This reception desk at Sirpilla RV Supercenter in Akron, OH, features Chemetal laminate.

Mr. O’s Custom Millwork & Store Fixtures began life with orders in hand. Launched in 1976 as a subsidiary of Fred Olivieri Construction, the North Canton, OH, woodworking firm was established to provide high-quality millwork for its parent company — meeting the demanding lead times and tight schedules that clients of a busy construction firm require.

“We started out simply because we could not get enough cabinetry done whenever we wanted it for the construction company,” says Fred Olivieri, CEO of both firms. “So we said, ‘We’ll just build our own cabinets.’”

The first order 30 years ago came in response to a customer needing to remodel several restaurants in just a week. Now major restaurant and hospitality clients include familiar national brands such as Auntie Anne’s, Corner Bakery, Golden Corral, McDonald’s, TGI Friday’s and Ritz-Carlton — so chances are you have had a chance to see the firm’s work up close.

Reference desk project at the Vermilion, OH, Ritter Public Library, fabricated with WilsonArt laminates, Corian tops and 3-Form plastic, is pending Platinum LEED certification.

Since its early days of providing custom millwork for its parent company, Mr. O’s Custom Millwork has significantly expanded to serve a wide variety of retail and commercial accounts in a multi-state area. It uses the latest technology, including the Komo VR 512 Mach II CNC router that operations manager Hunter Fox calls “the backbone of our production equipment.”

State-of-the-art software helps drive production, including applications such as AutoCAD, Microvellum and CIM. But it’s the craftsmanship of the operators that really drives the firm’s success as Mr. O’s Custom Millwork provides its full-service woodworking specialties in the design, fabrication and installation of custom projects. Since clientele of national brands are demanding in their requirements, the firm is called upon to work closely with architects and builders to execute plans in fine detail.

“The diversified skill level of our employees allows us to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients,” says Russell McGill, general manager. “Our engineers, metal crafters, and cabinetmakers work in harmony to have a seamless project from the drawing board to installation.”
Areas of specialty include high-quality store fixtures, retail display cabinets and cases, showcases, commercial cabinets, industrial cabinetry, industrial millwork, restaurant fixtures, institutional millwork, hospital millwork, reception counters and nurses stations.

Mr. O’s employs 37 cabinetmakers and mill workers in its modern 80,000-square-foot plant. Its experienced craftsmen are skilled in fabricating and installing commercial cabinetry and store fixtures made with wood, plastic laminate and solid surface materials.

“We thrive on the custom end of it,” says Fox. “We have some great talent out in our shop. We are not just a box shop.”

Complex executions of projects are facilitated by the wide range of capabilities, all handled inhouse. The firm glazes and finishes its own millwork, handling electrical installations, even refrigeration on some projects related to its fixtures and cabinetry.

A Komo VR 512 Mach II CNC router “is the backbone of our production equipment,” says Hunter Fox, operations manager at Mr. O’s Custom Millwork and Store Fixtures, North Canton, OH.

As a subsidiary of a construction company, Mr. O’s is especially adept at meeting the demands of construction companies when installing projects. Additionally Mr. O’s has aligned itself with other fabricators that incorporate architectural metals, fiberglass, acrylics and leather. The major retailers such as Bath & Body Works, Talbots and Victoria’s Secret know Mr. O’s can translate their designs into profitable retail space.

A good example of the scale and geographic reach of some of Mr. O’s work is a prominent national jewelry retailer, with projects managed by Russell McGill. Since Mr. O’s Custom Millwork & Store Fixtures began serving this Ohio-based company in the mid-1990s, it has provided and installed custom cabinets and cases at nearly 100 locations. For a typical retail outlet in this chain, Mr. O’s produces more than 300 linear feet of custom showcases.

Mr. O’s ability to provide a range of services, from dramatic retail settings to restaurant environments and sophisticated corporate projects, has earned it a reputation — and business — from a wide variety of clients across the United States. Mr. O’s Custom Millwork offers the full range of services, from original design through execution and installation.

Planning partner
Dual roles of planning partner and “one-stop shop” are amply demonstrated in a project for Benihana restaurants. “With Benihana, we designed it with them,” says Neil Fritz, project manager for the account. (Fritz also serves as Mr. O’s lumber specialist.) The client would review shop drawings, then, through a collaborative process, “we would help them to value-engineer things,” says Fritz. “We are a custom shop. And we really tend to go after things that are truly unique. We are attracted to that.”

Fox says Mr. O’s works very well with architects who “need someone to . . .get the product built the way they want it to look and function.” In working with Boston, MA-based restaurant Au Bon Pain, Mr. O’s developed a wood base cabinet with an internal steel structure to support heavy refrigeration units that go on top. “Plus it had to be ventilated properly,” says Fox. “So we worked with the refrigeration company and with Au Bon Pain and came up with a design that worked for them.”