Frank Senior’s mark on our cabinet shop

Back when he was a student in middle school, Frank Lepori worked weekends with his father, also named Frank, who was running a busy cabinet shop out of his garage in Sparks. Frank learned the joy of building from his father.

The Lepori cabinet shop relocated to an industrial building and then the Lepori headquarters in 2012. Before Frank Senior died in 2013, he mentored many of the craftsmen working today in the Lepori cabinet shop. Stories of Frank Senior’s work ethic gets handed down to the younger craftsmen with pride. It took tenacity to meet Frank Senior’s demand for excellence. Gaining his trust and approval was a high achievement and showed you understood his approach highlighted below.

Always show up on time - This was an absolute with Frank Senior. If you could not show up on time and work hard, you could not be a Lepori cabinet maker.

Cabinet making can be fun - As the veteran in the shop, Frank Senior loved to challenge Cabinet Superintendent Kevin Good to competitions, seeing who could work faster and better. These regular duels would feature plenty of bantering. As fierce competitors, they set the bar high for the rest of the craftsmen.

Every scrap of material can be re-purposed - Frank Senior had a reputation for saving scraps of wood that others would throw away. If the shop had a gap in their schedule, he would neatly fashion the scraps together into something new. “He could turn a pile of scraps into a door or cabinet for one of his rentals,” recalls Jeremiah Chitwood, who joined the Lepori team in 2004. Jeremiah hasn’t bought a new shirt since Frank Senior gifted him a cache of more than a hundred T-shirts a decade ago. “He saved everything!”

Work hard and play harder - While Frank Senior could be intimidating at work as he demanded excellence, coworkers all knew he had a big heart. He enjoyed playing cards, throwing horseshoes, talking about sports, hunting, fishing, and playing golf. Whether at work or play, he would charge the energy of the room and banter his way to friendships.

Jeremiah Chitwood can always be found wearing a T-shirt from Frank Senior’s collection.