EXECUTIVE UPDATE

UPDATE EXECUTIVE

New Initiatives Serve Our Members and Our Industry

JON MELCHI

BIA Executive Director

For nearly 80 years, the BIA has existed to serve the residential construction industry in central Ohio. Over that duration, the way we’ve served our members has changed. Still, our mission to advocate on behalf of the industry, facilitate networking and industry collaboration and promote the fine work of our industry through home tours has not.

I hope this is the last time in this space that I use the term “Covid,” but the pandemic did allow our leadership to reassess how our association serves our members. Last year saw several new initiatives introduced, including founding the BIA’s Industry Action Fund, a new format for the Parade of Homes, and our new dues and membership structure.

This year will continue that trend. One area you will notice is that we will return to a full slate of networking and membership events and meetings. Our Kickstart 2021 event featuring a full roster of Speed Networking and keynote speaker Jon Petz was indicative of the type of events that we will aim to have in support of our members moving forward.

These events aren’t possible without strong attendance and the support of sponsors. One new way for our members to show their support of the BIA is through our Hammer Club initiative, which provides enhanced membership and sponsorship opportunities for supporting companies. We are beyond grateful that the Strait & Lamp Group and Treplus Communities stepped up as our inaugural participants. Their trust in supporting the BIA is truly appreciated.

I would urge all of our members looking for innovative ways to connect with our members to contact Margaret McGuire-Schoeff. Her expertise is in finding creative ways to promote your organization at BIA events and mediums, no matter the level of the financial commitment you can make. Our goal in these events is, of course, to raise money to allow us to put on high-quality events and programs, but they also must make sense for your companies and businesses.

As we continue to transition our membership structure to an entire company membership which will be invoiced once annually, I know that many of you may still have questions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Marilyn Evans or me to answer any questions that you may have. More importantly, if you have anyone on your team who would like to receive BIA communications or be involved in a committee or council, our new structure allows for full participation, so let us know who they are, and Marilyn will expertly plug them into our organization.

We’ve heard about the forthcoming Intel project and continued growth throughout the region. As you read this, what THIS industry does is a crucial component of our region’s overall future success. Our advocacy efforts now stretch throughout the entire region. Now more than ever, it is imperative for our industry to be engaged in promoting the “why” of housing. That will be a key focus of our organization, and we welcome your participation and involvement as we help craft and deliver that message.

The BIA is your organization. We must receive feedback on the direction we are headed. That could be things we are not doing, something we could do better, or even what we are doing well. I welcome input, as do our staff members, but I also know that the leadership of our committees, councils and the Board of Trustees are also excellent vehicles to help provide feedback.

It is an honor to serve this industry. I know our team is looking forward to a full year of doing so in a manner that benefits our membership and the legacy of the BIA.

DASO CUSTOM CABINETRY

Creates Gorgeous Cabinets, HANDCRAFTED-TO-ORDER

Daso Custom Cabinetry builds beautiful, Ohio-made cabinetry featuring top-tier quality, workmanship and functionality — but wow-factor products are just part of what they offer. The company’s talented 49-person team delivers outstanding customer service and a stellar buying experience.

“What sets us apart is that we’ve got great people to guide our clients. We support each other as we work toward a common goal,” says Jeff Daso, president and founder of Daso Custom Cabinetry.

The company’s products are always made-to-order. “It’s 100% customization,” Daso explains. “We tailor-make each particular project to the customer’s needs. And anything we can dream up, we can create. We have no limitations.”

A 22-year-old, family-owned business, Daso Custom Cabinetry crafts solid wood cabinetry using premium topgrade materials. Every aspect of the company’s process — from design, to building, to the final assembly, delivery and installation — is completed with care and done by hand.

“We’re very hands on,” Daso says. “We have core leaders in installation, design and engineering in our shop. They lead our company every day and they communicate with our clients directly.” While clients all have direct access to Daso, his team is empowered and they can step in to handle any challenge and solve it promptly.

Ohio success story

Daso, who’s from rural Wayne County, took his passion for woodworking and turned it into a flourishing business.

In 2000, when he was just 19, he started Daso Custom Cabinetry, initially working out of a garage on his parents’ dairy farm. Daso was training with a custom cabinet maker while going to college, when his aunt and uncle asked him to build their kitchen cabinetry.

Working nights and weekends, Daso built and installed the cabinets himself. After that first job, referrals began coming in and Daso decided to channel his cabinetry building skill and strong work ethic into running his own business.

Daso’s company quickly outgrew the family garage and he leased a small building to use as his shop. A year and a half later, he bought 15 country acres in Creston, Ohio, close to the cornfields where he grew up, and turned it into his business headquarters.

The company’s master cabinet makers and their drafting and finishing specialists work out of the 25,000 square

foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing and finishing facility Daso built. All of Daso Custom Cabinetry’s products are custom-made in the Creston plant and everything from the wood to the hardware is only sourced from American vendors.

Showroom magic, virtual design

The company’s artistry is on full display in their 2,200 square foot Dublin showroom at 13 S. High St. in the heart of historic downtown Dublin. Located in a vintage building that’s adjacent to a parking area, the showroom is highlighted by its beautiful kitchen displays. Showcased styles include unique barn door-inspired cabinets, as well as European country.

“The showroom is in a great location and all the resources are there for our clients,” says Daso. Builders, remodelers and their clients can explore the showroom before sitting down with a designer to go over their style choices. The showroom was specifically designed to be a comfortable place for brainstorming design ideas and making selections.

Along with their Dublin showroom, Daso Custom Cabinetry also has a showroom in Strongsville, a Cleveland suburb.

But clients don’t need to visit a company showroom to see their project come together — Daso Custom Cabinetry is ahead of the curve on virtual presentations. “We do a lot of virtual design consultations,” says Daso. “We can meet clients from their living rooms or from our offices. We can save clients a lot of time and make it a very efficient process.”

Built to spec, quality through and through

Daso says his company is buttoned down on every detail of the process to ensure quality from top to bottom. “People come to us for quality, and we strive to make sure that happens on every job,” Daso observes. “We have a core procedure that really works.”

Daso and his team take field measurements and sit down with clients to get a good understanding of their project goals. Next step: they turn buyer input over to the design and drafting staff. These artisans excel at transforming customer concepts into imaginative and workable ideas. The draft specialists are able to expertly design cabinets that fit and make the most of any size space — even the most atypical. When the team has developed a solid project plan, they create a 3D CAD presentation that clients can view either virtually or in the showroom.

At every point, the Daso Custom Cabinetry team works hard to make the experience easy and seamless for buyers. Daso regularly receives positive client feedback about how smoothly the team collaborates and how well they coordinate the many moving parts of a renovation or new build process.

“I’m proud of my people — the way they lead our clients and represent our company,” Daso says. “From the cabinet engineers, to the designers, to the installation crews — at every level of our company our team takes great pride in what they do, and it shows.”

For more information, visit www.dascocustomcabinetry.com