Awards and Recognition

Number 8 in Wood and Wood Products' Wood 100

If it were a Billboard list, you’d be hearing Jake’s Creative Woodworks every time you turned on the radio. As it is, the list is a national compilation of woodworking companies, and Jake’s Creative Woodworks has earned the No. 8 spot.

This is the second consecutive year that Jake’s Creative Woodworks in rural Sedalia made the Wood 100 report, which ranks the nation’s fastest-growing woodworking companies by growth rate. The list is published annually in Wood and Wood Products magazine.

Based on end-of-the-year sales volume from 2006 to 2007, the company posted a stunning 83 percent increase.

“2007 was our fifth year of operation, and it was phenomenal,” Gieschen said. “We created custom cabinets and countertops for lots of residential and commercial construction throughout central Missouri. We were able to expand our workshop, increase our workforce and invest in additional equipment.”

The company moved up 34 spots from its No. 42 ranking in the 2007 list, and Gieschen expects another successful year by the end of 2008. Part of that growth is due to the wide geographic area covered. In addition to the Sedalia area, Jake’s Creative Woodworks does work in Warrensburg, Columbia, Boonville, the Lake of the Ozarks and the surrounding areas.

Gieschen founded Jake’s Creative Woodworks, located on Ringen School Road in the rural Sedalia/Smithton area, in 2003 after turning his woodworking skill into a business. He attributes the company’s success to its focus on quality work, customer service and the performance of the eight employees.

“I think most of our success comes from our employees’ skill and dedication,” Gieschen said. “Custom cabinetry is a very creative industry, and meeting your customers’ expectations is really the key to being successful.”

In addition to cabinets, Jake’s builds entertainment centers, furniture and fireplace mantles. Projects usually are constructed in the company’s 9,000-square-foot workshop and then installed on site.

One of the hallmarks of the woodworking industry is that if you’re good, word spreads fairly quickly.

“I really have to thank my customers for this, because they’ve been good about recommending me to their family and friends,” Gieschen said. “Word-of-mouth advertising has been great. It spreads, and it spreads fast.” Wood and Wood Products is the leading trade magazine published and mailed monthly to more than 44,000 professional woodworkers in the United States and Canada.