St. Louis Business Journal - May 7th, 2008
Angie’s List recognizes Saint Louis Closet Co. with Super Service Award
Saint Louis Closet Co. was awarded a Super Service Award from Angie’s List, a Web site where members can rate the service companies they hire.
Angie’s List has more than 600,000 members who submit more than 15,000 reports each month that describe the project and cost and grade the company’s response time, prices and quality of work. This recognition is awarded to companies who have achieved and maintained a superior service rating on Angie’s List throughout the past year. Less than 5 percent of companies on Angie’s List meet the eligibility requirements to be considered for the award.
“The level of respect and trust that is given to a company when you are invited into a client’s home is something that we never take for granted, so we always strive to give that same respect and trust back to them,” Jennifer Williams, founder of Saint Louis Closet Co., said in a statement. “We treat our customers and their homes with the same respect that I demand of anyone who I hire to work in my home.”
Saint Louis Closet Co., located on Big Bend in Maplewood, Mo., designs, manufactures and installs custom closets and organizational systems.
St. Louis Business Journal - May 7th, 2008
Five St. Louisans among Finalists for Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Five St. Louis businesspeople are among the 21 Central Midwest finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, the accounting firm announced Wednesday.
The finalists from the St. Louis area are: Robert Goldstein, chairman, CEO and president of Alter Trading Corp.; Rusty Keeley, president of American Directional Boring Inc. and L. Keeley Construction; Robert Ketterer, president of HDA Inc.; Clark Davis, vice chairman ofHOK; and Jennifer Williams, president and CEO of Saint Louis Closet Co.
Goldstein represents the fourth generation of leadership in family-owned Alter Trading; Goldstein’s great-grandfather, Morris Alter, founded the company in 1898. Alter Trading is the 15th-largest privately held company in the St. Louis area with approximately $1.25 billion in 2007 revenue.
Keeley heads Sauget, Ill.-based L. Keeley Construction, a full-service contracting firm with general contracting, civil, and asphalt and paving divisions. Keeley also purchased American Directional Boring in 1995 when it was a two-crew drilling operation.
Along with George Bearer, Ketterer founded Hazelwood, Mo.-based HDA Inc., a home improvement firm, in 1983.
The HOK architecture firm, led by Davis, is the 28th-largest privately held company in St. Louis with $631 million in 2007 revenue. The employee-owned firm has 26 regional offices on four continents.
Williams, who was named one of the St. Louis area’s Most Influential Business Women by the Business Journal in 2007, launched her entrepreneurial career in 1991 at age 25 when she dropped out of graduate school at Saint Louis University to launch Saint Louis Closet Co. The company had sales of $247,000 in its first year and was on track for $6 million in sales in 2007. Williams also just recently opened the Saint Louis Cellars wine store, located in Saint Louis Closet Co.’s new building in Maplewood, Mo.
The group of entrepreneurs was selected by an independent judging panel made up of regional business, academic and community leaders. They will be recognized at an awards gala on June 18 at the Sheraton in Overland Park, Kan.
Regional award winners will be eligible for consideration in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 national program. Winners in numerous national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 15.
Ronald Kruszewski, president and CEO of Stifel Financial Corp., was named the 2007 national award winner in the financial services category. Roberts Hotels Group’s Michael and Steven Roberts were named the 2007 national award winners in the emerging category.
Savvy Family Magazine - May 2008
“Lose That Excess Clutter” By Jennifer Q. Williams
Reality check: how’s your New Year’s resolution going? It is five months into 2008 and if you like most people, you are busy, stressed and have put your resolutions on the back burner. If your resolution was to get organized–as it was for many people–it is time to do a serious self-evaluation.
Organization is like weight loss: it’s not something that can be done over a weekend. Cleaning out your home once will not keep your organized all year round. Without discipline and the commitment to organization as a lifestyle, not an “organizational diet”, that clutter will accumulate yet again, and it will probably be even worse that before.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of getting your de-cluttering your home, I personally think that the best way to attack home organization is to take it room-by-room. With summer right around the corner, let’s begin with the kids’ rooms, so grab your nearest child and get to work.
Kids grow like weeds, so start by going through their clothes, making sure to get rid of the items that they do not wear or do not fit anymore; this includes trying on all of their shoes as well. Inspect their clothing for tears and mend those pieces that need buttons or other alterations. If you have a Saint Louis Closet Co. closet system in your child’s room, the next step would be to adjust the shelves and rods to maximize your space. The great thing about having a Saint Louis Closet Co. closet is that our systems are 100% adjustable, so your closets actually grow as your kids do. I have two growing children of my own, and you have no idea how great it is to not have to smash and force clothes into drawers because you’re out of space.
Organization is about doing what you can with the space you have, so keep that in mind when you start your home’s organizational rehab. The truth of the matter is that if you only have a 3’x 2’ closet to work with, not all of your shoes, sweaters or coats are going to fit. If you are able to consolidate what you have, do it. This would be an excellent opportunity to donate what you can to goodwill organizations and feel good about getting yourself clutter-free.
After seeing the results and witnessing the effect it has on your daily life, you will want to maintain that organization, but wanting to maintain it and actually doing it are two completely different things. Remember, we are all human, and we will at one time or another falter and a room or two will lose its organizational luster, but that’s okay: just make sure you identify accumulating clutter before it gets out of hand and you give up on the whole thing. The best way to succeed in keeping your spaces organized is to make it something that the entire family can participate in. The earlier you get your children involved with keeping their own space and your home in tact, the more likely they will be to abide to organization as they get older.
Remember, getting organized is like losing weight: it’s a marathon, not a sprint, so make the commitment, set short-term, realistic goals and don’t beat yourself up if you slack everyone once in a while. We all deserve a little bit of indulgence every now and again; just make sure to keep yourself in check and don’t let it get out of hand. The rewards of staying organized with help simplify your life, and we could all use a little more of that in our lives.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
December 25, 2007
Gail Appleson wrote a fabulous feature on Saint Louis Closet Co. owner Jennifer Williams and her venture into the retail wine industry with her newest business Saint Louis Cellars. Click below to read the article!
From Closets to Cellars
Relocation Magazine
Click Here to Read the Story
The magazine did a feature story on Saint Louis Closet Co.’s relocation to our brand new $6,000,000 Maplewood Showroom.
November 2007 : Alive Magazine
Business Woman Feature: Highlighted owner Jennifer Williams’ involvement with the Friends of Wings pediatric hospice charity.
November 2007 : St. Louis Woman Magazine
Williams was honored to be the month’s cover girl.
October 2007 : St. Louis Magazine
Feature on Williams’ newest entrepreneurial venture, Saint Louis Cellars wine store, which opened its doors in November 2007.
September 2007 : Wood Digest
The article featured manufacturing innovations in Saint Louis Closet Co.’s brand new building, including new air returns so the shop is virtually dust-free.
August 2007 : St. Louis Business Journal - Most Influential Business Woman Award
Click Here to Read the Story about Owner Jennifer Williams
Jennifer was one of 25 winners honored at a luncheon August 10th, 2007 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis. The winners were selected based on their career achievements, community involvement and overall success.
August 2007 : Suburban Journals
Feature article spotlighting Saint Louis Closet Co.’s new digs.
Click Here to Read the Suburban Journal Feature
