The Crafty Craftsmen

It was the winter of 2008, and furniture manufacturer Russ Kramer and a handful of his experienced colleagues found themselves out of a job. Their previous employer had fallen to the demands of the failing economy, leaving a number of talented professionals wondering where their next cheque would come from. Yet, Kramer had a dream that would offer him and his friends a chance to succeed in a marketplace that still showed signs of not only recovery but of a true future.

“In order for companies to survive these times, you needed to have a niche,” explains Kramer, president of Molior Cabinets Direct, who works alongside business partner James Flanagan. “I felt strongly that we had an understanding of our target audience within the service industry, and so we went for it. With approximately 50 percent of our current staff coming from our previous employer, we like to say we are a three-year-old company with decades of experience under our belt.”

Since that day, the cabinetry craftsmen at Molior Cabinets have grown from a small, 8,000-square-foot office with four employees to a 22,000-square-foot factory with 22 employees who come to work each morning dedicated to the same goal: providing exceptional furniture and cabinetry to their list of high-end clientele.

“As a company, we have developed a mind-set that we will never back down from a challenge,” says Kramer, who has led the way on projects such as the Gardens at West Highlands, Solara Resort & Spa, and Avalon Gardens at Murrayville. “Of course, on some days, keeping this promise might be hard, but in the end it is incredibly rewarding.”

Focusing on manufacturing kitchen and bath cabinetry for the resort industry, Kramer says that starting small with a set goal of a handful of customers certainly helped the company at the beginning. “Knowing our clients’ desires in terms of form, function, and style is of utmost importance,” he says. “Since we tend to work with a number of large-scale developers, we also need to be very budget oriented, knowing that, ultimately, price is going to be on the top of their mind.”

The move has paid off. Between 2008 and 2011, Molior Cabinets saw sales quadruple. And all the extra work is certainly no problem for Kramer. Communicating via phone or e-mail, the tedious task of going through blueprint after blueprint is something he enjoys immensely.

With each project, Molior Cabinets works hard to establish its unique concept. This necessitates figuring out everything from certain styles to colour palates to actual renderings. The key is to be open and available. “It’s all about being on the same page,” Kramer says. “We also make a number of site visits to confirm that everything is working and being delivered correctly to the installation company we work with.”

One of Molior Cabinets’ most notable projects was its work at Spirit Ridge Resort. The company initially came on during phase two, working with the existing cabinetry and adding matching cabinets to finish the first two buildings. Ultimately, however, Molior Cabinets would go on to provide all of the kitchen and bath cabinetry for the final three buildings. The company also designed and fabricated a custom reception counter and display cabinetry for the confection area.

These days, despite the still-fluctuating economy and the slowing of new construction within Western Canada, Molior Cabinets continues to look to the future. Some of its current aspirations lie within its continued work in manufacturing dormitory furniture, along with a test project currently underway with a retail-dealer network.

“It certainly has been an interesting ride,” Kramer says of the company’s first four years. “This company began when the world economy crashed. It was the worst time to begin, but every year, things get a little bit better. And while we don’t like to compare ourselves to other companies, we personally feel we have succeeded.”