Accepting New Customers

Superior Shop Drawings was established in 2018 by Stephen Newett and Walt White. In the relatively short period of time that we have been in business, we have experienced rapid growth. While this is fantastic – it does come with growing pains.

Being a young business, we sometimes face workflow problems. One month we may be so jam-packed with work that we have to turn projects away. Three months later we could hit a dry spell and be on the hunt for something to work on. During the hot & heavy periods, I think we sometimes give the impression that we are not actively seeking new customers – which is certainly not the case.

From the start, Stephen and I have always maintained a business model that actively seeks out long term relationships with our customers. We want to be an extension of your Drafting Team – someone you call when you need a hand meeting deadlines. Once and done business because you don’t have any other choice isn’t what we are about here at Superior Shop Drawings.

If you have an In-House Drafting Department

Before Superior Shop Drawings, I spent thirteen years as an employee doing Millwork Shop Drawings. For most of that time I was part of a two-man team that primarily worked on Commercial Projects. On a few occasions we were so backed up that there was talk of outsourcing a couple of projects to give us some breathing room. This, of course, lead to a little panic over job security.

In hindsight, I now realize that my concerns weren’t the problem that I thought they were. Of the companies Superior Shop Drawings has worked with over the past two-years – I’d estimate that about 75% of them have an In-House Drafting Department.

When a Request for Quote comes in from one of these companies, it isn’t because they are looking to clean house and fully outsource. They simply have more work than their team can handle and need a little help meeting deadlines. They may award us a handful of jobs, get themselves caught up, and then it could be months before they need anything further from us.

Stephen and I are happy with this arrangement. As I said earlier, our objective is to be an extension of your Drafting Team and to create a long-term working relationships with our customers.

If you do not have an In-House Drafting Department

A small segment of our customer base does not have an In-House Drafting Department. For the most part, these are smaller companies that do not have the need to employ a Full-Time Millwork Draftsman. Projects are generally on the smaller side and fast-paced, which can be a bit of a challenge to schedule.

The most enjoyable aspect of these arrangements is that we have the opportunity to work closely with the customer to overcome challenges. For instance, they may not be equipped with certain machinery and we may need to find alternative ways of doing things. This challenge promotes growth and allows us to continue learning.

Are we a Good Fit?

Now that you know a little more about us, the biggest question on your mind is probably “Is Superior Shop Drawings a good fit for my Company?“

The biggest hurdle that we face when working with a new customer is that we have developed our own internal Millwork Drafting Standards. This allows us to produce Quality Shop Drawings that are consistent from customer to customer and project to project.

We realize that this may clash with some customer’s expectations – especially if they have an In-House Drafting Team and utilize their own Drafting Standards. We’ve spent a great deal of time developing (and even more time tweaking) these standards and have used them to successfully complete projects of all shapes and sizes. You can see these standards in-use by viewing our Millwork Shop Drawing Samples. We also provide additional information with all Quotes.

As I’ve stressed already, our goal at Superior Shop Drawings is to be an extension of your business and to develop strong working relationships with all of our customers. We take a rising tide lifts all boats approach to business and want to see your business prosper – in turn, creating more work for both our companies.

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Walt White

Co-Owner at Superior Shop Drawings

Walt got his start in the Woodworking Industry as a teeneager - pushing a broom in a Commercial Cabinet Shop during summer vacation.

This simple position allowed him to get his proverbial foot in the door and choose Cabinetmaking as a Career path in High School.

With more than twenty years of combined experience as both a Cabinetmaker and Draftsman - Walt uses his experience to Engineer and Produce Millwork Shop Drawings.