Grady M. Robertson - Wood Graphix - Lubbock, TX

January 1, 2005

Thermwood Corporation
Dennis Palmer
P.O. Box 436
Dale, Indiana 47523

Re: Success Story

In June of 1999, after a long and ugly divorce, I decided to sell my interest in a business I had been involved with for over 20 years. I took a year off and toured the country on my motorcycle. After that year off I went to a small woodworking show in Ft Worth, TX and saw a laser engraving machine for the first time. I ordered one and Wood Graphix was born. My idea was to build children’s furniture and personalize it with the laser. My woodworking skills were limited at this time, so I went to work for a local furniture builder as an apprentice. The first couple of years for Wood Graphix were spent building toy chests, tables & chairs, headboards and other misc. children’s furniture. As time went by, I became interested in building more complex furniture and cabinets. I started looking at the trade magazines and became curious about CNC technology. I didn’t even know what CNC stood for or what they were capable of doing. I began by looking at the web sites of the various manufactures and reading everything I could. I spent a lot of time on the Thermwood web site and ordered and read Ken’s books. My business at this time had kind of stalled and I was doing mostly small engraving jobs along with the occasional armoire or entertainment center. I had a 1200’ shop in the back of an old barn on 15 acres where I lived. My tools consisted of a 10 year old table saw, one portable router and a few hand tools.

I finally made the call to Thermwood and they had a Thermwood representative contact me. I found out that Geron Stricklin with SBI Millworks had just taken delivery of his Model 40 and made arrangements to meet with a Thermwood representative at SBI Millwork’s shop in a few weeks. Out of the five companies I contacted, only two actually responded and the Thermwood representative was the only one that made the effort to come to Lubbock and see me. After we looked at the machine and the Thermwood representative answered all my questions, the three of us went to lunch. A strong friendship and alliance with Geron was born that day. We have become close friends, even though we are competitors, through our ownership of Thermwood equipment. Cabinet shops in general do not work with each other in our area and my relationship with Geron and SBI millworks in Slaton has been a great benefit both personally and in my business.

I made arrangements with the Thermwood representative that day to travel to Dale, IN and meet the Thermwood people, see the plant and get a demo. Just getting to Dale is quite a job and I was very excited and nervous. I had no experience or knowledge of CNC routers and was not even sure what questions I needed to ask. The first person I met was Shawn Frederick. Shawn quickly became my key contact and his straight forward approach, attention to detail, knowledge and integrity played a major role in my decision to purchase. My schedule called for a plant tour and machine demo on the first day followed by software demos the next day. The guys in the demo lab were setting up to build a display cabinet that was designed by Ken and was going to be used in a Cabinet Maker story. Since I had no actual parts I needed to see made or processes I was doing, this was the perfect demonstration. Present at my demo were Shawn, Jason Susnjara & Brent East. I actually got to run the machine and watch the construction by Jason and Brent of the cabinet. All three of these guys have become what I consider friends and close allies.

The second day began with software demos by Eric Shearn and Lee Brumley. The time these two guys spent with me proved to be invaluable. Their understanding and knowledge of the software made me feel very comfortable that I would have the support I would need. I was interested in eCabinets, Master Cam and Art Cam. At this time, I still did not have a firm idea of where I was going with integrating CNC technology and Wood Graphix, only that I believed it was the way to go. I had several long discussions with Shawn about this while we were trying to spec a machine. I did not want to limit my capabilities for the future and Shawn understood this. He was very helpful in suggesting configurations for the machine and not selling me anything I didn’t need.

My approach to jumping into CNC technology was to find a company that had the people I felt I could do business with and would be there for me after the sale. There are a lot of good machines on the market but it’s the people that make the difference. I wanted a company that had the personnel I could develop a relationship with. With no prior experience this was my main concern. Of course, they also had to build a good machine. During my two day visit to Dale I became convinced that Thermwood was that company. With the sale of my previous business, I really did not have to take the chance on trying to make a living doing woodwork. I was looking for something creative and fulfilling to do along with something I enjoyed. Mastering the CNC machine and its related software was a challenge I not only wanted, but at that point in my life, needed. I knew I would require the extended help and support of the people at Thermwood. I have not been disappointed. I am a firm believer in the saying “It’s the journey, not the destination that matters. It’s the experiences you have and the people you meet along the way that are important.” I know I can call one of several people at Thermwood any time I have a problem or question and I will get results. I signed an agreement with Shawn the morning I was leaving Dale and came back home to Lubbock excited but also a little apprehensive about what I had done. During my year off, I had met a beautiful woman in Atlanta and she had since moved to Lubbock. She thought, along with all my other friends, that I had completely lost my mind. She has stood beside me along this journey and been an incredible sense of inspiration even though she had her doubts.

I began the process of developing a business plan and upgrading and enlarging my shop. I added about 4500 square feet of space along with the assorted electrical and air requirements. A few weeks before my delivery, I went back to Dale for eCabs and machine training with Dennis. My relationship with the Thermwood people grew during that week and I began to feel I had joined an extended family. Pete Riddle was my installer and we also became friends. He has been there for me after hours and on weekends to work me through problems (mostly self inflected).

My business plan initially called for creating a small line of completely customizable furniture and producing it with the help of a modern CNC machine. I have gone off in a different direction in the last year concentrating on producing carvings and architectural details. I also cut one piece doors along with the occasional cabinet or furniture job. With the help of Josh Hodge, I have also started part processing for a few people. Josh has been an incredible boost to my business. He was not my salesman, but has adopted me in a sense. He is another example of what I call the Thermwood mentality. That is, customer service drives everything. You can manufacture the finest piece of equipment or product in the world and without the people behind it, you won’t be successful. I have tried to model my company’s customer service after Thermwood’s. To me that means absolute customer satisfaction before and after the sale. Just making a good product is not enough these days. You have to develop trust and a relationship with your customers to maintain success.

Owning and operating my Thermwood has been an incredible journey with many friends made along the way. I now have a business that allows me to be creative and do something I enjoy. I have the equipment capabilities that allow me to try things that otherwise would be impossible. It seems I learn something new about my equipment or software every job. Most jobs are challenging and force me to try something new. Some of these work and others don’t but it’s an enjoyable process either way. Working with high tech equipment is a challenge some days but the process is what keeps me trying new things and drives my business.

“It’s the journey, not the destination that matters. It’s the experiences you have and the people you meet along the way that are important.”

Dennis, I know I have rambled a bit in this letter and I apologize. I hope the time I took to write this shows just how fortunate I feel to be associated with Thermwood the company and most importantly, its people. Please continue to use me as a reference for your products because I feel very strongly about praise when something is done right. And in my opinion, Thermwood is doing it right.

Sincerely,

Grady M. Robertson