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16W Media Group Presents The Branding Highway Podcast
Bringing Together Local Businesses & Neighbors.
16W Media Group Presents The Branding Highway Podcast
Brian Gross: Mastering Custom Storage Solutions from Artful Drawers to Sporting Devotions and Outdoor Escapades
Join the conversation with Brian Gross, the mastermind behind Art of Drawers, as we uncover the transformative impact of custom storage solutions on your home's kitchen and bathroom spaces. Say goodbye to cluttered drawers and hello to elegance and functionality, tailored just for you, all without the hassle of a full remodel. With Brian's expertise, we discuss the art of personalized design consultations, the sheer precision of craftsmanship in each custom fitting, and the smooth installation process that will rejuvenate your living space. Learn how Brian's commitment to excellence and a dedicated team of passionate professionals are revolutionizing the home organization industry, one drawer at a time.
Hear how our candid discussion on the value of integrity in business can lead to stronger trust and a sterling reputation, especially when navigating complex renovation projects. It's not just about the drawers; it's about building a brand rooted in transparency. We also take a detour into our personal lives, sharing our love for the great outdoors and the nation's latest pickleball obsession. And for the sports enthusiasts, we chat about how a move can shift your sports allegiances, from Southern Missouri to Tampa, and reminisce on how those roots run deep. Tune in for an episode that blends practical home improvement advice with a touch of personal insight and a dash of sports talk.
Art of drawers creates custom designed solutions for existing kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This includes pull-out drawers, blind corner solutions, and custom pantry options. Every customer works with an experienced Designer to create their ideal space.
https://artofdrawers.com
(888)559-9069
This is the Good Neighbor podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Mike Sedita.
Speaker 2:Hello out there. Welcome to episode 148 of the Good Neighbor podcast. I'm your host, mike Sedita. Today, we are joined by Brian Gross. He is the CEO of Art of Drawers. Brian, how are you doing today? I'm good, mike, how about yourself? I'm doing great. Thanks for asking.
Speaker 2:In case you don't know what the Good Neighbor podcast is, if this is the first time you're hearing about it, let me just fill you in and get you up to speed. The Good Neighbor podcast was started and created back in 2020, when everybody had to be socially distant we couldn't be in the same room with each other as a way for business owners and CEOs like you to let the public know about what you had going on, what was going on with your business or your charity or whatever you had in the area. And now, four years later, it has evolved into a national brand. So we have podcasts in Denver, atlanta, virginia, philadelphia. I'm fortunate enough to be the person here in Tampa that gets to speak to people like you. So, with that said, tell us a little bit about Art of Drawers.
Speaker 3:Art of Drawers. We really specialize in offering pullout drawers, pantries, organization solutions for your kitchen and bathroom. The difference with our company is everything is custom designed and custom fit to your existing cabinets so you're able to get those solutions, take care of some of those frustrating places in your kitchen, without having to do that expensive full remodel or replacement of your existing cabinets.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you this question then, with what you guys do, I know there's a lot of great technology. Especially if I order something on Amazon, it'll say see it in your room and you can kind of scan the room. Do you guys have that type of technology? Or if someone comes to you, do you send somebody out to look at what they have, or is it generally pretty standard? I mean, we have a wide range of homes from St Pete to Wesley Chapel, the ages of homes and different modifications of the types of cabinetry. So how do you guys generally tackle that.
Speaker 3:No, we want that process to be more engaging with our designers and with the customer in your house. So part of our, the first step of our process is to always send a designer out to your house complimentary, get an understanding for your space, your kitchen, make sure you have an understanding of the solutions, the products that we offer and figure out what would add the most value to your space, what would help you the most, so we can design a full kitchen. It might just be a few areas, but ever since everything is customized, we'll go through, sketch that out, design that with you as part of that first step, before there's ever an installer or anything else like that, we want that to be a really you know, hands-on experience with you, our designer, to make sure that you're getting exactly what would help you the most.
Speaker 2:And then. So where is your actual? Do you guys have like I'm assuming you have an office space, but do you also have a warehouse where you actually do the custom modifications? Where are you guys based out of physically?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we are based out of Tampa Florida, so we have our warehouse and everything comes in and is installed, our before installation very close to the Tampa airport, actually. Okay.
Speaker 2:I mean that's a great loc up the veterans. You can have a spot to go. Everyw area is from St PeteS. Know how far is the foot will go, or does it depen job?
Speaker 3:We cover really the. We have a pretty strong p out in Lakeland and some of the Lakeland area, so miles every which way from. If there is something that further out or coverage ar, be as flexible as possible.
Speaker 2:So tell me you know, brian, background, I mean were or you a finance and logi. There's a lot of moving p this business. There's th of a better term, custom m of what you guys do. But so, like, how many crews are that type of stuff and I the field or you the guy, a great opportunity, great start this business here level.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a gre is definitely the latter. So my background was actu. I always had a desire to design a type of field wo. So with my role I'm more the business, the logistic of our teams. But with w we have a team of designe, go out, work with you um getting exactly what you. We have a team of install, come out, customize the m we do is custom fit, so m millimeter, so that team year ready to move forward, do an exact measurement, usually about four to six. We've ordered everything that warehouse in Tampa, a installation and what's. Installations are usuaio business day, so in and o.
Speaker 2:But you know, I can tell you, I talked to a ton of business owners and the analogy I always go back to is when I was a kid growing up, my brother was a chef, like he worked in all these nice restaurants and he used to say there's efficiencies in the kitchen and it would be like if you're going into the reefer, you always bring something in with you or you always bring it something out. You never walk around the kitchen empty handed In your line of work. Having good quality craftsmanship is vital, obviously, but also the logistics side of it is crucially important from a materials standpoint, from a workflow standpoint, marrying the two together. So it's essential to making sure your business is efficient. Do you also handle, like, the hiring of the folks that are actually in the field, or do you have a whole HR team that does that part of it?
Speaker 3:No, I handle that myself. You know, I personally hire. Bring on everyone on both our design and installation teams, and getting quality people on the team is just absolutely vital Having good communication, having designers who generally want to help we're not sales people, they're designers want to understand your space and how we can add the most value. And then our installers it's important that they're able to install, do quality work. But, again, we pride ourselves in white glove service. So making sure that the design team, the install team, they're communicating, they're working together from start to finish, but also that both of those folks are in touch with you from start to finish, so you know exactly where you are in the process, what's next, and make sure that you are thrilled with your product on installation day.
Speaker 2:You know it's funny is with all this technology that we had and I talked about, like you know, see it in your room the things that they have, with all the technology that we have in the world today, there is a I don't want to say a backlash, but there is a yearning for people that people don't like voice trees when they call a company anymore. They like to actually get somebody on the phone. People don't like. I'll tell you for me personally. I recently moved my studio and all my stuff. I had multiple companies come out and price it for me.
Speaker 2:One company would not come out to the house to say, hey, this is what you do.
Speaker 2:And when I started to look at their quote versus the others, it was drastically different because they just didn't have that tangible connection and I didn't have a warm and fuzzy feeling and I didn't go with that company. So I love the fact that you're kind of I don't want to say retro, because it sounds like it's something old, like it's like not up to date but it's using modern technology. But giving that personalized connection to the consumer makes a huge, huge difference in how you connect your brand in the areas where you do your work. Do you find, from a customer satisfaction standpoint, that helps you to mitigate Because, listen, in a business I talk to every business owner there's always those things that go on, there's always those snafus or stuff. There's always. Meeting with the client upfront help eliminate or minimize some of the communication issues and does it help you to create that connection where you now have a referral source or some of the things that we kind of lose when we have that non-personal connection?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that's critical for our business. We have a strong presence here in the community and we're in a lot of the big home shows around the area. We do a lot of events. So we meet a lot of our customers in person from that first meeting where they come into our booth they see our products and they request an appointment from right there. So I always try to work those myself. So that's where the CEO, the owner of the local business, a lot of our customers, meet me actually first. When a designer comes out, they're reaching out on their personal cell phone. They have their cell phone number to reach out, communicate those follow-up questions. The installer, same thing. They have their cell phone. So a lot of times we're even communicating with customers through text or via a call, but we try to make sure that everyone that they're working with and myself that we're here, we're visible, we're available every step of the way.
Speaker 2:So let me ask you this. I mean, how long have you guys been in business here in Tampa?
Speaker 3:In Tampa. We've been in business for about two years and then our corporate office we started back in 2018. So corporate is in Atlanta. So the art of drawers has about a five-year track record.
Speaker 2:So what is one of the things in your time doing this, whether through your corporate experience or here in Tampa specifically, what do you run into with clients where they have, like they might think it's one thing but it's something different, like a myth or misconception you run into where, when you're meeting with people, you have to explain to them. I mean, the one I would think of and again I'm just throwing one out that I might have would be like this is going to be so expensive. I mean, we know kitchen remodels can range $30,000, $50,000 if you're going to gut something and start from scratch. But maybe I come in and look at this, go. Wow, this is going to be a big undertaking and it's maybe not as expensive. Like, where are you educating consumers the most?
Speaker 3:There's really two and you hit one. But the first, I'd say, is there's a misconception that to get the organization to get pullouts, get that kind of customized kitchen experience, that you have to replace all your cabinets or do that full kitchen remodel, which we all know can be really expensive. So that's what's nice about being able to go custom fit their existing cabinets. The second is that price point is I'm not sure how much this will cost, or this might end up being more expensive than I'd really like to pay. And that's really the important piece of having a designer come out. We don't have to do every drawer, every cabinet in your kitchen. That's where we want to know what are the pain points, what areas are frustrating you, what are those dead corners or those half shelves that you can't access? And that's where we'll focus on start first, and if you are working on a budget, we want to make sure that we're really maximizing the value and the joy you get from the money you're spending.
Speaker 2:So two questions come up as you say that for me, is one of the most common things you fix, like that annoying lazy Susan in a corner of a cabinet, Because that's got to be like it's like somebody just said hey, we have this corner space that you can't get into from any angle, Let us create that. Are you fixing a lot of those or are you kind of adding those? What is the? What is the lazy? What is the position on lazy Susan's around the art of drawers?
Speaker 3:We do have lazy Susan's. We do the dreaded dead space that that corner is one that we get a lot of questions about. We have several solutions you know some are, some are the lazy Susan's different versions of that to at least get more access in the space. We also have a few solutions that are a little bit more exciting, with drawers that actually pull back, that pull out from the back corner, so you can start to actually access that space. That was almost impossible before a solution.
Speaker 2:It's funny in our show research we don't do a lot of show research here, but when we do it the term lazy Susan came about in the 50s and 60s and it was translated from the 18th century England when it was just known as a dumbwaiter. So I don't know how poor Susan got roped into this, but it was the translation from that. So my second question would be has there been an instance where you guys have gone into somebody's kitchen and said you know what? We can't fix this. You're gonna have to gut this bad boy and go for like where maybe it's a real older, smaller space and there's not a lot of opportunity to modify, where they're just gonna have to knock down a wall to get the space that they need. Have you ever run into that?
Speaker 3:What is nice is being custom. There's a lot of space that we can be pretty flexible. We can get pretty creative, especially in lower cabinets, with being able to do cutouts around plumbing, around wiring. We do have a lot of things that we can do, but we will be very honest with customers. We were just in employment earlier this week where I was out with a designer and they had a frustrating space under an island, a lot of space that was just not usable, looking for a solution. There was plumbing, there was electrical. Because there was some space that wasn't usable, we had to say, hey, there's nothing that we can really do here. That's going to be worth the money that it would take to add and pull out our custom solution. We actually just left it how it was. We will never hesitate to tell someone it's not the best space to work with.
Speaker 2:Honestly, that is like a situation like that to me is branding your business. To brand your business, you have to do that consistent branding to grow your name and grow your reach. That type of situation is an equivalent of that, in my opinion, because here's what happens in that scenario you went in and you were honest with them and explained to them what goes on. Now, when someone asks them about your business, they're going to go you know what. They couldn't help me with this specific space, but they were upfront and explained to me how to do that. It's like going to a mechanic and saying, hey, I think I need new breaks and the mechanic says, no, you don't need new breaks, you just need this. Giving them an honest it reflects positively on your brand image. It just has a wider spread reach than the money you would have made trying to finagle something into their kitchen.
Speaker 2:To me, that's the type of thing that establishes the good brands from the brands that are just trying to do a money, grab and take what they can get from that one customer. So definitely kudos for doing that, because I think that's a better approach to your business in my opinion, as someone who deals with thousands of businesses every month. So let me ask you this when you're not in the office and you're not logistically moving trucks from Lakeland to Ocala and all around this 75 mile area, what do you like to do for fun? Are you a water skier? Do you climb mountains? Do you skydive? What do you do when you're not in the office, brian?
Speaker 3:Well, you set the expectations high there with the example, so I'm going to sound pretty lame, but I do love being outside. One of my favorite things about living here in Florida is being active pretty much 12 months out of the year. Yeah, I live here in Tampa, so bike a lot, usually out around Unbeishore. Last couple of years I've also joined the pickleball craze, which I think is kind of taking away.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're that guy, so having a lot of fun with that one as well. All right, so 20 second time out here. Are you in like a pickleball league, like if you? Let me ask you this If you drop a shot on some old lady on the pickleball court and do you taunt them, or are you just kind of like, oh, nice shot. When you like slam it down, you're like, yeah, getting their face out. What is your pickleball stance as far as how you handle your game?
Speaker 3:I'm pretty competitive, so I'll say I especially, you know especially. It's funny you used the example old lady. Typically you are in these mixed games with people that are 20, 30, 40 years older, so I try not to throw it down with a racket and smack talk too much. But internally though, I'm pretty excited. Yeah, I get pretty pumped.
Speaker 2:Take that grandma. All right, I see. So pickleball and biking yeah, I was just down in Davis Island a couple weeks ago and there was a big biking event going on there. All the streets closed off and stuff Were you in on that. Is that the type of biking you do?
Speaker 3:I was not. No, I missed that. I haven't gotten into the competitive biking. Oh OK, I'm more on the casual rides and enjoying the view.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like that too. I'm going to have to. I live now. There's some trails and stuff that I need to get into to get a little bit more activity. I just every time I think of biking, I think of a couple of spin classes I've taken and I leave there like I was riding a Yellowstone, like I was Kevin Costner on Yellowstone. I leave there and I can't walk for two days. So that's what my fear is of biking, but I'm going to have to work through some of that stuff and get out and be a little bit more active.
Speaker 2:So one of the questions I like to ask business owners because this does two things it lets the people who are the consumers, who are listening to this, get a little bit more relatable to you as a business owner. You're not just a business owner, You're a person who kind of goes through stuff and the other business owners that are listening to this it gives them an example of how to overcome and take their business to the next level. So one of the things I like to ask is where has there been a challenge or maybe a hardship that you've experienced in your life or your business, career, personal, professional that you want to tell us about and how did you overcome it and get past it to be able to be in the position you are today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think, really going back, I grew up in rural Southeast Missouri and it's where most people they work in farming. There's factory jobs, a pretty uneducated area, and I was actually the first in my family to go to college, to leave that town and really do something like start a business, and that wasn't always easy, worked my way through college, learned a lot of life lessons along the way of when you're spending your own money. It's a little bit different, but that really taught me the benefit, the value of working hard, treating people right, and it's opened up a lot of opportunities for me personally and professionally and I think it's given me the opportunity to be where I am today here running this business.
Speaker 2:So I mean your family's got to be super proud of you. How do you end up going from Southern Missouri to did you have a pit stop in Atlanta and then here? Or you just came from Missouri right to here.
Speaker 3:I've lived several parts of the country and I've spent time in Dallas, washington DC and Boston and I think by a lot of your listeners they probably figured out before I did. Florida's a great place to live. You spend a few winners in New England and up in the Northeast and also Florida's pretty appealing. So I made my way here and couldn't be happier than I did.
Speaker 2:OK, so you're from Missouri, though, and you've traveled all over the US. Do you follow sport? I mean, you're a competitive guy, you follow sports. Are you a chief's fan? Are you a Ram's fan, because they spent some time in that neck of the woods? Do you not follow football? Are you a big Royals fan? I mean where your loyalties lie in the athletic world.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in the athletic world. It's funny. I grew up just south of St Louis, so that is Cardinals Nation, so it's been a while since I've lived there, but they still follow the Cardinals football.
Speaker 2:They're like the number two. I mean everybody's shut up about the Yankees. I can't stand hearing about the Yankees, but the Cardinals are like that next team.
Speaker 3:That's the next team. That's right. That's right. And I grew up with the Rams before they made the move to LA, so I've moved after that happened. So I don't really have an NFL team, so I need to pick up the Bucks. I'm looking for a new team Season tickets, you can get some season tickets.
Speaker 2:The hard part with the Bucks is when you are sitting out there. Now it's just the opposite extreme. I hate shoveling snow, but sitting at a Bucks team in September on the sunny side of the stadium you might as well be a piece of bacon just sitting out there crying. It is awful, but I mean, listen, that's you. It was a good season. I mean, I'm not a Bucks, I'm like a secondary Bucks fan because I live here. But yeah, I mean the games are great, the atmosphere is great down there. You're going to have to jump on the pirate ship, exactly, exactly. So, as we start to kind of wind this up, what is the one thing if I'm a listener, I'm a consumer and I have these old cabinets in my house. What is the one thing they need to know about working with the art of drawers?
Speaker 3:I think the one thing just to know and we've hit on today, but we're locally owned, we're locally operated, our solutions are available to everyone. You know we offer that, that free consultation with a designer as a starting point, so you can see exactly how we can help you, and everything that that we bring to the table, that that we look to do, fits in your existing kitchen, your existing cabinets, so it doesn't have to be a big, a big remodel, a big project. We can really add a lot of value Pretty easily without, without tearing apart or being a big remodel expense.
Speaker 2:Adding value and efficiency and you know, making the the space you spend your time. I mean, people spend a lot. I mean the bedroom is probably number one just sleeping for eight hours if you're lucky enough to get eight hours, but the kitchen is probably the next room in the house where people spend the most amount of time and gaining Efficiencies and making it a pleasant experience when you're in there. What is the best way? You know, brian, if we want to get started today, if people listening to this podcast say, hey look, you know what our kitchen stinks. We need to be more efficient, we need to make the space more valuable, how do they get a hold of you? What's the best way?
Speaker 3:Yeah, to two real ways. Welcome everyone to check out our website, and that's art of drawers, comm. Or you can reach out and schedule a design appointment directly, and that's at 813 993 0397.
Speaker 2:So, guys, if you're listening to this, the art of drawers is based out of Tampa, their warehouses here. They customize all the work. They will go to about a 75 mile radius around the city of Tampa. No job is too small. They will give you the personal attention that you need in this remodel and not break the bank without having to gut your Kitchen and start from scratch. So if you're interested in getting started, go to art of drawers comm or contact their office directly, the numbers 813 993 0397. Brian gross. Thank you for being a good neighbor. Thank you for being on the good neighbor podcast. You have an excellent day, my friend.
Speaker 3:Thanks.
Speaker 1:Mike, thanks for listening to the good neighbor podcast. Passcode to nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show go to GNP passcode Com. That's GNP Pasco com, or call 813 922 3610.