MILLWORK
by Karl D. Forth
karl.forth@ccimedia.net
Consistency helps to
cut costs, meet low bids
Software, equipment
upgrades part of overall
effort to reduce costs.
At a glance
Who: Antique & Modern
Cabinets, Inc.
Where: Jacksonville, Fla.
What: Custom cabinets and
millwork
Employees: 25
Plant size: 40,000 square
feet
Web site: www.antiqueand
moderncabinets.com
In this economy, there is always someone out there with a lower bid. Antique
& Modern Cabinets has focused on its
own costs to keep it competitive with
these too-low-to-be-real bids.
“We’ve had to lower every number
you can think of,” says Antique & Mod-
ern’s Ben Patterson. “From our suppliers
to lowering the cost of installation that
we would normally charge.”
Equipment and software upgrades
have been at the center of the cost-
cutting effort. “If we were doing things
the old way, I don’t know how we could
do the job for less, and some of the
competition seems to be doing work for
free,” Patterson says.
Meeting deadlines
The Jacksonville, Fla., company
specializes in custom projects, including
cabinets, reception desks and conference tables. “We meet time frames/
deadlines and have good customer
Antique & Modern specializes in custom
projects in northeastern Florida.
Reception desks are a major emphasis
for the company. Law firms represent
an important customer base.
service,” Patterson says.
Antique & Modern works for general
contractors that serve customers in
medical, schools, banks, tenant build
outs and private firms (mostly law firms).
The company does mostly commercial
work with a small percentage of residential ( 5 to 10 percent).
