By BRANDON LaCHANCE

Staff writer

MENDOTA – Michelle Christ became Starved Rock Wood Products’ chief financial officer in April 2022 to further her 15-year career in manufacturing.

Her position changed quickly as SRWP transitioned to new management.

“There was kind of an interim period where CL Enterprises, who is the ultimate owner of Starved Rock Wood Products, stepped in and took over as interim leader in February of 2023,” said Christ, whose name is pronounced Creest. “I took over as interim president in April, and on Aug. 1, I was promoted to official president of the business. In the meantime, I was working to hire some other executives for our leadership team.

“I’ve added Steve Parisee as vice president of sales and marketing and Tom Hayward as our director of operations. Really, the three of us, in conjunction with our human resources and finance leaders, have really been working to lead this business through this change.”

Christ replaced former president of the company, Keith Miller.

The new management team has kept operations similar but are intensifying SRWP’s reach in terms of product, range, and community.

“What it really boiled down to was, the business was not set up for the growth. We had grown to a point where we outgrew our foundation,” Christ said. “It really needed a new leader and a new set of skills in order to build the foundation stronger for the future.

“We’re now working on rebuilding the foundation to be able to support the top-line growth that we have had. A perfect way to explain the last 7-8 months is imagine going around a racetrack at 180 miles per hour. Instead of stopping at a pitstop to change the tires, we’ve been trying to change the tires while we’re still running around the track.

“We’ve been trying to keep the business moving by selling kitchens and woodwork while we’re trying to make all of these foundational changes. It’s been an uphill battle, but we’ve had some great wins. I’ve said from the very beginning, ‘I know this is hard and it’s challenging, but we’re going to look back and not even recognize who we were.’”

Christ said Starved Rock Wood Products is a different company than it was eight months ago and she hopes to say the same statement in eight more months.

Starved Rock Wood Products has three buildings in Mendota.

Most of the production of kitchen, bath cabinets, boot benches, built in cabinets, interior doors, trim for homes (casing for windows, base trim), staircases (both box and custom), and railings are done at 1501 Washington St.

Some manufacturing is done at the 1605 Division St. location including the custom department, stairs, and the rough mill, but it’s more known for the front end where it hosts a temporary show room.

It’s only temporary because the goal is to make the 801 Washington St. location the long-term showroom.

“We’re excited to have the community come into our business to know what we really do and be able to touch the product. We’ve never had a showroom in Mendota; in the local community,” Christ said. “It’s really hard to facilitate a conversation with a customer without being able to show it to them. They need to touch it, feel it, open it. What does soft close mean? What does full overlay mean versus half overlay? Some people have no idea until they can fully see it. We’re excited to be able to open our doors to the community and actually have something meaningful to show them.”

“I would love to have 801 Washington open by the 2024 Mendota Sweet Corn Festival. I would love to have people see our product. Even if we’re not there and they can’t come in, they’ll still be able to see what’s inside by looking through the windows.”

When talking about Starved Rock Wood Products, Christ gets excited for many factors.

SRWP does design work where it produces, delivers, installs, and has a field service team, which will help the builder with finishing touches.

The manufacturer employees 130 people in Mendota and the surrounding area and is actively recruiting on the career page at staredrockwoodproducts.com.

With the package of the staff already in place, new employees in the future, and a strong management team, Christ sees community involvement and top-shelf production growing, improving, and lasting. 

“What makes us unique compared to other manufacturers in the area is we really focus, at this moment, 150-miles surrounding Mendota,” Christ said. “We’ll go as far north as Milwaukee, as far south as the St. Louis area, over to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City in Iowa, all of Illinois, and into some of Indiana. The greater Midwest region.

“Our selling model is actually a direct model, which is very different than many manufacturers. We sell directly instead of through dealers. We sell to builders, remodelers, interior designers, and to homeowners.”