Business Central July 2021

86 | Young Taupo firm really starting to make its mark JOINERY Graft Joinery As well as commercial work and shop fit-outs the focus now is to extend further into residential work. C raig and Julia Van Velden own Graft Joinery, based in Taupo’s industrial quarter. Though the name Graft may be new to some, their history creating fabulous joinery design experiences for their clients stretches back to the day’s the company was known as CDM Central. Taking up the opportunity to es- tablish their own business when CDM ceased operations was the best thing the young fami- ly couple could have done, Julia says. “We had a solid business plan but no idea what was just around the corner when we started Graft Joinery in September 2019. Deal- ing with a global pandemic certainly wasn’t what we expected but we knuckled down and came out stronger than ever,” she says. Julia describes Craig as a perfectionist, a most necessary trait when the aspiration is to deliver clients bespoke joinery works of art. They make a great team with Julia concen- trating on customer engagement, accounts and administration, leaving Craig and the workshop staff free to do what they do best. Following lockdown and with demand increasing rapidly the couple decided to take on more staff including apprentices. “We just hit the ground running and had adopted safe working practices so everyone just got on with the job. We’ve certainly been super-busy.” Plans ahead are to grow the business a little bigger than the current team of six , howev- er Julia says it is challenging to find skilled tradesmen. “We currently have three manufacturing in the factory, while three work on the computer design processes. We’re always on the lookout for talented tradesmen to join our tight knit team.” When the couple bought the company they also purchased all the equipment that Craig was already familiar with, making the transi- tion and establishment of their own business a seamless process. T Sue Russsell Craig’s history includes a significant amount of commercial work, with shop and bank fit- outs and Julia says the focus now is to extend further into residential work as well. “Because of Craig’s experience with com- mercial joinery, it gives our staff a huge variety of work which keeps things exciting. “We’ve spent a lot of time on building relationships with people; customer service will always be our number one focus. And that means being really open and honest with cli- ents, and in helping them form their thinking and clarify what is important for them.” Last year Graft Joinery took on a massive whole home project that, at times, felt almost overwhelming. “It was a huge huge job. “These clients have had a really great expe- rience with us and have pushed our name out there, which is wonderful.” The lake-front passive home brought chal- lenges for the couple in ensuring the materials and systems used met the criteria. With an 8m long kitchen back wall, all cor- ners on the stone bench top were mitred and an exceptional choice of materials throughout Graft Joinery took care of all the fittings. “It was incredibly encouraging that someone would put their faith in a brand new company on such a massive project. A wonderful privi- lege to have had this experience.” Julia says Taupo is very competitive with several other joinery businesses, however not all these operate within the same market that the couple are focusing on. With three young children and a busy work- life Julia manages to juggle home and work. She works three days each week. The couple have also put their money where their mouth is, in terms of care of staff, in quite a unique way. “We’ve invested in our team to go moun- tain-biking on our fabulous biking tracks around Taupo. We do this every Tuesday night and it’s created a really neat culture in the team. They’re either talking about the last ride or talking about the next ride to come,” says Julia. With work booked up several months in advance the couple have no regrets about stepping into business ownership and are looking forward to growing the business in careful incremental steps as they further establish themselves in the market. Phone: 07 578 5024 Address: 51 Koromiko Street, Judea, Tauranga Email: inf o@pacific s tone.co.nz Website: www .pacifics tone.co.nz *image from the Landmark Showhome – Taupo; cabinetry by Detailed Joinery 184 View Road, Rotorua steve@stoneinteriors.co.nz 027 562 1515 At Stone Interiors, we manufacture and install the highest quality bespoke stone surfaces ranging from kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, to outdoor areas, tables, and more. Crafted from the finest of materials including Granite, Marble, Engineered Stone and Ultra Compact Sarfaces, we will build your dream stone surface to suit your vision and budget.