As a family-owned and -operated company Jim Bishop Cabinets Inc. doesn't have stockholders and board members to whom it answers. Instead, it answers to its customers who rely on the Montgomery, Ala., company to manufacture semi-custom modular residential cabinetry that fits a unique market niche at a more affordable price.

Of course, as a family company, its executives also answer to their family as well.

It's a situation that Jim Bishop Jr. didn't expect to find himself in when he was growing up. "I had absolutely no intention of going into the business," he says, explaining that as a young person his time with the company was spent in the plant assembling drawer boxes or going on job sites.

"I made certain to do well in school," he says, noting he learned multiple languages for a career away from cabinets.

When he graduated from college, though, in 1986, Bishop found his way to an empty desk at his father's company. He planned to use the desk to search for a job away from Jim Bishop Cabinets.

The vacant desk ended up being where he would find an opportunity that suited him.

He says people would come in thinking the showroom was a retail outlet. But Jim Bishop Cabinets sold to dealers and distributors.

Jim Bishop Jr. saw opportunity for growth and took the unexpected visitors as an avenue for that expansion. He started out selling the cabinets locally and today has a national sales force of independent sales representatives.

His father, who had founded the company in 1964 after having difficulty buying quality cabinets for the homes he was constructing, had focused and was most interested in the manufacturing side of the business.

"I just think sales," his son says. So the two united to focus on their areas of specialty.

About five years later, another son of the founder, Price Bishop, got involved in the business—bringing another unique set of skills.

"My brother and I work great together," says Jim Bishop Jr. "Our strengths are totally different."

The Bishop family structured the business hierarchy to take advantage of all their strengths. Price Bishop serves as the vice president for administration and chief financial officer. Jim Bishop Jr. is the senior vice president who oversees plant operations and product development. Their father, Jim Bishop Sr., is on board as president and CEO, focusing his time on expansion and development plans.

Jim Bishop Jr. says finding the right fit for each one has evolved as they discovered how to balance their strengths and desire to expand the business.

Initially, he says, his father wanted to grow without having the company change too much, a natural reaction for a founder. But the son wasn't so focused on the manufacturing aspect and urged that growth was necessary.

"We argued it out," Jim Bishop Jr. says. "It wasn't always easy or fun, but it worked out."

He says the different mindsets also allow the Bishops to review a potential expansion or new product line from all sides.

By asking "what is everything that can go wrong," they can find a host of answers covering all aspects of the business. The little issues can be addressed upfront instead of at production time, Bishop says.

Another important question asked by all, "What are those considerations that I am not thinking of?" Through training and watching potential pitfalls, the company can head off possible problems.

Jim Bishop Cabinets Inc. strives to bring the look of high-end, customized cabinets to dealers whose clients are able to afford the mid-range price. While it provides semi-custom cabinets, its prices are competitive with most stock cabinet lines. Options include more than 28,000 finish combinations:

• Oak, maple, cherry and Thermofoil doors
• Six standard finishes as well as glazes, semi-opaque base coats, crackled and veiling
• Solid wood hanging rails

In addition to offering a semi-custom line, Jim Bishop Cabinets strives to set itself apart in the industry by offering fast factory turnaround and delivery as well as unsurpassed customer service.

In the end (and in the future), Jim Bishop Cabinets' success depends on the buyers. That's why the family commitment, the owners say, is so essential. As they say on their Web site, "It gives us more time to satisfy the most important people in our business, our customers." e

Jim Bishop Cabinets Inc. is a client of Wilson Price, which is a member of the Leading Edge Alliance.