Jake's Creative Woodworks earns national recognition

Jake’s Creative Woodworks, of rural Sedalia, was recognized by Wood and Wood Products magazine for the third consecutive year in the publication’s Wood 100 List.

Owner Jake Gieschen, 27, opened the shop in March 2003, and it has already earned a spot on the ranking of fastest-growing woodworking companies in the United States and Canada for three straight years. Jake’s Creative Woodworks earned a position on the list as a result of its 39 percent growth in 2008 and a projected growth rate of 25 percent in 2009.

The business specializes in custom woodworking in cabinetry for residential and commercial customers across the region. It also builds entertainment centers, furniture and fireplace mantles in its 12,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility south of Smithton.

Gieschen passes the majority of the credit for the company’s success on to his eight employees, whose dedication and quality work free Gieschen to pursue more business opportunities.

“The dedication of our employees lets me be able to leave the shop and go out to get more work,” Gieschen said.

Gieschen, whose interest in woodworking stemmed from high school shop classes and grew into a successful company, said most of his business comes from word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers.

Amid a slumping economy and challenging construction climate, Jake’s Creative Woodworks continued to grow through shifting its focus from primarily residential customers to commercial projects. Residential work still accounts for about 80 percent of the company’s business, Gieschen said.

“We also work for a lot of good contractors who are still building,” Gieschen said.

Gieschen said his facility’s recent acquisition of a CNC router, a computer-controlled cutting tool that is a regular fixture at many metal shops but a rarity for small woodworking shops, increased the company’s capacity for projects and contributed to its continued expansion.

“It cuts our lead time in half. We can just spit out cabinets like crazy,” he said.

While its focus on customer service, reliability and quality woodworking are priorities that factor into its recent growth, Gieschen said Jake’s Creative Woodworks’ employees and customers are the most important elements of its steady development.

“We’ve been very fortunate, and I really owe it all to our employees and customers,” Gieschen said.