5 minute read
Wood Wonders: Mullet Custom Interior Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Writer / Matt Keating Photography Provided
Ben Mullet, owner of Mullet Custom Interior, LLC, is excited about the number of years his business has been around.
“This year we are celebrating our 25th year in business, which is
hard to believe,” Mullet says. “I can’t believe how fast it went.”
In 1994, Mullet’s father approached him and asked if he would like to try woodworking.
“We were doing construction at the time,” Mullet says. “I told him that I would enjoy woodworking a lot - more than doing
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construction - because construction is just not my type of work.”
Mullet enjoyed making the switch to woodworking.
“My father Jonas bought a moulder to make interior wood moldings, and some other small machines to assemble wood doors,” Mullet says. “We started out just part time in 1995, with just some days working in the shop and other days doing construction. I have never regretted doing construction first, because it has helped a lot. It helps us know what our customers’ needs are when they put their orders in.”
Mullet decided to purchase the business later.
“In 2003 me and my wife Eva bought the business, and have been blessed with good employees over the years,” Mullet says. “We have been able to meet a lot of nice people to do business with.”
Mullet also works with other family members.
“Two of our sons and two nieces are working here at Mullet Custom Interior,” he says. “We have a great lineup of employees that all want to do their job, and that is what makes a good company. It also makes my job a lot easier when you can depend on them.”
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Mullet has a solid business plan that has worked for him through the years.
“Our business plan was always to have our customer in mind first, because we deal with a lot of homeowners, contractors and retail customers,” Mullet says. “In 2007, a choice was made to add a 12,000-squarefoot building so we could be more efficient on how we do things, and consolidate more to one building. Before, we were working out of about three small buildings, but we had to start somewhere.”
Mullet says his company makes a wide variety of wood products.
“We primarily focus on whole interior trim and door packages,” he says. “The people can order whatever style of door or profile of trim they want, and we are happy to make it for them. The stain choices are totally up to each customer, and we will also do custom stain matches if needed. One thing that works good for the customer is that they can let us know that they have a house that needs to be measured for trim. We will then schedule a date and time to come out and measure.”
Mullet and his staff work with their clients extensively to make sure each one is happy.
“We will make everything from stairway parts to a wide range of hardwood flooring to a choice of doors and trim, and will also help design it,” Mullet says. “We are able to produce hardwood flooring to be exactly what the
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customer wants, because we manufacture it and stain it to whatever they want.”
Muller says another part of his business is making wood parts for the RV industry.
“With two moulders, we are able to keep up with demand at this time, and are thankful for all the work we have,” he says. “Overall, Nappanee is a great community for the working-class people, as there is work out there for everyone.”
Mullet is happy life is starting to return to normal despite the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on businesses throughout the state and country.
“Even with this COVID-19, I would say that we could still work some more, but we were real glad Governor [Eric] Holcomb opened up things when he did,” Mullet says. “People needed to get back to work, and we were also allowed to have church again, which is very necessary. Since then, we got very busy and everyone is back and working. It looks fairly positive for new homes and RVs.”
Visit Mullet Custom Interior at 106 3B Road in Nappanee. For more info, give them a call at 574-773-9442, or go to mulletcustominteriorllc.com.
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