By Emily Stonehouse

When something is done with pride, it makes a world of difference. And that is what Trevor Chaulk, founding president of Chaulk, has. Pride in the company. Pride in the product. Pride in the team. Pride in the community. 

Chaulk beamed as he toured a group of community stakeholders around the Chaulk facility on Jan. 26 during the launch of the official rebrand for the company. Many will remember that the company was founded with the name “Chaulk Woodworking” over 13 years ago. Yet, as the company continued to grow and evolve, Chaulk noted that the products started to shift as well. “We had to be a bit of a chameleon in Haliburton County,” he said to the Times, “we kind of did everything, but as a result, no one really knew what we did.” 

He noted that the purpose of the rebrand – spearheaded by the Voima Group marketing agency – was to really hone in on what they do, which is custom cabinetry that is high quality, cost efficient, and prepared and delivered quickly. “We are really looking to change the narrative of cabinets,” said Chaulk, “and we want to cater to the new wants and desires from clients.” 

Chaulk shared that there has been a shift in how individuals are renovating, with customers now wanting to primarily shop online, and “do their homework from the home,” he said. The company has been growing exponentially over the years, and have steadily adapted to the changes as they come, including the pandemic years. “We took 2019 and 2020 to really slow down what we were doing, and clean up our process,” Chaulk shared with the Times, “so between 2019 and 2021, we had grown over 100%.” 

While work hadn’t always been easy for the company; between floods and a challenging chapter during the pandemic, Chaulk said that he was able to navigate around the hurdles by thinking outside the box. This included the creations of the “just in time” cabinet manufacturing, which allowed his team to keep up with demand, and effectively use the space they have to its full potential. “A lot of things were happening, things were changing, but we were always working with the big picture in mind,” he said. 

With its rapid growth and ability to keep up with the ever-changing needs of the industry, Chaulk is still expanding in new ways. “This is just what Trevor does,” laughed Angela Chaulk, co-founder of the early days of Chaulk Woodworking, “once he gets to the next step, he always wants to go one step further.” She also shared that the two of them spent a significant amount of time traveling across the country, and observing cabinetry shops from coast to coast. “It was a huge learning experience, and an opportunity for us to take what we learned and apply it to our own business.” 

The newest endeavour for Chaulk is a shift to e-commerce; a program they are hoping to launch this year. Chaulk said he notices the shift to online interests, and hopes to capture the wants and needs of those looking to invest digitally. 

Beyond a focus on their own local business, Chaulk shared that he carries an immense amount of pride for the community. “With our business, one of the big things we want to see is how much money can we bring into our area?” He alluded to the fact that it is no secret that there are issues with housing, job opportunities, staffing shortages, and consistent money in the local economy year-round. He hopes that with the continued expansion and evolution of Chaulk, he is able to support locals who want to be in the area. This initiative includes launching a hiring campaign where they are targeting anyone with an interest in working, and offering full training so that they can feel safe, competent, and successful in the world of cabinet making. No experience required. 

Through it all – the growth, the rebrand, the expansion, the state-of-the-art cabinets –  Chaulk’s number one priority is always the people. Supporting the community, supporting the team, and supporting the next steps they can take together;; that is the drive behind Chaulk. 

For more information, visit www.shopchaulk.com