February 15, 2023

Building a Culture: The Whys and Hows

50 minutes

In episode 4, we give the hosting reins to Lois Snyder, founder, designer and leader of Periwinklers, and board member of the Cabinet Makers Association. She chats with Paul Downs, president of Paul Downs Cabinetmakers and speaker at CMA's National Conference, about developing a company culture, why it's important, and the challenges of hiring the right people for your shop's culture.

Show notes

Paul Downs started making custom furniture in 1986, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in engineering. Mr. Downs has only one line on his résumé, but he has a wide variety of skills gained in 30 years of running his business. His clients range from individuals and small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, all branches of the military, and domestic and foreign governments. His company employs 20 superb craftsmen, producing all of their work in a 35,000 square foot shop in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Downs is also an accomplished author. He started his writing career in The New York Times’ “You’re The Boss” blog, and is the author of “Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business”, published in 2015 by Blue Rider Press. He currently blogs on Forbes.com

Mr. Downs is an experienced public speaker. He has given educational presentations at the AWFS show in Las Vegas, at the Cabinets & Closets convention, and gave the keynote address at the Cabinetmakers Association convention in 2018. He has also entertained audiences in numerous talks about his life, his books, and his work.

This episode is produced by Association Briefings.

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