Cabinetworks Group CEO outlines ways to tackle building products in 'tariff-shifting policy backdrop'

Jeff Jackson, CEO of Cabinetworks, discusses strategies to deal with tariffs during a session at The Summit 2025.

Photo By Cabinetworks Group

LIVONIA, Mich. — Jeff Jackson, CEO of Cabinetworks Group, the country’s largest privately owned cabinet manufacturer, recently served as a panelist during The Summit 2025 in Laguna Beach, California.

Hosted by John Burns Research & Consulting on May 20-21, The Summit was an annual client-only conference that brought together some of the industry’s most influential people to discuss the current state of housing and where the industry is headed.

Participants listened in on day one as Jackson spoke during a session tackling supplying building products in today’s tariff-shifting policy backdrop. Jackson was joined by two other CEOs: Brad Southern of LP Building Solutions and Mitch Hires of Construction Resources.

During the session, Jackson expanded on maintaining a product pipeline focused on market changes, working with customers to create affordable purchase strategies that reduce costs on both sides, investments in automation for the manufacturing plants to maximize labor efficiency, improvements to the company’s team member development programs to not only find talent but develop them for future leadership opportunities, and more.  

“The recently announced tariffs will have a minimal impact on our business,” said Jackson. “While we pass through some of these additional costs, we are actively evaluating our supply chain to identify opportunities for cost mitigation. At the same time, we continue to invest in network optimization and operational efficiency to reduce costs while enhancing the overall customer experience. Our focus is on long-term resilience and sustainability, ensuring we can support our customers today and well into the future.”

Jackson joined Cabinetworks in mid-2024. With more than 25 years of experience leading company transformations, he has spent the past 19 years in the building products industry, most recently as president and CEO of PGT Innovations, a manufacturer and supplier of premium windows and doors. 
 

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).