ROGERS WOODWORKING: PRECISION, MINDFULNESS & HEART
Rogers Woodworking, founded and owned by Justin Rogers, is a woodworking business that produces cabinets, furniture, and custom pieces to complement a home or business. Many of the finished pieces produced are large customized pieces that require him to install them in a client’s space. Over the course of 15 years working with wood, and 6 years in business as Rogers Woodworking, Justin has developed a business that allows him to apply his creative energy and amassed skills towards developing aesthetically appealing and durable wooden pieces. He sees the wood pieces that he creates as a blank canvas that he gets to fill in to complement the client’s home or desired placement site.
Drawn to Athens, Ohio because of the opportunities it afforded him to live an intentional life and pursue a broad range of interests, from Tai Chi to herbalism and off the grid living, Justin is a renaissance man with a wide range of interests and passions that give lift to his life. While working in Athens as maintenance staff for a local landlord, he started to realize that he had found a creative expression in working with his hands, especially when working with wood. While talking with a Tai Chi classmate about woodworking, Justin learned that the classmate was a woodturner who connected him with an intensive woodworking program outside of Gallipolis, at the University of Rio Grande.
He researched the experience at Rio Grande, and it felt like what he was searching for in a fine woodworking educational program, so he enrolled. While in classes Justin realized even more of his creative potential, that he had an eye for design, and woodworking allowed him to convey thoughts, feelings, and texture into a client’s space. To help refine Rogers Woodworking’s aesthetic and ensure compatibility, Justin worked with interior designers to validate the aesthetic that he was working towards in his designs. Developing a product portfolio allowed him to broaden his reach and demonstrate to new clients what he is capable of doing while also highlighting his unique style, craftsmanship, and consistency.
Woodworking is Work, and the hustle that Justin demonstrates speaks volumes about his work ethic and commitment to delivering high quality finished goods to his customers. He talks with clients about their vision for their space to ensure that the product that he produces aligns with their aesthetic expectations and is a good representation of his woodworking abilities. This exchange of ideas is something that Justin is very passionate about because it informs his sense of what the client values most and what things must be represented in the finished piece. He then uses his knowledge of woodworking to contribute functional and aesthetically pleasing pieces to client’s homes and businesses.
Justin understands that not many clients may have experience in placing custom orders with woodworkers. He works with them and asks clarifying questions along the way, ranging from timeline of completion to how the piece should fit against other elements of the space, to ensure that they arrive at a mutually beneficial outcome. Justin has learned through experience questions to ask clients when evaluating a prospective job, to help clarify the time and labor that he will spend creating the finished product. Because many of the pieces that Rogers Woodworking produces are large, detailed, and customized pieces Justin often will personally install them in the desired location. This last touch helps to confirm all of the planning, selection of quality lumber, measuring, and woodworking that goes into creating a finished piece aligns with the client’s vision and expectations.
If you are looking for a new wooden addition to your home or business and you would like to review examples of work he has completed, they can be seen on his website at http://www.rogerswoodworking.com/.
ACEnet is very excited to help support Rogers Woodworking in the ACEnet Nelsonville Business Center & Food Hub in Nelsonville. Justin was looking to return to Athens, an area that he fell in love with and where he refined his woodworking skills, “When I was looking to relocate my business back in Southeastern Ohio – another ACEnet client, Chris Hedges, encouraged me to take a tour of ACEnet’s Nelsonville facility. After seeing what ACEnet was offering within their facility I realized that I could make it happen with ACEnet.”
If you, or someone you know, may be interested in advancing their woodworking business or wood related business idea, ACEnet is an entrepreneurial launchpad to help build bridges within the wood sector. Please reach out to Chris, ACEnet’s Nelsonville Business Center and Food Hub Facility Operator, at ChrisQ@acenetworks.org to set-up a time to chat or take a tour of ACEnet’s Wood Manufacturing Center.
Community Update by Facilities Operator, Chris Quolke
Photos: Caryn Azure Photography