From garage dreams to market leader

Nestled in the ski resort town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Fedewa Custom Works has quietly become one of the region's premier providers of custom cabinetry and architectural millwork. What began as a one-man operation in founder Kevin Fedewa’s garage has evolved into a full-service design and manufacturing company employing more than 18 people in a 12,000-sq.-ft. facility.

“We are the best in town. Anyone will tell you that. We’ve got the highest quality. But the customer service is what we really excel at.” says Fedewa.

“We listen to our clients and give them what they want. I actually consider us more of interpreters than designers per say, because the whole trick is to try to get that snapshot that they have in their head and bring that out.”

Since incorporating the business in 1984, the company has grown alongside the booming luxury home market in Colorado’s Yampa Valley. Today, it provides fully custom cabinetry, millwork and carefully selected manufactured cabinetry lines for projects ranging from luxury custom homes and whole-home packages to condominium remodels and select commercial work. 

The company’s success wasn’t driven by an elaborate business strategy. Instead, it grew organically by consistently delivering quality craftsmanship, attentive customer service and long-term relationships.

Kevin Fedewa's passion for woodworking began early. After taking shop class as a child, he started building furniture for family and friends at just 12 years old. He later worked in lumber yards, home improvement stores, and a custom cabinet and trim shop in Midland, Michigan, where he built doors, windows and cabinetry for custom homes. 

In 1979, he relocated to Steamboat Springs. Initially, he balanced woodworking with another career as a counselor for children before committing to the business full time.

“I’ve been doing this for over 50 years. I incorporated this in ’84 and did this full time after four years working with the kids.

“In those days I was an anything for a buck brother, so I would do whatever came along with woodworking. At that point, I realized I wasn’t going to make as much money trading dollars for hours, and that I needed to get employees. So, everything’s been kind of a morph. Would make a good decision and then things happened. It wasn’t like I had a business plan in 1984.”

As demand grew throughout Routt County, so did the business. The company expanded beyond cabinetry into custom trim and millwork before purchasing its current facility in 2000, providing room for the next stage of growth.

Today, the company is preparing for another transition. Kevin’s son, Austin Fedewa, joined the company full-time in 2018 and now serves as general manager. Together, the pair are implementing a succession plan that will gradually transition leadership while preserving the company’s culture and reputation.

Although Austin earned both an accounting degree and an MBA from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, he found himself drawn back to the family business he had grown up around. 

“I worked here on and off since I was a kid. In 2018, I moved here and became a manager on the cabinet side full time, and it just started to grow,” he says.

Working alongside experienced cabinetmakers gave him a new appreciation for the complexity of custom manufacturing.

“It turned into an accountant’s dream because it’s all detail attention oriented. The harder part for me was learning how to do the cabinet making process quickly. I know enough to get by, but our guys are far superior,” he adds.

His financial background has proven valuable as the company continues refining operations while planning for future growth. 

Equally rewarding, Austin says, is the opportunity to collaborate with leading designers on distinctive homes. 

“We get to work with some of the best interior designers in the market.”

While Fedewa Custom Works has completed both commercial and residential projects over the years, the company has increasingly focused on high-end residential work.

“We found our niche,” says Austin. “We’ll still dabble in commercial because we have such a good relationship with some of the commercial contractors here, but our biggest market or revenue source is our high-end residential cabinetry.”

Today, roughly 90 percent of the company’s work remains in Steamboat Springs and Routt County. However, satisfied clients with multiple residences have expanded the firm’s reach beyond Colorado. Projects have been completed in Wyoming, California, Kansas, and Montana, including the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky.

Custom cabinetry projects at Fedewa are rarely quick undertakings. From the initial consultation through final installation, projects often span more than two years, and the company typically maintains roughly a year of work in its production pipeline. 

Kevin and Austin remain personally involved throughout the process, working directly with homeowners while collaborating with contractors and interior designers. Approximately 80 percent of projects involve an interior designer. 

“They way it usually works is we'll get a call from a contractor or interior designer who says they have the perfect job for us,” says Kevin.

“We sit down, meet with them and the client. Our designers work with their team, back and forth with drawings, and once we hit production, we produce everything in the shop.”

That collaborative approach allows the company to execute everything from traditional mountain homes to contemporary residences. 

Alongside its fully custom work, Fedewa also offers carefully selected semi-custom and custom manufactured cabinetry lines, allowing the company to serve a broader range of budgets while increasing production capacity without expanding its shop footprint.

Behind the scenes, Fedewa continues investing in technology that allows its craftsmen to focus on high-value custom work.

Fedewa employs 18 full-time and five part-time employees, including six designers, six cabinetmakers, four millworker specialists and five office and administrative staff members, including Kevin and Austin. Installation is handled through a trusted subcontractor. 

One of the company’s most significant investments came roughly 15 years ago with the purchase of a Weeke Vantech 510 CNC machining center. 

“That was a game changer. Once we got the CNC it increased throughput by two to three times over,” says Austin. 

The addition of a Holz-Her Auriga 1308 XL edge bander further streamlined production by creating a more efficient workflow between machining and assembly.

“The goal with managing a custom shop is you want to try to streamline as many of the processes you can for benchmen to truly do what they do best.”

Rather than replacing craftsmanship, the technology allows skilled employees to spend more time on the custom work that distinguishes the company in a competitive luxury market. 

As Kevin gradually steps back from day-to-day operations, Austin is preparing to lead the company into its next chapter.

A few years ago, when the business briefly considered a sale, Austin realized its long-term potential.

“When we got the offer, it blew me away how lowball it was. I literally just wanted to continue what I was doing and earn the entire purchase price in one year, and I did,” he says.

Today, his focus is balancing growth while maintaining the quality and customer service that have defined the company for more than three decades. 

Like many manufacturers, Fedewa faces ongoing challenges recruiting skilled employees and finding room to expand in a resort community where industrial space is limited. 

“We own this building and three-quarters of the building next door. Once we acquire 100 percent of that building, we might move the millworks to over there, expand cabinetry here, to expand our own production.”

For the Fedewas, the future isn’t about becoming the biggest shop in the region. It’s about ensuring the next generation carries forward the company’s reputation, collaboration, and customer service.

Learn more at fedewacustomworks.com.

Originally published in the September 2026 issue of Woodshop News.