Woodesign

Founded in 1979, Woodesign partners Larry Langhurst and Bernie Becker began with simple, unique furniture pieces which quickly expanded to library, wall units and entertainment centers. Today they are a national, award-winning design-build shop with kitchens, bathrooms and whole-house projects.

The partners were fans of "improvement efforts," but past efforts had not resulted in substantial returns. The team had trouble coordinating information and workflow from the bidding and estimating process through production, assembly, finishing and installation. Woodesign also had very inconsistent profitability, and the owners' exit strategy appeared to be out of reach.

• Reviewed and revised key work process flows to address phase hand-offs and accountability throughout the process
• Installed quality control checks at each phase of the process
• Improved project initiation and closing processes, identified as critical
• Customized a formal real-time scheduling process for production
• Designed and implemented a system for job-costing projects

• Moved the company from barely breaking even to showing a net profit
• Reduced dependence on the owners allowed them to take a two-week vacation for the first time in years, while also skiing more days than the previous year
• Reduced scheduling issues with large projects
• 100% of projects were completed on or before schedule
• Morale increased — management evaluations averaged 4+ out of 5
• Won 2nd place in the NKBA (National Kitchen & Bath Association) national competition