According to Vice President Danny McAffee, one of the most important things to know about Cullman Cabinet & Supply is that the company is  - and always has been - a family owned and operated business.
    Founded by Robert Edge, McAffee's father-in-law, in 1947 and currently headed by President James Edge, Cullman Cabinet & Supply manufactures cabinet doors and countertops for a variety of cabinet manufacturers and distributors throughout the southeast.
    As McAffee told a recent Chamber of Commerce Existing Business and Industry tour group, Cullman Cabinet & Supply started out specializing in wood floor tile, residential doors, cabinet sets and even pews for  local churches.
    "At the time, this was an uphill struggle because carpenters were building cabinets on the job," McAffee said. "Robert Edge had to convince builders that cabinets could be built off-site."
    In 1954, after building a successful business on cabinets alone, the opportunity came for the company to expand into countertops, becoming the first company in the southeastern U.S. to manufacture post-formed countertops. In 1985, the company discontinued its cabinet line and has since focused on doors and tops alone.
    "We couldn't continue competing against the very people we were selling our products to," McAffee explained. "So, we put all of our efforts into cabinet doors and counter tops."

     "It must've worked, because the following year was the best year we had up to that point ... and we've expanded steadily ever since. We've tried a lot of different things over the years, but we've decided to stick with what we're best at."

    Cullman Cabinet and Supply is located at 1735 Childhaven Road NE in Cullman. The company has resided there since 1969, a sprawling operation that totals over 167,000 square feet.
    According to McAffee, all of the processes involved in the creation of the doors and tops are done on-site. The plant manufactures 650 laminate countertops and 1,000 cabinet doors per day, all of which are shipped utilizing the company's own fleet of trucks.
   Cullman Cabinet & Supply employs 135 persons who work a single daily shift, 100 of whom are dedicated to the production of cabinet doors.
    McAffee said Cullman Cabinet & Supply manufactures 1,600,000 feet of laminate counter- tops per year. All products at the facility are made-to-order, he noted.
    "We only build tops that are sold," McAffee said. "We don't keep inventory. All of the tops made here today will be shipped out and will soon be kitchen counters and bar tops."

     The folded laminate countertops manufactured by Cullman Cabinet & Supply are sold under the registered trade name 'Contour Top.' Over 300 colors of laminate are available in a variety of styles including the popular Contour series, a conventional rolled-edge design; the Continental, a traditional square-edged style; the Appalachian Wood series; the Venus and Saturn styles, European-style rolled front designs with 180-degree semi-circular rolling and a more square rolled design respectively; and the Bevel series.

    "There are four major manufacturers of folded laminate countertops in the southeast, and we are the smallest of the four," McAffee said. "But, we're the oldest in the southeast that is still doing it."
    "We emphasize quality throughout the process. We're very precise ... and we believe we make a better countertop."
    McAffee said major emphasis is placed on the continual maintenance and upgrade of equipment and that any expansion by the company in the near future will likely be along those lines rather than the addition of square footage to the company's facilities.
    "We have to stay on top of what's new," he said. "We're continually upgrading our equipment so that we can produce the best product possible."

    Cullman Cabinet & Supply has a large gift shop next door to the manufacturing facility, 'The Added Touch,' which specializes in light fixtures, designer furniture and other decorative home furnishings.
    For more information on Cullman Cabinet & Supply or the company's product line, contact the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce at 256-734-0454.