Slowdown not hurting kitchen, bath designers

BUSINESS PROFILE

By Mark Bollin

Special to the Green Valley News

When Carl and Jenny Zitzmann moved to Green Valley from Raleigh, N.C., in 2005, they were looking for a business that was creative and helped people enjoy life.

“We found it. I had always loved woodworking, and my family had always been involved in remodeling” said Zitzmann. “We bought an established cabinetry business and added all sorts of counter top options to the mix.”

Now, Zitzmann employs two designers, Nancy Lloyd and Kristi Hulm, to keep up with the demand for custom solutions to kitchens and baths.

“No two solutions are the same. We go to great lengths to make the new space match the desires and unique personality of each of our clients. What is really important is that we can show our clients several realistic computer models of their space before any final decision is made,” Lloyd said.

Cabinet Encounters has a great deal to work with. New counter-top materials in addition to granite, quartz, laminates and polymers give homeowners so many new choices for their upgrade projects.

“New counter surfaces and even advances in hardware technology have given us so much more to give our customers and we can increase the efficiency of a kitchen space to a greater degree than ever before,” Zitzmann said.

Despite the slowdown in the housing market, there has been a marked increase homeowners’ interest in upgrading their kitchens and baths, Zitzmann said. “ It used to be a fix it to sell market, now it is a fix it to stay market,” he said.

Cabinet Encounters is a strong supporter of the communities it serves.

“We love doing things like building a float for the White Elephant Parade and contributing to Hands of Friends, Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy, the Salvation Army, Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce, and many other worthy organizations. We consider this to be just as an important reason for owning a business as supporting our family,” Zitzmann said. When cabinets are removed from a home they are often recycled to organizations, or needy families in the area.

“I guess we were green before green became became popular,” Zitzmann said with a chuckle.

Contact: Cabinet Encounters, (520) 625-8752, www.cabinetencountersonline.com

Got news about your business? Sent it to Mark Bollin at mbollin@cox.net