Cover Story

News

The men of Rivendell can now add “Cover Model” to their resumes after appearing on the front of PROFILES magazine, a publication of the Cabinet Makers Association. We’re honored to be one of the top stories with only three issues being published this year. And while husbands and wives have made headlines before, we’re the first full-fledged family to be featured. The article focuses on our shop’s unique history, from Kanda’s humble beginning as a toy maker to President of the high-end custom cabinetry business he operates with his sons today.

Kanda’s kids have been helping him in the shop since they were little. In addition to being rocking horse test pilots, Nandi and Jeremy remember their first “job” making matchbox cars, gluing wooden wheels on to axles for a penny apiece. Nandi, now Chief Executive Officer, is in charge of customer relations and installation, and Jeremy, the Chief Operations Officer, manages drafting and production. Their younger brother, Kendiah, is the Shop Foreman. The business truly is a family affair with Nandi’s wife Kim working in the office and myself, Jeremy’s wife, Nicole, contributing to the website.

In addition to addressing all that is relative, the article also examines the company itself. It discusses the tools and materials used in projects as well as location and market share. It talks about the challenges that Rivendell faced during a difficult economy and delves into our hopes for the future.

I asked the men of Rivendell to share their thoughts about seeing themselves on the cover of a magazine.
“It’s inspiring,” said Kendiah, “Knowing how many other shops were considered and ours got the spotlight.”
“It’s fun to see our company in print,” Nandi said, “It feels like we’ve arrived.”
Kanda said, “I’m proud of my family.”
Unlike the others, Jeremy just wondered “Do I look fat?”

Kanda was so excited about Rivendell being chosen as a PROFILES cover story that he hired fellow Toastmaster and Business Networking International member, Gurpreet Kaur, proprietor of Kaur Photography, to take some professional portraits.