AA LEGARDA.

Through the years, we have learned to standardize our products because we believe that there’s a quality standard that the market would accept.

 
We started as a manufacturer of natural and reconstituted wood veneer bought from the biggest millers in the United States, Australia, and Italy. Later, we integrated operations to include the manufacture of modular cabinet and kitchen systems, modular furniture, and fit-out construction of commercial and retail structures. We’ve also started using Narra, Kamagong, Wenge, Walnut, and Ash in our fixtures.

Before Dunwoody and Madison, I was an investment banker and stockbroker. I became an entrepreneur when I discovered an opportunity in this market and partnered with two people. One was an architect; the other was Charlie Dobles, the man behind Spoofs Unlimited. We called the company Legno [pronounced Leno] Vera Company Inc. We did veneer panels, but in January 2001 the two decided to concentrate on their own businesses. I saw an opportunity for the company to grow, and that was when it became Dunwoody and Madison. Dunwoody is the name of the street in our village. Madison is the name of the street where Charlie Dobles lives.

I studied the market and found that it was big but had only few players. Getting funds had not been a problem since I was a banker and I knew how to allocate funds and manage my overhead. If I considered the money spent for the used machines, my initial capital would have been anywhere between one and a half and two million pesos.

I learned on my own and through my associates, suppliers, and designers. We called each other associates here-not employees-because I’d wanted to make them feel they’re part owners of this company.

I went with them to the job site and helped them do their work. Our plant is in Taytay, Rizal, where we have seven administrative and 25 regular associates. The workforce can shoot up to 100 as demand increases, and I’m always excited when the employee count reaches this number because it means we employ more people and therefore help their families in our own special way.

We use local wood, but if a client requests wood that we don’t have here, then we have to import from the United States, Italy or Australia. We work with wood veneer. It’s sliced wood like paper laminated in medium density fiberboard. Pressed by a hundred-twenty-ton press machine for ten minutes, the wood becomes wood veneer. We brought innovation to the industry when we introduced silver wood from Italy. The traditional wood veneer is cherry wood. Silver wood is the color of ash, but it’s not ash wood.

Through the years, we have learned to standardize our products because we believe that there’s a quality standard that the market would accept. When clients tell us to do it differently, we tell them the repercussions of deviating from accepted standards. Most often, clients appreciate our honesty.

My clients are designers, suppliers, and end users. It was slow at the start, but after people found out that we were good, tuluytuloy na. In banking, clients can be rude if they want to. Here, there are architects who want to let you know that they’re superior. And then there are designers who are difficult to deal with, but it’s all a matter of proving what you can do. To succeed in this business you must be hands-on, have a good product, and deliver what you promise. Clients are always in a rush, but we always get additional orders because they’ve learned to trust us. Our industry is growing. My goal is to expand capacity and get more machines, hire more people, and hit the export market.

I personally believe that a successful entrepreneur should always look for opportunities to expand his business and reinvent his products. It is the best weapon against the ever-changing business environment.

Published by: Entrepreneur Magazine 2006