Meet Derek & Ali Gerdeman | Custom Cabinet & Furniture Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Derek & Ali Gerdeman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Derek & Ali, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting a woodworking business was always Derek’s dream. In high school, he worked in a cabinet shop and learned a lot of valuable skills and habits that are critical to our success today. After college, Derek became a civil engineer and built furniture as a hobby for family and friends. Meanwhile, Ali grew up in an entrepreneurial household and always had a business mindset. Our skillsets complemented each other so we took the leap shortly after getting married to start our business.
It actually started out as a side hustle, but we were quickly able to shift Derek from his engineering job to working in our business full time! Three years later and we still love it!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
When we first launched our business, Derek was a full-time civil engineer and the business was a side hustle. At that time, we were primarily offering charcuterie boards, cutting boards, etc. on our website.
A month or two after we launched our website, we had a prospective client reach out to inquire about a custom cabinetry job. They were in the middle of building a large custom home and were not happy with the cabinet maker recommended by their general contractor. They were looking for someone to do all of the cabinetry throughout their home, including the kitchen, walk-in pantry, master closet, multiple bathroom vanities, and multiple built-ins. Taking on a job like this would require Derek to leave his job and move over to our business full-time.
After meeting with the clients and talking through the details, we decided to take the leap. We learned so much during that first job! (1) You will find a way to get things done and make things happen when you have to! When we took on this job, our workshop wasn’t even finished, so Derek had to spend the first few weeks focused on that. (2) Good suppliers are really important. We learned this one the hard way – our first paint supplier sent us a slightly different shade of paint in each can, which we didn’t realize until it meant spending a lot of time repainting a lot of cabinet doors. Now we have a much better supplier who we are so grateful for! (3) At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that the customer is happy. And that is why we do what we do!
Now, three years later, we are primarily building custom cabinets, furniture, built-ins, and closets. We still make the occasional charcuterie board when someone orders it as a gift for a loved one, but it’s no longer our primary focus. We are honored that are customers trust us to build quality pieces that make their house a home.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely be taking them on a brewery hop – there are so many great local breweries around central Ohio! Some of our favorites are Henmick Farm & Brewery, Hoofhearted, and Brewdog.
Downtown Newark also holds a special place in our heart. We lived in a renovated loft apartment on the square and loved being able to walk around to the different restaurants and shops. We can’t wait until the historic arcade opens in January – that will definitely be a spot we take family & friends who visit in the future! We are actually building a custom bar and shelving for a bottle shop that will be opening in the arcade, called the Archive – make sure to check them out!
If you’re wanting to travel a little bit further, we love Copper Mountain ski resort in Colorado and Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. We do a winter ski vacation with Ali’s family and a summer boating vacation with Derek’s family – it’s the best of both worlds!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would not be who we are today without all of the amazing people in our lives!
First, we have to thank our family & friends. This business would not be possible without their love and support. From the beginning, they have placed orders with us, recommended us to others in their life, engaged with us on social media, and just encourage us.
Also, we wouldn’t be where we are without the amazing community of small businesses that we have found throughout the past few years! It’s so nice to have other businesses to talk about what’s working and what we’re struggling with because they are often going through similar things. A few of our small business besties include Renovation Mentors, 8 Bit Beard Co, Liberty Branding, and JJs Meat Fixins.

Website: https://derekjameswoodworking.com/

Instagram: @derekjameswoodworking

Linkedin: Derek James Woodworking

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Image Credits
Ty Nicole Photo