Old ways just fine for this father/daughter
By Joan Gunin -- Furniture Today, January 25, 2004
CLAREMONT, N.C. — McKinley Leather, a high-end special-order leather upholstery producer, prides itself on doing things the old-fashioned way.
With no import programs, no container loads, no laser cutters, no in-house frame shop, McKinley remains a traditional, no-frills, eight-way hand-tied manufacturer with 85% of its line devoted to custom orders.
Its motto, "Crafted by Hands of America: Keep America Working," now appears on the deck labels of its seating.
Each piece is bench made. One worker builds the innards, another fashions the exterior. Many of McKinley's nearly 50 employees — more, as needed — have been with the company since its inception in 1989.
Unlike many of its neighbors, McKinley has no dedicated sales force, relying on independent sales representatives to market its product, and making sure they're educated on the intricacies of the line.
Hickory natives Jim Mitchell and his daughter Lori Sadowski together forged McKinley Leather after both lost furniture jobs due to mergers. The company name honors Mitchell's father, McKinley Mitchell. Jim Mitchell is president and Sadowski is chief operating officer.
"When we started out, our intent was always to be small, personalized, responsive and attuned to our customers," Mitchell said. "We are accountable for our products."
"Price will always be important," Sadowski said, "but this is a personal family business."
Along with Sadowski, who oversees leather operations, and Mitchell, who supervises frames and foam, Jerry Sigman, director of manufacturing, rounds out the hands-on management team.
McKinley welcomes custom work, something few manufacturers are keen on. "When customers ask us to make special patterns or upgrades," Sadowski said, "we charge what it costs to add on — a realistic margin. We're close enough to it that we know if we can handle it or not."
The company began with five employees, including father and daughter, in a leaky, 18,000-square-foot leased building. Since 1992, McKinley has owned a 40,000-square-foot plant in Claremont, shipping product to independent leather specialty stores and designers nationwide in three to four weeks.
McKinley's first products, a pub-back sofa and chair, are still in the line. "At the start, we just made what everyone else did," Mitchell chuckled.
Today, the line includes stationary seating, sofa-sleepers, recliners and executive office chairs. The company imports a smattering of hand-carved chair frames for its J. Neal Collection, created three years ago. Otherwise, its hardwood frames are made locally by another small family operation.
Business, stagnant in 2003, now is on the upswing. "Our challenge," Sadowski said, "is to come up with new, cutting-edge designs on a quick, timely basis without going overboard."
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