Slippery Rock Gazette

Peter Marcucci

Photos Courtesy Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations

Above: Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations’ production facility in Youngsville, North Carolina is part of a multi-product strategy that employs over 300 workers in four production and installation hubs.

Above: Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations uses a Slab Smith tracking system to match stone selected for a particular job.

Above and below: Sasso Revolution Inline edge polisher keeps jobs flowing through production, with edges and custom work finished by hand.

A growth machine since 1990, Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations began life as a distributor and manufacturer of cultured marble and custom glass products. Then known as Majestic Marble & Glass Company, the enterprise blossomed under the leadership of founder Danny Cox and industry veteran Carl Manfredi.        

By 1994, Bruce Battle had become a partner in the business, and by 1997 the company had jumped into natural stone and Corian countertop fabrication. Since then, even through the recent recession, Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations has continued to grow to its current multi-product status, explains President and CEO Scott Byers.   

“The original creators of the company, Danny Cox and Bruce Battle, are still on the team and actively involved in the business. They’ve taken more of an ownership and board role, and brought me into the company in October of 2018 to help position it for the next 28 years. They did a fantastic job of creating and building it and taking it to where it is today.” 

   Scott Byers came from EDM Americas Incorporated, a leading information management firm, bringing to Majestic all types of strengths, including a proven leadership track record, a background in financial management, law, and helping to professionalize family businesses. 

   “The company has grown to the point where it needed more processes and more structure to take it into the future,” continued Byers. “We have customers, and we have to meet their needs and do it effectively to continue to grow and thrive. If you step back from the fabrication and beauty of our products and look at it for a second, it’s a business with people and technology.” 

With over 300 full-time employees, and locations in Youngsville, Raleigh, Wilmington, Greensboro, and now Charlotte, North Carolina, the company has effectively positioned itself to reach all points within the Carolinas and then some, said Byers. “The bulk of our production is done in Youngsville. We’ll then deliver it to these hubs so our installation teams can install them. This allows us to service as far as Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina, and Myrtle Beach and Charleston, South Carolina. Our latest acquisition in Charlotte gives us another hub to fabricate and service as far as Savannah, Georgia, allowing us to execute on the vision that we have laid out, which is to be the most professional trade partner in the Carolinas, and ultimately meet the timelines of our customers.” 

   

With the exception of Charlotte, all locations feature showrooms. Most of Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations’ business is with builders in the metropolitan market, explained Byers. “60 percent of our sales are residential builders, while 20 percent is to what we call channel partners. Most are cabinet companies. The last 20 percent is a mix of retail consisting of renovators and homeowners. Selling retail gives us a good vantage point for knowing where the end consumer is, and helps us to see trends that are developing.”

Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations offers over a hundred varieties of marble and granite, and a selection of engineered stone for a 50-50 mix of materials.

Over a Decade with the Artisan Group

According to Byers, the Artisan Group has been key to their success over the years. “I’ll speak from my point in time since October. The Artisan Group has been great. I’m actively involved with them and sit on the board. The group is basically a mechanism to share best practices and look at where the industry is going, and helps us skate to where the puck will be. Also, being able to have 35 to 45 members that can learn and share knowledge between each other is a huge asset to us. We learn from each other as well as engage the marketplace a few times a year. Jon Lancto has been in the industry as a fabricator for many years and is a great leader of the Artisan Group.” 

Byers’ Take on the Great Recession

“As far as getting through the recession, I think the word that comes to mind is discipline. Making sure that discipline exists in all aspects of the company, especially financial, was crucial to its survival. The recession during 2008 to 2009 was probably deeper and wider than anyone experienced since the late 1920s, and having the discipline to be able to save and prepare for the difficult days ahead was important. Also, it was addressing the market in kind of a way that made sense for the long term. We weren’t going to just chase customers and throw prices at them. After all, there is a cost of quality and a cost of being able to run a sustainable business, so we carried out the discipline to all the elements within the organization. Danny and Bruce, the two owners, allowed that to happen in order to come out the other end afterwards. I’ve heard the stories, it was not easy, but they came out of it. Also, having the history and the capability so companies want to continue to partner with you and back you during and after those difficult days, whether it’s vendors, material suppliers or your landlord, is very important. 

“So you really need to run a business that focuses on all the stakeholders, and make sure that it’s successful for the long term, rather than squeezing a penny out of somebody, and then being surprised when they want to squeeze it out of you when they get the opportunity. We’ve got over 300 employees who have banked their careers on us, as well as builders and other partners who have staked their outcomes on us delivering.

“A good example of delivering is our newly acquired location in Charlotte. Having a fully redundant capability to manufacture in a second location in the event that something does happen, whether it’s a large piece of equipment that goes down or something more tragic like a tornado or a flood, is paramount. So the ability to have redundant operation further strengthens our capacity to meet whatever challenges that might exist, be it financial or operational.”

Providing a Safe and Productive Environment

“We’ve got a lot of talent here with lots of experience in the industry,” continued Byers. “Many have been here 15-plus years and have seen a lot of different times and circumstances. Being able to access talent like this is crucial to us in both good times and bad. We are also fortunate to have a strong management team, but our success goes much deeper than that. Our people have a stable work environment, because we run a sustainable business. We also offer competitive wages and a benefits package all within a family atmosphere. We share with the entire team, whether it’s cookouts or training, to make sure they are engaged in the workplace. 

Above, left: Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations’ fabrication plant in Youngsville, North Carolina. Above, right: Majestic’s glass installation staging area for shower products, in Youngsville.

“Additionally, we’ve always been a wet-cutting and grinding shop. This has really helped to minimize the dust from the get-go. We’ve been able to educate and make sure our people understand where and why we take active dust samples to make sure that we are compliant and not surprised by OSHA. We also do quarterly safety inspections of all of our facilities, and do write-ups on them and stay active. Safety here is not a newly regulated environment; it is a continuous improvement effort. Any injury is too much, not only for our employees but, realistically, in our industry. Workman’s Compensation and things of that nature are a big part of our cost structure, and if you don’t take it seriously, you’ll be out of business. 

“We’ve also taken advantage of engaging OSHA on a proactive basis where you invite them in, make any changes needed, and call them back in for a final visit. When doing this, you have to take very seriously what they are providing back to you. After all, we are dealing with heavy equipment, slabs, and saws, all in an environment where you have to be at the top of your game each and every day.” 

Community Minded

“Our employees tend to be very faith based, and we give a lot of support to various churches,” continued Byers. “We had a recent cookout where the church did the cookout as a way for them to raise money. We also support veteran’s groups where our employees participate in veteran givebacks. One was Operation Home for Veterans and Disabled Veterans. Doing so makes everyone of us feel that we are part of something bigger. A few weeks ago, we gave a tour to 20 disadvantaged young people who go through training programs to further their knowledge in science, technology and math. We had them here learning about our business from the robotics, to the cranes, to the cutting of glass. It was pretty neat giving back in these situations and goes beyond just giving a check.” 

Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations stone production facility in Youngsville, North Carolina uses a Park Fusion CNC SawJet, a Baca SawJet, Sasso Revolution Inline edge polisher, a Velocity inline polisher and the Flying Flat backsplash polishing machine. CEO Scott Byers: “We’ve spent a lot of time these last few months bringing a fresh eye to what else we might be able to automate, where it makes sense, as well as making sure that there is a reasonable payback period.”

What You See Is What You Get

Majestic Kitchen & Bath Creations buys materials in containers, as well as from local vendors. It really depends on the market, Byers explained. “It’s a mix, really, and it requires a balanced approach, especially if you’re buying from overseas. We’ve always had a mixed strategy, and zeroed in on what the high-volume materials are to make sure that we are competitive in all aspects in the market place. 

“When buying containers from abroad, it definitely takes investment. We do not have our own buyers onsite. We do, however, have long-term partnerships where we’ve worked with folks in Brazil and abroad. We also use technology a good bit, and work within our acceptable standards using digital images to verify what we are buying before it is loaded in the container. Every six to 12 months we’ll visit these suppliers to view materials or to work out any kinks or problems we might have.” 

Current Business Climate and Customer Education

According to Byers, the bulk of the company’s sales are mostly to a middle-class and upper- middle-class demographic, with granite countertops being the hot product, but this is changing quickly. Engineered stone sales have increased significantly over the last few years and are closing in on a 50-50 mix. Overall, said Byers, engineered stone sells on its quality, consistency, colors and stain resistance, but adding that sales volume is mostly due to a great sales team of 16 people who work the showrooms and field, and regularly participate in trade shows. “Some of our sales staff are focused on our builder partners, while others are focused on designers and their clients, and can sit down and help them figure out what they need. After all, these are big investments for people, and having someone to walk through the process with them is very important. So we take a lot of time to educate the customer. I do think, though, that it is less time than five years ago, because customers come to us more educated than they used to be, because of the online tools available and the home shows on television. That said, we still take the role of educating our customers seriously. We make sure that they are not going to buy from us until they understand the pros and cons of the material and its application.”   

Certainty, Taking Ownership and Looking Ahead

“Certainty can be defined in many ways,” continued Byers. “There is certainty of quality and certainty of date of install, and when we say we are going to be there at a specific time, we are there. Our guys and gals will be there, trained and capable of installing a quality job. So, certainty is a big piece and key element. We expect our teams to own their work. We try not to make mistakes, but when we do, we own them, we fix them and we move on. News travels slowly, but it always travels, and nothing is more important than a good installation and reputations. 

“You know that any business is not easy, but I’ll set that aside and say that the Carolinas are a very vibrant market right now. Certain counties within the Carolinas have upward of 50-plus people per day moving in, but the challenge is really the affordability. Building lots and things of that nature are getting more expensive, but the market is really, really vibrant here, and has been for the last 18 months. 

Our vision is to be the most professional trade partner in the Carolinas, and we will continue to invest in our people and our equipment, and continue to put forth all of the capabilities needed to be a professional in this industry. This goes from the sales process, to the order process, to the manufacturing process, to the installation process. We will continue to invest, but we will do it with a lot of rigor and analysis before we make those investments.

“We’ve spent a lot of time these last few months bringing a fresh eye to what else we might be able to automate, where it makes sense, as well as making sure that there is a reasonable payback period. We don’t want to load ourselves up with a lot of automation, and then be surprised when the market tips. 

Furthermore, our ability to be a partner to the homebuilders and retail customers in all the different markets in the Carolinas is an attractive value proposition for them. The fact that we can service their needs is something that we will continue to build on over the next ten years.” 

Majestic Kitchen & Bath is headquartered in Youngsville, North Carolina. For more information and some great examples of customer education videos, please visit www.gomajestic.com .