I earned my Marketing degree from Western Kentucky University in 1982 and completed my M.B.A. in Finance from Western Michigan University in 1984.

I started working with my parents at DDK doing deliveries and service calls in 1985. I began selling and designing kitchens in 1986. We did it the old fashioned way with paper and pencils. In 1988 we bought our first computer. We used it to track inventory and do some word processing. I remember trying to cut and paste text in early versions of Microsoft Word. Do you remember the blinking cursor in DOS? Today we use our network of computers and work stations for virtually every task.

By 1990 I was the President of DDK Kitchen Design Group. My responsibilities now included selling, designing, marketing, human resources and putting out the occasional fire.

In 1998 we moved our store from an obscure location on Waukegan to a landmark building on the corner of Glenview and Waukegan Roads. As the business grew, we added more salespeople and increased our product offerings significantly. DDK now has 5 full time designers, a dedicated operations manager, a technology specialist, and a full time service technician. Together, this team of designers and support personnel keep DDK’s projects running smoothly.

I have attended countless manufacturers’ training and design seminars. DDK does about 200 jobs each year. That means I have overseen 4,400 kitchen remodeling jobs. There are very few people in the country that have my knowledge, background, and 360-degree perspective to provide their customers.

I stay engaged in the design and selling process to maintain focus on current trends and the array of new material choices. I always experiment with new products in my showroom. Those products are offered to our customers only if they provide quality solutions with high aesthetic value.

We realize kitchen remodeling is a stressful time for our customers. DDK’s mission is to use high quality materials, provide the highest level of customer service to reduce the remodeling time, complete projects on time, and finish without loose ends.