Tag: south dakota manufacturing

Who is the KCMA and Why is Showplace a Member?

Posted on by Justin Ehrman

Showplace is proud to be a member of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA). You may wonder what this organization is and why it’s important to be a member. Let’s talk about it.

A strong American cabinet industry is very important to Showplace Cabinetry and our employee owners. One of the most important ways we support the industry is through our active involvement in the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA).

So what is the KCMA? According to the KCMA.org website, “The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1955 to represent companies who manufacture cabinets, bath cabinets, or other residential cabinets and key kitchen and bath industry suppliers. With a membership now more than 300 strong throughout North America, KCMA works to advance the cabinet industry through advocacy, setting cabinet quality standards, sponsoring kitchen and bath cabinet-related research and providing the cabinet industry with management tools and educational programs.”

The KCMA provides resources to help companies succeed, but they also provide legal support and advocacy for its members and the industry.

“There is no other organization that is more devoted to promoting American cabinet manufacturers than the KCMA.” – Bill Allen, Showplace CEO

Paint room employees
Employee building a cabinet frame
Employee in cutting department

High Praise

Bill Allen, Showplace CEO, has high praises for the organization. “There is no other organization that is more devoted to promoting American cabinet manufacturers than the KCMA. Through the KCMA, information is available on various aspects of our business such as: government regulations, wage and labor surveys, safety, trend of business statistics, and much more.”

The KCMA has played a vital role as a champion of fair trade for the domestic cabinet industry while fighting against unfairly traded imported cabinets from China. The KCMA also administers trusted certification programs promoting ANSI construction standards, severe use and environmental stewardship that have been recognized as industry standards for decades.

Showplace employees
Showplace employees

In 2022, Showplace employees (pictured above) were honored to host a plant tour as part of the fall conference for the members of the KCMA, including executives from many manufacturers from around the country.

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What is an Employee-Owned Company and Why Does it Matter?

Posted on by Justin Ehrman

Showplace is a 100% employee-owned company. What does that mean and why does it matter? Let’s take a deeper look at what it’s like to be an employee-owner and why that benefits you when you purchase Showplace cabinets.

First, the history… Since its beginnings in 1999, Showplace Wood Products (now doing business as “Showplace Cabinetry”) has been one of the fastest growing cabinetry brands in America. From the start, this success has been grounded in Showplace people: A team of hardworking, results-oriented workers, managers and directors who care about what they do. In a world of seemingly endless choices, their creativity and hard work has made Showplace the brand of choice for 1000+ dealers and thousands of customers around the country.

In the time of constant mergers and acquisitions by distant holding companies, the founding shareholders of Showplace chose a different path. They were determined to perpetuate Showplace in a way that protects its employees and dealers from a large corporate entity that doesn’t share their vision. The founding team also sought to reward Showplace employees for their personal contributions to its ongoing success.

As a result, Showplace now exists as a 100% employee-owned company through the creation of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The move to an ESOP ensures the stability of Showplace into the future, while keeping the current board of directors, management, and day-to-day control unchanged.

Clapping Employees
Employees Approve of the Newly-Announced ESOP Program

ESOP Begins at Showplace

At an employee meeting in December, 2006, it was announced that Showplace was transforming into a 100% employee-owned company.

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What’s it Like to Be an Employee Owner?

Employees take ownership in decisions that affect their daily jobs and are involved in evaluating and improving those processes to ensure that we are as efficient as possible.

We hear from visitors that tour our facilities that, “Everyone’s always smiling. They must really like their jobs.” Yes, it’s true! We love what we do! And, knowing that Showplace truly cares about all employees and their futures is part of the many reasons why we smile from ear to ear.

How Do You Benefit?

Purchasing products from an employee-owned company means that you are supporting the present AND the future of our employees. But, that’s not all. Here are more benefits of buying cabinetry from employee-owned Showplace!

Cutting Department Employee

Made with Pride

Our employees own 100% of the company, so we care about the success of our company and take pride in our work because our name is on each and every cabinet that leaves our facility in South Dakota.

Cutting Team Group Photo

Involvement

To ensure that we do our absolute best to take care of our commitment to ship quality products on time, we are proud to be involved in decisions that improve our production workflow and efficiencies. These improvements benefit our dealer-partners and you.

Green Kitchen

Efforts Come to Life

We appreciate seeing the end result of our hard work through photos shared by our dealers. Seeing how our cabinets help to transform homes into something truly magical inspires us to keep doing our very best. And when we do our best, we all benefit.

Here’s a peek at a recent home remodel project using Showplace Cabinetry to completely transform the space into a contemporary kitchen of dreams!