THE ROOTS OF THE BUSINESS
Turners Ridge Wood Workz, located in La Crosse, started in 2019, when David was in high school. He found his love for woodworking in classes, and soon began a paid internship at a local cabinetry shop. Next, he earned a job at a wood finishing shop, and during the time at those positions also worked out of the family garage building his skills and knowledge.
Dave and David built a 10×16-foot shed in the backyard to house the son’s growing accumulation of tools. By the summer of 2022, they had outgrown that space and knew they needed to find a larger facility.
THE ASSISTANCE
They came to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UW-La Crosse and introduced their business ideas to the center director, Anne Hlavacka, who helped them determine feasibility. Mike Walker, a consultant at the SBDC, then assisted with creating a business plan and a team of La Crosse students helped with digital marketing.
Dave said of his experience, “That business plan helped us bring home a second-place cash prize in a contest sponsored by the La Crosse Area Development Corporation (LADCO). The SBDC also connected us with one of the school’s marketing professors whose students used our business to produce a marketing strategy and branding ideas. Their knowledge was great! They provided expertise that was instrumental and helped us avoid pitfalls that others have encountered. They were all easy to work with and responsive to my questions.”
Dave credited other local resources with their success as well, saying, “We were assisted by SCORE mentors and we worked with Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) as well.”
Accomplishments with UW- La Crosse
- Business plan
- Feasibility
- Marketing strategy
THE GROWTH
“We were so happy to find the perfect place for us in the Coulee Region Business Center. We moved into the 2200-square-foot workshop in January of 2023,” Dave said. “We also were awarded a Main Street Bounceback Grant that helped cover rent costs while we settled in and got our shop set up so we could begin production with a little less stress about financing.”
The Coulee Region Business Center is a small business incubator housed in a building previously used for manufacturing. It rents a variety of spaces to entrepreneurs including industrial areas, a commercial kitchen, and office spaces.
The father-son duo is constantly adding new products and refining existing ones. “We now offer a wider range of tables, benches, and other pieces of furniture. We have repurposed some antique items to make unique items,” Dave said. Through the growth, they have stayed true to their goal of preserving the natural beauty of the wood. Turners Ridge Wood Workz doesn’t use any stains or dyes on the wood. The pieces are finished with natural oils, either fractionated coconut oil or Tung oil.
THE OBSTACLES
Dave said, “I was fortunate to receive some sage advice from a successful entrepreneur about the two most important things we could do. One was to work hard and put in the hours even when we didn’t feel like it, and the second was to persevere and stick with it.”
Like most small business owners, there were times Dave questioned why he was taking on this challenge and if the effort was worth it. He discovered that the little successes reinforce his desire to keep at it when things aren’t going right.
“Another obstacle we face is getting the word out that our custom woodworking business is different from others, but we are seeing an uptick in business as we employ some marketing techniques. We even tested the water with some targeted radio ads,” Dave said.
THE COMMUNITY
The connections and friendships that Dave and David have made allowed them to host four successful craft shows in the last two years. This generous business donates the vendor fees they charge to participate in the show back to the community. Those donations helped to erase the negative school lunch balance for students in the Holmen School District and to bring 40 complete Thanksgiving meals to area families. The business also contributes items to numerous local events to help raise money for specific causes.
Dave said, “We have made so many connections and friends since our business opened. We are fortunate to have in our circle incredible entrepreneurs who are not just successful, but who are also kind and supportive. I believe as small business owners we are all in the same boat, so we should help each other row. When one is successful, we are all successful.”
THE REWARD
“I think one of the greatest things about owning Turners Ridge Wood Workz is seeing customers’ reactions to something we built for them. One customer brought in an old, worn sawhorse that had belonged to her grandfather. It was well used and marked with paint splatters and cut marks, and I don’t think there was a square edge on it anywhere. She asked me to create two keepsake boxes for her sons. Her only instructions were, ‘I don’t want it sanded or painted.’ I was a little nervous about this sawhorse that was over 100 years old,” Dave said.
“Over several hours, I carefully took it apart, saving all of the nails and wood. In creating the keepsake boxes, I cut the heads off the original nails and glued them back into their original holes. When I revealed them to the customer, she stood silent for about a minute. Then I heard a quiet sniffle and she started to cry. She looked at me with tears of joy in her eyes and said they were absolutely perfect. She cried even harder when I revealed a third box that I had made especially for her.”
That project from early days in the business solidified their goal to use quality construction along with unique design ideas to deliver one-of-a-kind creations.
THE FUTURE
As awareness of Turners Ridge Wood Workz grows in the Coulee Region, the business strives to soon implement e-commerce on their website in hopes of selling products nationwide. “We want to especially grow the custom furniture aspect of the business as it allows us the creativity to design and build really neat furniture!” Dave said.