Now in their sixth location with each move being necessitated by expansion, the Whites attribute their continued success to gradual growth, hard work and foresight -- all of which they have built on the bonds of a strong family.
As third-generation cabinet makers, the Whites offer unfinished wholesale, finished retail, installation and fully customized features. For wholesale distributors, My Cabinet Factory typically produces 600 to 700 cabinet sets a week but they still find time to execute personal orders as small as a single drawer.
"Looking back through the years I have probably spent more time on this earth with [my dad] and my grandfather than with anyone else and all of us are very strong personalities. We're very hard on each other, we push each other very hard and we expect the best," Jonathan White said. "To be able to spend that much time with family is a blessing."
Jonathan began working in the family business around the age of 12 sweeping floors, working his way up through every function. He put his time in on weekends throughout school and into college every summer and winter break.
While in school at the University of Georgia, Jonathon had intentions of continuing on to law school. During his time working through school at a law firm in Athens, he witnessed first-hand the lifestyle that many attorneys were living. The elevated divorce rate, drug use and alcohol abuse was a stark reality compared to the values found in a family business, he said. His dreams of becoming a lawyer were soon overtaken by the desire to help his father continue their legacy.
"I could not wait to get back and work with our family," Jonathan said.
Although their family business has fared well through the most recent economic storm even to the point of expanding into three new markets in the past 18 months, no enterprise is without its challenges, said Greg White.
"A family business is always a challenge," Greg White said. "But it's been very good, not without problems, no business is but it's been pretty smooth and pretty steady sailing."
A good staff, quality products and top-notch customer service is how the Whites said they, a domestic manufacturer, can compete with Chinese imports. Utilizing proven LEAN production techniques as designed by researchers at Georgia Tech, My Cabinet Factory strives to minimize waste of every kind. From recycling scrap wood into landscaping mulch to scientifically arranging production floor workflow, LEAN systems are designed to reduce cost, time and effort to maximize output. This is a fundamental element of My Cabinet Factory, the Whites said.
Jonathon White has taken much of the reins and responsibilities that come with managing the day-to-day operations but he admits that his knowledge comes from those who came before him. His father and grandfather have shaped the way he does business and to them he shared his gratitude along with a light-hearted jab at their hereditary bullheadedness.
"On the bad days we want to kill each other and on the good days we just strangle each other a little bit," Jonathan White said with a laugh. "But for me, to be immersed and a fly on the wall in a lot of what was going on between my grandfather and my father before I got into it. ... To be able to be a sponge and to learn from people -- I've really just tried to absorb as much as I can and a lot of it has just been trial by fire and being able to make mistakes and learn from them."
For more information on My Cabinet Factory, visit www.mycabinetfactory.com, e-mail jowenwhite@bellsouth.net or call 770-382-8442.