DATE: Monday, April 21, 1997                TAG: 9704180816

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: SMALL BIZ Q & A 

SOURCE: BY MELISSA GUNDEL, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   61 lines

WOODWORKING HOBBY LEADS PAIR TO START FURNITURE SHOP

Hardwood Concepts, a 6-month-old custom hardwood furniture business in Virginia Beach, is owned and operated by two childhood buddies, Chris Adams and Greg Phillips. Adams, 29, graduated from Radford University with a bachelor's degree in marketing and a master's in business administration from Radford University. The company, which specializes in entertainment centers and home office systems, has a workshop behind its showroom on Seahawk Circle.

Why did you want to get in this business?

I enjoy working with wood and I felt there was a need for the services we offer in this area. Also, Greg and I had both been doing woodworking as a hobby for about 10 years. Greg was an engineer at Newport News Shipbuilding and he worked with CAD (computer-aided design), and I was working in marketing and sales. We had an idea to launch a business in furniture about three years ago.

What steps did you take to start the business?

We started doing research - industry and marketing research. Then we put together an in-depth business plan. After the business plan, we just kind of implemented it. It took a couple of years to get everything the way we wanted it. One of the things we did was save money for three years. We also financed a lot on credit cards because it's real hard to get a bank to lend money to a small business when you don't have any collateral.

How do you design your furniture?

We use a state of the art 3-D CAD system. We can design furniture in this program and actually change the sizes, which are called parameters, to fit the customer's need.

How involved can the customer get in designing the piece of furniture?

The customer can help in the design as much or as little as they desire. The customer can choose from a variety of designs we already have that are in our system, or we can work with them from an idea or a picture. Then we can render the drawing so they get a picture of exactly what the final product will look like.

How are you different from your competitors?

The difference is that we have a showroom, where we show different pieces as well as a wall of wood. We also have state-of-the-art CAD. We really give our customer a more personal, self-expressing way to buy quality hardwood furniture. Prices are higher in general because everything is real wood. We offer higher value to the customer; it may cost more dollars but you're getting a lot more for your dollars.

How hard is it to operate a business with just two people?

It's very difficult. We work 12 to 13 hours a day (six days a week). We have to just wear several hats and be involved in everything.

What are the rewarding experiences in this work?

We love working with wood and we take a lot of pride in it. So when we deliver a piece that we put a lot of work and pride into, it is very rewarding when the customer is pleased. MEMO: To submit an idea or company for this column, fax information

to Melissa Gundel at 446-2531. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Chris Adams... KEYWORDS: PROFILE INTERVIEW

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