At age 12, owner Randy Gonnerman, made his first piece of furniture, a cedar chest. "I just always remember liking tools, being drawn to it." Randy eventually set up a small shop in the family garage, and by the time he was a junior in high school, he had his own sales tax permit. He was then taking orders for specialty items from doors, to cabinets.
He became accomplished at "turning" wood on a lathe, using exotic and unusual woods, such as zebra wood, ebony, carpathian elm, myrtlewood, and purple heart. His turned pieces have been displayed in Des Moines art galleries, as well as the MacNeider Art Museum in Mason City, IA.
Over the years, Gonnerman has never wavered from his passion, except to expand it. He keeps busy on two fronts, now--home construction, and cabinets. He moved his business to the St. Ansgar Industrial Park in 2006, where he has his cabinet shop, construction equipment and trailers. Attention to detail is his trademark, and it is as evident in his large structures, as it is in his small pieces. It is more that just a job to him--it's who he is.
Randy's biggest joy is catching that first look on a customer's face when they see a piece of his work for the first time. "The challenge, the satisfaction, is to see their reaction. It's nice to know that people appreciate the quality, and precision I put into it."
Randy, and wife Becky, have 3 children and live in St. Ansgar. In his free time Randy enjoys...working in the shop!
