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 Wood Shavings
The Journal of Crown Point and our Neighborhood
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Archives
Say Hello to Crown Point Employees
June 1, 2007
Say Hello to Jim Balcom, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Jim Balcom, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
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How did you become interested in kitchen design?
I have always been interested in remodeling and building. My father was a General Contractor, so I was introduced to these types of projects at a very young age.
How do you approach a new design?
First, I go over the plan with my client, making sure I understand what they want and need in their space. Once I know which direction they want to go, I get to work using their wish list, and my experience, to guide my design.
If you could give one tip to someone renovating a kitchen what would it be?
Do your homework. Research trends and styles that you're interested in and tear out plenty of magazine pictures. Try to pinpoint exactly what you want so that you and your designer are on the same page. The more information you give your designer, the more likely your dream kitchen will become a reality.
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In your nine years as a Crown Point Designer, what are the most interesting projects that you have designed so far?
My most memorable project was a gorgeous oceanfront home. We started with a beautiful kitchen with a corner pizza oven design, and went on to design cabinetry for the laundry room, dining room, offices and nine bathrooms!
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Jim designed cabinetry for several rooms in this stunning oceanfront home
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| Another interesting project that comes to mind was a kitchen overlooking the ocean in Amagansett, New York. I worked in conjunction with an architect and interior design firm to design a laid back, Victorian inspired space. The kitchen was featured on the cover of Home Magazine's Kitchen and Bath Issue in 2002. It was pretty exciting to see my project staring back at me from the cover of a widely read magazine! |
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One of Jim's projects, a Victorian inspired kitchen on Long Island, graced the cover of Home Magazine's Kitchen and Bath Issue in 2002
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January 26, 2007
Say Hello to Karen Laskoske, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Karen Laskoske, Crown Point Designer
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In your nine years at Crown Point, what was your most interesting project?
Two projects come to mind. First, there was the pink kitchen. The client wanted cabinetry finished in light pink, and it actually turned out very nice! Another one of my more interesting projects was in a home outside of Washington DC. I had to design cabinetry around a secret tunnel that had been used in the Underground Railroad. It certainly was a challenge to preserve the history while creating a modern flow in the kitchen.
How did you become interested in kitchen design?
I graduated from college with a degree in Home Economics, focusing on dietetics, food service and meal planning. Through my studies as well as first-hand experience, I've learned the value of a well-laid-out kitchen. Working at Crown Point Cabinetry has given me the chance to use my understanding of the culinary arts to design the best kitchen for my clients.
What is the most important stage in the process of kitchen design?
The very first conversation that I have with my clients is most important. In those first moments I look at everything from how many cooks will be in the kitchen, to the type of cooking and baking that will be done in the space. Once I know how the kitchen should flow, the rest falls into place.
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If you could give one tip to someone renovating a kitchen, what would it be?
The best tip I can give anyone is to start with a loose-leaf binder. Load it up with all of the kitchen pictures that you have been saving over the years. Add a few thoughts and a wish list. This will keep you organized and will help you make style choices for your project.
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Karen's Hungarian Vizslas, Zoey and Macy
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How do you spend your free time?
My husband, John, and I love to relax in the summer at our campsite near Lake Sunapee where you can find us out on our boat most weekends. We bring along our two dogs, Zoey and Macy, and they have a ball!
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October 18, 2006
Say Hello to Mark Belaire, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Mark Belaire, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
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How long have you worked at Crown Point?
I've been here ten years. It seems like the time has flown by, yet so much has changed in that time frame; I met my wife, had two children and moved into our second home!
How did you become interested in kitchen design?
Initially a friend, also a sales designer at Crown Point, approached me about an opportunity here. I asked him for more details and found that the position was a great fit. A new home or a remodel of an existing kitchen is something people are very passionate about. It's fun to help clients bring their ideas to life.
What is your favorite phase of the design process?
Definitely the initial design. Clients are usually anxious and excited to see what I come up with so I work really hard to give them just what they want.
What is your most interesting project to date?
That's a tough one because I've been lucky enough to be involved with a number of really great projects! One that really sticks out in my mind is a spacious Victorian style home on Fishers Island in New York. They used Crown Point Cabinetry throughout the home with a mix of cherry and maple and several Old Fashioned Milk Paint finishes. The home sits on a hill with spectacular views of the ocean.
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What is the key to creating the best kitchen possible for each client?
Listening to the client. You can create something you think is brilliant, but if it doesn't fit precisely with the client's wants and needs, then it's not going to work for them.
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Shaker kitchen designed by Mark Belaire
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Mark Belaire with his son, Evan
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How do you spend your free time?
When there's enough snow, I like to go snowmobiling. In the warmer months, I enjoy camping, playing soccer, coaching my son's soccer team and spending time with my family out at the ocean. |
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| July 20, 2006
Say Hello to Clide Quimby, Cabinetmaker at Crown Point for 23 Years!
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Clide Quimby stands beside Coveted Locker # 1
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The year was 1983. Ronald Reagan was serving his first term in office, the last episode of M*A*S*H aired on CBS, and Styx's "Mr. Roboto" was dominating the radio charts. This was also the year that a fresh faced Clide Quimby came to work at Crown Point Cabinetry.
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Clide adjusts a door on a wall cabinet
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You've been working at Crown Point Cabinetry for over 23 years. That's a long time! What has kept you at Crown Point for so long?
I couldn't ask for a better owner and boss, or a better crew to work with! Plus, I'm never doing the same thing twice, so I could never get bored.
Has your job description changed over the years?
Yes, I've worn many hats since starting at Crown Point. I have built cabinet doors, I have applied custom finishes and I've even delivered our cabinetry. Currently I am on our SWAT Team.
What is the SWAT Team?
The SWAT Team is a two person team that was formed in order to handle customer requests for quicker turn around items. We work from start to finish on pieces like display fronts and crown mouldings that must be built individually and delivered to the customer quickly.
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What is the best part of working at Crown Point Cabinetry?
The company treats you like family; they always take care of you and watch out for you. But the best part is that I met my wife, Anne, while working here! She's been at Crown Point for 15 years.
You're the longest serving non-family member employed at Crown Point, coming up on a quarter of a Century! Has it gone by quickly?
It has definitely gone by quickly! It seems like yesterday that I was just out of high school, sitting nervously in my job interview with Norm Stowell!
What do you do in your free time?
I'm a golf nut, and I also like to go on vacation with my family. |
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Clide on vacation with his wife, Anne and children, Matt and Cassie
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May 25, 2006
Say Hello to Fred Puksta, Product Designer
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Fred Puksta, Product Designer for Crown Point, is shown with the Arts & Crafts Designer Series
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How did you become Crown Point's first Product Designer?
I've known the Stowell family since attending high school with Brian. We actually graduated the same year. I saw Brian at the 25th reunion and let him know what I had been doing. He invited me to come in and talk to him about Crown Point. He was impressed with my furniture design background. Recognizing the need for a Product Designer, he utilized my experience in creating an entirely new position.
What does your position as Product Designer entail?
First, I am responsible for the creation of new product. It is my job to coordinate the look of each new line. An example of this would be our Designer Series. Second, I work with each Sales Designer on specific challenges each client may bring, such as intricate islands or specialty range hoods. Finally, I oversee the design aspect of special projects like the Country Living House of the Year.
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Puksta's sculptural clock, "One Moment in Time" was created in honor of Christa McAuliffe
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What is the most challenging aspect of your position?
Creating truly innovative product. Here at Crown Point, we build cabinetry with an updated interpretation of period style design. I call it the "James Taylor approach" because of its clean lines. Ultimately, my job is to create a new product with an antique feel, which is always a challenge.
What was one of your most rewarding designs?
As a furniture designer I was fortunate to study and work for the acclaimed Wendell Castle. I have been involved in a number of rewarding projects. I was one of the very few artisans involved in creating the 500,000th commemorative Steinway Piano. Likewise, I was project manager and one of the craftsman for the "Full Moon" project, a twenty-foot tall, three and a half ton stainless steel and bronze sculptural clock in Toronto, Canada. But most rewarding personally? In 1989, I was given the opportunity to design an eight-foot sculptural clock in honor of Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space. The piece would be permanently displayed at the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium in Concord, NH. Between raising funds for the planetarium and actually creating the clock, the piece took me over three years to complete. The biggest benefit was later visiting the Planetarium on field trips with my young children. They would gather around the clock with their classmates for a photo and say "My dad made this clock." That made it all worth while.
How do you spend your free time?
I like to try to make my family's living space a little more fun and interesting by designing and building one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture, sculpture and artwork.
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April 20, 2006
Say Hello to Mark Wirta, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Mark Wirta, Crown Point kitchen designer
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How long have you worked at Crown Point?
Ten Years. I remember it well because my kids were just three and five. Now I have two teenagers!
What is your favorite part of your job as a kitchen designer?
Visiting a completed installation. Each client's wishes and design needs are so different and it's really rewarding to see it all come to fruition.
What inspires you when you begin a new kitchen plan?
Every space is unique and I consider it a challenge to create a beautiful, functional kitchen. For me, it all starts with proper appliance placement and works out from there.
What is the most interesting project you have designed?
A painted kitchen in a 10,000 square foot Montana style log home on a mountain top in New Hampshire. The home was complete with leather window treatments and antler chandeliers. Plus, the view was unbelievable!
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Mark Wirta's own Early American period style Crown Point Kitchen
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Which period style do you prefer?
Early American. My wife and I live in an 18th Century cape. I designed our own Crown Point kitchen in the Early American style with Barn Red over Pitch Black Milk Painted cabinetry. Everyone that visits tells us how beautiful it is.
How do you spend your free time?
Depending on the season I can be found making maple syrup with my kids, snowmobiling, skiing, coaching youth sports or playing golf. |
March 22, 2006
Say Hello to Richard Preston, Crown Point Kitchen Designer
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer," giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
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Richard inspects blueprints for an upcoming project
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How long have you worked at Crown Point?
13 years, but I actually started selling Crown Point cabinetry at a local dealer in 1982. Four years later I opened my own kitchen design showroom becoming a friendly competitor with Crown Point. I later closed that showroom and came back to work here as the second Direct Division designer.
What is the most important thing you've learned in kitchen design?
I've learned that the key is to listen to the client. I really try to create the exact space that they have asked for.
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Richard's sail boat, Ahorita, on Lake Champlain
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What trends are you seeing right now in kitchen design?
Off-white, painted Victorian, turn of the century style cabinets and kitchens with multiple islands.
What was your most memorable design challenge?
At least ten years ago, an architect called from Kansas looking for Craftsman style cabinetry. We didn’t offer Craftsman at the time, but I worked to modify our current styles, adding distinctive Arts & Crafts details and introducing Quartersawn Oak. In the end, we met the customer's needs and also created a popular new line for the company.
Recent project and location:
Antique White painted kitchen in an 8,000 square foot home in the New York Hamptons.
Where do you spend your free time?
During the summer I spend my free time in my sail boat cruising on Lake Champlain near Burlington, VT. In the winter, I love to ski.
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Say Hello to Ken Aldrich, Crown Point Safety Director
In the Say Hello section of our journal, we profile a "Crown Pointer", giving you a glimpse of their contribution to the cabinetmaking process.
 How long have you worked at Crown Point?
I’ve been here for 21 and a half years. Prior to becoming Safety Director, I’ve worked in almost every department or team throughout the whole facility from machine maintenance to cabinetmaker.
What role does safety play at Crown Point?
Safety is more important than anything else here at Crown Point. Nothing takes priority over safety. Nothing.
We take great pride in the fact that Crown Point invests in safety like few other companies. For example, we add additional protective guarding to every machine we purchase. This is always done beyond what the manufacturer of the machinery has provided.
Every employee goes through Safety Training. Cabinetmakers are never allowed on any piece of equipment until they are completely safety trained on that equipment and they are comfortable with the tasks performed. Every cabinetmaker will take his or her turn as a member of the Safety Committee. This committee is responsible for implementing and enforcing safety procedures.
Do you have any advice for other companies and their safety programs?
Safety starts at the top. Ownership and upper management must encourage and enforce safety philosophies for every employee at all levels of the company. Safety is a lifestyle, and everybody's health and well-being is our primary concern.
What are you doing when you’re not working?
I enjoy most outdoor activities. A few of my favorites are hiking, biking, golfing and bird hunting.
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