Of grafton furniture. Your grandfather was here. Now your father is here. And if you dont get the quality right, this business wont be here for you. Miami is my hometown, and its also home to over a million cubanamericans. Since the castro revolution, cuban families have come here to build their homes and their businesses. They bring their culture while embracing something that is distinctly american the American Dream. Grafton furniture is a shining example. Started in 1964 by esteban grafton, the Custom Manufacturing Company Makes everything from sofas, chairs, to tables. Steve this ones 154 by 96. Lemonis his son steve now runs the business and designs most of the furniture and is 50 50 partners with his wife, mary. Their son, also steve, is there to learn the business and keep it going for another generation. But when the economy turned in 2009, so did the companys fortunes. Steve the market was soft. Finances were really bad. Lemonis when business slowed, the company and the famil
And help his wife and partner come into her own. I know you have it in you. Aimee i do. Lemonis . Jd Custom Designs could just disappear. My name is marcus lemonis, and i risk my own money to save struggling businesses. Were not gonna wake up every morning, wondering if we have a job. Were gonna wake up every morning, wondering how many jobs we have to do. Its not always pretty. Everythings gonna change. Everything. But i do it to save jobs, and i do it to make money. This. Lets go to work. Is the profit. Jeff jd customs. Lemonis in 2009, jeff and Aimee Dougherty started jd Custom Designs, a display Manufacturing Company that handles everything from design. Jeff 26 and 7 8s. Lemonis . To fabrication. The Company Started out strong. Aimee where do you want me to put this on the work order board . Lemonis reaching 2. 4 million of revenue in 2010 by focusing on displays primarily for the cosmetic industry. But a lack of working capital has left them in a constant catchup mode. Jeff we nee
My name is Marcus Lemonis. And i risk my own money to save struggling businesses. Were not going to wake up every morning wondering if we have a job. Were going to wake up every morning wondering how many jobs we have to do. Its not always pretty. Everythings going to change. Everything. But i do it to save jobs and i do it to make money. This. Lets go to work. Is the profit. In 1979, shortly after immigrating to the United States from mexico, Gilbert Martinez opened up Pacific Hospitality design, a commercial Furniture Manufacturing Company located just outside los angeles. Ana so far, so good. Thats good. Lemonis it was a true Family Business with gilberts daughter ana growing up on the shop floor. Ana this one here. Lemonis these days, she oversees design, while her father oversees production. And over the years, theyve built big accounts with Companies Like the coffee bean, mgm, and caesars entertainment. Ana weve got to make sure that we send quality stuff. Theyre unhappy because
I gave the place a massive facelift. Looks great. Man unbelievable. Lemonis and i gave the employees a 25 equity stake. You now have more ownership and authority than he does. But after seeing real growth, some parts of the business are now struggling. Dan we have 6,000 square feet. It is not busy enough. Lemonis and the problem may just be the staff. Why does he still work here . Dan its like pulling teeth to get him to do anything. Lemonis remember shulers . A tiny little roadside barbecue restaurant in South Carolina . Norton if the fat aint dripping on the coals, its not barbecue. Lemonis its still got charm, but its no longer so tiny. Oh, my gosh. I made one of my biggest investments. Its gonna be about 1. 9 million. But now the business may be so big that it might just be overwhelming my partners. You guys have zero experience in setting up a retail store. Zero. Ibuenos dias all ibuenos dias lemonis im back in miami to visit grafton, a fatherandson furniture business that looked
Your grandfather was here. Now your father is here. And if you dont get the quality right, this business wont be here for you. Miami is my hometown, and its also home to over a million cubanamericans. Since the castro revolution, cuban families have come here to build their homes and their businesses. They bring their culture while embracing something that is distinctly american the American Dream. Grafton furniture is a shining example. Started in 1964 by esteban grafton, the Custom Manufacturing Company Makes everything from sofas, chairs, to tables. Steve this ones 154 by 96. Lemonis his son steve now runs the business and designs most of the furniture and is 50 50 partners with his wife, mary. Their son, also steve, is there to learn the business and keep it going for another generation. But when the economy turned in 2009, so did the companys fortunes. Steve the market was soft. Finances were really bad. Lemonis when business slowed, the company and the family began piling up debt