Adapting to the Times

Shutler Cabinets, a custom cabinetry manufacturer in Moundsville, W.V., has grown significantly since its humble beginnings in 1985, when David Shutler started the business in his garage. The current shop features 16 employees and the latest machinery for production, assembly and finishing.

“We invest heavily in equipment and technology because it’s hard to find quality workers out there. Whenever we buy a piece of equipment, a lot of times it’s probably oversized for what a lot of suppliers would say. It’s bigger than what we need, but we like a bigger production capability,” says Shutler.

Operating out of a 26,000-sq.-ft. facility with offices and a showroom, the company caters to a diverse clientele in a wide demographic, providing turnkey services for the residential and commercial markets.

Shutler grew up nearby, always tinkering around in his father’s woodshop. While taking shop class at John Marshal High School in Glen Dale, W.Va., he realized he wanted to take his skills further than just a hobby.

“I had good industrial arts teacher in high school, Fred Chavanak. He’s retired now, but he still visits here from time to time. He was a great role model as far as anybody that had a little bit of ambition. He would take them under his wing, spend time with them, and get the most out of them,” says Shutler.

“Along with that, I would spend all my free time in the (school’s) shop, building things like gun cabinets and cedar chests. I would sell them and with that money, I’d buy a piece of machinery or tool.”

Shutler started his company after high school graduation, then built a 5,000-sq.-ft. shop in the late 80’s. Friends and family were some of his first employees.

“I never thought I’d grow out of that place. My parents were a big part of the whole process. My mom is still alive and my dad died in June. They became a big part of this business.”

His best friend and foreman, Chris Williams, joined the operation in 1994. Shutler’s daughter, Cindy Mercer, and son, Tim Shutler, work for the company.

Business grew at a gradual pace and entirely by word of mouth. “Naturally, it started out local, family and friends, and it just kept growing from there,” says Shutler. “I got jobs all over the East Coast and out West. People that have our cabinets would move away and want us to do them in their new residence.”

As Shutler formed relationships with contractors, architects and designers, the local market expanded to parts of northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. Hot spots are New Martinsville and Wheeling, W.Va., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Steubenville, Ohio. While Shutler would like to go further into Ohio, competition prevents it from being a lucrative move.

“The Amish are coming in pretty strong and it’s hard to expand in that direction,” says Shutler.

The shop is located just south of Wheeling, one of the more industrious areas of the state. Although fluctuations in local industry have caused economic shifts, the area has a lot of promise, according to Williams.

“We’re in an area right now where oil and gas exploration [produces] a new millionaire every day. This area was always a lot different than the rest of West Virginia. It’s very industrial, it’s on a river, it’s got power plants, chemical plants, coal mines, ore aluminum production, steel mills. Some industry is gone now but there are still a lot of coal mines in the area.”

There are fewer custom woodworking shops in the region. “A lot of shops up Wheeling closed down and that gave us more work over the last 10 years. There’s not a whole lot of commercial or casework shops in the valley, so we’re picking it up,” says Shutler.

Shutler also says local contracting firms are starting to wane as well, as emerging contractors prefer big national companies, many of which have their own cabinet shops.

“This has changed what we do as far as having a clientele here in the valley. The contractors aren’t there anymore. We always were doing more remodel than new builds, and we’re currently working with a contractor up in the Pittsburgh area that builds 10 to 12 new homes a year, and they’re large homes.”

Commercial work accounts for about 15 percent of the business.

About a dozen employees work in the shop. Williams, who oversees shop processes, helps Shutler decide on machinery purchases and understands the need.

“The people we have out there are good workers,” says Williams. “A lot of them have been here 10 to15 years, and some for 20 or more. But with the machinery, we don’t have to rely strictly on the craftsmanship.”

The company’s first CNC router, from Komo, was purchased in 2002. As Shutler and Williams had hoped, it has delivered an outstanding return on investment.

“That was 22 years ago when nested based was just starting. That was a game changer. We probably had more employees back then,” says Williams.

Their newest router is an Anderson Stratos Pro CNC with auto load and unload features that allow for single-person operation. Door manufacturing equipment was another important investment.

“We build our own doors. When we got bigger and couldn’t find employees, we started outsourcing them. Then Covid hit and lead times went from five to seven days to six to eight weeks,” says Shutler. “We invested heavily in door equipment and are building doors better than the ones we outsourced.”

Another recent upgrade is a Cefla Superfici Compact 3 automatic spray machine. Shutler offers the gamut of design styles and finishes, and given that 85 percent of customers prefer paint, the Compact 3 has been extremely useful.

Shutler and Williams both say the immediate goal is to catch up on production times and scheduling. Prior to Covid, lead times were around six to eight weeks. Now, it’s closer to six months.

“We had a mild winter. It didn’t slow down the builders any. You can basically say they’re ahead a month. Over the last two years, if the job was not ready, we could move things around. Now we’re just loaded up,” says Williams.

Shutler is still putting in 12-hour days, often seven days a week. He knows every second of his time is helping in the big picture.

“I like having the reputation about being the best at what we do. We have realtors that highlight us in their listings as selling points for a house. I’ve got people who’ve wanted our cabinets for years and they’ll wait and save. It always makes me feel pretty good that they would rather hold off and save to get us.”  

Anderson Stratos Pro/Full line CNC router • Cefla Superfici Compact 3 • SCM Sigma Impact panel saw • SCMI Olympic edge bander • Cantek & Whirlwind upcut saws • RazorGage and TigerStop fences • Mereen-Johnson 312 Select rip saw • Accu-Systems door panel saw • Circle T C117 coping and T LM116 lock miter machines • Northfield Model 8 planner • Kremlin & Anest Iwata finish pumps & equipment • Green Fast Cure curing oven • JLT door clamp • Doucet clamp carrier • Weinig Profimat 23E & Kentwood molders • SawStop, Delta table saws • DMC Unisand wide belt sander • MB Robatech brush sander • Ideal Machinery RM100 mini molder • Larick 410 shaper/sander • Donaldson Torit dust collector • Cabinet Vision software

This article was originally published in the July 2023 issue.