Woodwork Creations was founded by Mark Orman in 1995 in his garage in Temecula, California. A few years earlier, he’d sold his first business, a wood furniture manufacturing operation which he’s started with a friend while still in high school.

He’d learned the woodworking trade as a preteen, sweeping floors in a cabinet shop. Now he missed the creativity and sense of craftsmanship that comes from creating fine wood furniture and running your own business.

With Woodwork Creations, Mark started small, selling his first pieces at the Orange County Market Place, a local swapmeet. When prospective customers requested custom furniture to fit their media niches, Mark recognized a market need.

He began employing family members to meet the demand for furniture that couldn’t be found anywhere else: sister Jackie headed up the sales effort, brother Grant oversaw delivery and installations, and father Jerry was in charge of swapmeet operations.

Early on, Mark invested in his VisionTek™ system, which allowed Jackie to design custom furniture on a computer screen as her customers watched and made suggestions. Before customers wrote a check, they knew exactly what they were getting, because they’d seen a computerized 3-D picture of their new furniture.

Soon Mark’s furniture operation spilled out of his garage and onto the driveway, which he protected from the weather with tarps. As the rural roads of Temecula became more densely populated, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the neighbors started to complain about his tent city and the early morning sound of saws. It was time to set up an approved manufacturing site.

Mark found land in Perris, California, and then constructed the 60,000-square-foot factory with attached showroom and offices.

Referrals are key to the growth of the company. Customers return time and again, and bring their friends, because Woodwork Creations:

• Emphasizes customer involvement in the design process.
• Uses only quality woods and finishes.
• Invests in the computerized technology that makes the manufacturing process efficient and accurate without compromising craftsmanship

Woodwork Creations’ customers buy factory direct, so prices are low. Woodwork Creations keeps quality high and costs down by doing all of its own manufacturing of doors, laminates, and moldings.

Woodwork Creations is growing rapidly, but at a controlled pace that allows for continued great service and the highest-quality product. The product line has expanding from home theater and office furniture to include garage and closet units, kitchens and electronics.

"We meet a need,” says Mark. “Our customers are unable to find another manufacturer who can offer customized, finely crafted wood furniture at factory-direct prices. With new home construction up, the demand for our full-service furniture solutions – design, manufacturing, engineering, and delivery/installation – is booming.”

Mark plans to keep this a family business. The second of six children, Mark now has seven of his own children, some of whom are already helping out during summer vacations. Family members work with a team of 100 experts and skilled trades people in accounting, engineering, manufacturing, and delivery/installation. Whether siblings, children, friends, or newcomers, Woodwork Creations team members are family.

Active in his church and community, Mark is committed to helping others. He personally supports a ministry in Kenya. He and his wife Kelly have adopted four children, two from Russia and two from the local child welfare services.

If you have any suggestions for products or comments on how Woodwork Creations does business, let Mark know by emailing him at Ideas4Mark@WoodworkCreations.com.