Had I known two years ago when I put crown molding in my living room that a West Valley City company was on the verge of developing a computer-aided process to carve images in crown molding, I might have waited.
But that is all putty in the crack, so to speak, and all I can do is ogle the beautiful crown molding designs manufactured by Progressive Woodworks Inc., 2275 S. 3200 West.As far as company president John B. Norman can tell, Progressive Woodworks is the only company in the country with the ability to carve designs into contoured surfaces like moldings. Computer-aided carving into flat surfaces has been around for many years, but Norman considers the ability to carve on rounded surfaces a big breakthrough.
Norman said by combining three different computer programs, his employees developed the process for carving on uneven surfaces. That makes is possible for anyone to take a design to Progressive Woodworks, have it scanned into the computer and then the design is carved into the molding or other wood items with a $250,000 machine.
He recently was in the Javits Center in New York City at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, displaying various moldings his new process helped create. Norman's company will have a booth at several home shows this year, and some of the homes built for the home shows will have his crown moldings and other carved items.
Some of the carvings are flowers, Greek key or French country and geometric designs. Norman said many of the designs come from wallpaper border books because some people want their crown molding and other items to match their wallpaper.
Norman said the new process gives interior decorators great latitude in designing a homebecause the types of designs are limitless.
This new process doesn't come cheap, however. For example, it will cost between $3 and $15 more per linear foot, depending on the type, for Progressive to carve designs into crown molding. "It's definitely an item for custom homes," said Norman, although the public can walk into his 40,000-square-foot factory anytime and order wood items.
After the wood is carved on the rounded surfaces, Norman's employees apply paint or stain, depending on what the customer orders. Most of the stain is allowed to remain in the carved portion and wiped off the uncarved surface, accentuating the carved portion.
One order his employees were completing for a Deer Valley residence consisted of several wall hangings made out of wood and then stained or painted so they had the colors of fruit.
In the lobby of Progressive Woodworks is a large carving of the company name and logo carved in a crown molding that circles the entire room. Norman said that gives a customer an idea of what can be done with the company's new process.
The new carving process is just one of the reasons Norman has been named small-business person of the year by the Small Business Administration and went to Washington, D.C., to compete with other state winners for the title of national small-business person of the year.
A native of Murray, Norman had thoughts of graduating from the University of Utah. After two years he became frustrated with some of the classes he was required to take so he quit and started a construction company. He bought homes, did the remodeling and then sold them.
In 1979 he fell off a second-story roof and broke his wrist. He had three operations and was laid up for a year, wearing a cast on his injured arm. This was a difficult time for Norman because he had a wife and children to support.
He and his partner in the Norwatts Construction Co., John Watts, decided to specialize in cabinet-making and they com-pleted some kitchens and commercial jobs out of a shop in Rose Park.
The company's big break came in 1983 when jewelry store chain Barry's of Monrovia, Calif., asked Norwatts to furnish the cabinets, display cases and other wood items for a jewelry store. In the next 6-7 years, they did more than 100 stores for Barry's.
In 1984, 20 percent of the business was sold to Thomas Bird, and in 1988 Watts decided he wanted to do other things so Bird and Norman purchased Watts' interest, giving Norman 60 percent of the company and Bird 40 percent.
While working on the jewelry stores, Watts and Norman realized they wanted to concentrate on retail stores. Their next big account (100 stores) was The Nature Company, which has a store in Crossroads Mall. This account was the company's focus for several years and the increase in work forced the company to move from their 4,000-square-foot shop in Rose Park to 15,000-square-foot site in North Salt Lake.
When business kept increasing, the company moved to its 40,000-square-foot West Valley facility in 1990. The company has 60 full-time employees, but that number increases to 120 during certain times of the year. Norman said he wants more diversification in the business so the number of employees will remain constant.
A drowning accident in Lake Powell in August 1995 claimed the life of Thomas Bird. And Norman purchased Bird's interest in the company from his estate. At Progressive Woodworks, various kinds of wood, including cherry, oak and maple are stored in one section of the building awaiting orders. The wood is cut into the desired sizes and various types of edges are glued on and shaped. The pieces are rolled around the plant on carts to keep each project separate and are taken to another area for final assembly and shipment.
One of the more interesting projects Progressive Woodworks is involved with doesn't involve wood. At East High School a fund-raising project involves the selling of "bricks" that will be attached to a wall in the new building. The bricks are a simulated marble material and Progressive is carving the names of the contributors on each brick.
Norman said the market for products he produces is mainly in other states, which means that his company has brought millions of dollars to the Utah economy. He is banking on the new contour-carving process to increase his business in Utah.