working hard to achieve a 40-hour work week with a consistent schedule.

Several employees have had a long tenure at this company, some have been employed for the past 20, 30 and 40 years. Graumann added “What makes this company such a stable one is our team members don’t leave us; they retire from here. It’s the reliability and longevity of these employees that keep this company going strong.”

Ford also said “People may have come here for a job, but they left with a career. To me, I think that is a very powerful message that I want to reach prospective employees. When we look for prospective employees, we look for people who have certain skills, the right attitude, and who want to work in a team setting.”

Production accountability is a necessity when it comes to this company. They want to make sure that when their customers make an order, the anticipated date of delivery is promised.

Some cabinet manufacturers sell to the homeowners, some sell to bigger chain stores like Menards, and others sell to the contractor. Great Northern Cabinetry sells their products through a design dealer. When looking at companies to purchase, Ford was looking specifically at companies who sell through dealer network.

Ford added by saying “We’ll never get to 350 million homeowners, but if we can get to 3,000 designers, the designers can be able to get to those 350 million homeowners.”

One of Ford’s goals for the company is to make the design and ordering experience as easy as possible. Considering the wide array of product options available to the homeowner and designer, the design and ordering process can be very complex. To help simplify this process, the company uses sophisticated software enabling homeowners to create their dream kitchen with their designer and then transfer that design electronically to Great Northern Cabinetry. Many long-term Great Northern Cabinetry dealers know the ins and outs of developing and submitting an order, but for newer dealers, the company provides a lot of customer support and service.

In the future, Great Northern Cabinetry hopes to promote themselves by getting the word out of who they are, by using social media and other forms of communication. The company would also like to increase its community presence and involvement, for example, by getting involved with the schools with work study programs, scholarships, etc. and getting the word out that this is truly a great place to work.

Ford established a three-step plan when he bought the company. The first step of new ownership was investing in the company’s current team members by focusing on safety, improving wages and benefits, and providing a company match to its 401K program. Second, the company will invest in facilities, equipment, and process improvement. Third, the company will become more involved in the community and schools.

Ford said “I’m a small-town guy myself, growing up in Maine, I understand how important companies are to small towns. I learned a long time ago, nothing gets done unless it gets done through people. You have to build a great team, you have to create a good experience for your customers, and you have to deliver on time, now if you do those three things well, you can have a really Creative Designs in Cabinetry, located on the north end of Hwy 13 Medford, was established in 2002 when purchased by Great Northern Cabinetry as their factory showroom. Great Northern Cabinetry thought it would benefit their company and the local communities to have a retail showroom where anyone can come to view and purchase exclusively their locally manufactured cabinetry.

Inside the 1,800 square foot space, you will find beautifully designed displays and lots of samples of the products they provide. The displays featured are two full kitchens with islands, laundry room, craft room, three bath vanity set ups, hutches and so much more. It is worth a visit just to walk around and see the cabinetry and all the interior features they hold. Even if you are not in the market for new cabinets but need help with organizing, they can help you with providing products that will attach to the inside of your existing cabinetry to help you out.

Creative Designs in Cabinetry is not just about cabinets. They can also help provide you with many types of countertops, sinks, faucets, door hardware, and much more. The showroom has dedicated a room, largest in the area, just to hold all the many Quartz countertop samples available to you. So, even if you are just in the market for countertops or anything related, stop in and let them help you find that perfect design for your space.

The staff at Creative Designs in Cabinetry’s showroom are extremely helpful and hold a combined 35+ years of experience. Sandi and Georgia are there to help you from the minute you walk in the door to the very end of your project and will continue to help you for as long as you need them. They have clients coming back after 20+ years that need help with new hardware or countertops, they are there for all your needs. Sandi and Georgia’s customer service is top notch and cannot be beat. They truly appreciate that you chose to stop by them and will continue to appreciate you and help make your dreams come true.

successful business. I just want this company to be better tomorrow than we were yesterday.”

Creative Designs in Cabinetry-Making your dreams a reality