Entrepreneur 18: AA LEGARDA

AA LEGARDA

Business: Dunwoody and Madison

Category: The Young Millionaire

They started as a manufacturer of natural and reconstituted wood veneer bought from the biggest millers in the US, Australia, and Italy. Then later integrated operations to include the manufacture of modular cabinet and kitchen systems, modular furniture, and fit out construction of commercial and retail structures. They also started using narra, kamagong, wenge, walnut and ash on their furnitures.

AA was an investment banker and stockbroker. He became an entrepreneur when he discovered an opportunity in the market and partnered with two people. One was an architect and the other was Charlie Dobles, the man behind Spoofs Unlimited. They called the company Legno Vero Company Inc. They did veneer panels, but in January 2001 the two decided to concentrate on their own business. AA saw an opportunity for the company to grow, and that was when it became Dunwoody and Madison. Dunwoody came from the name of the street in their village, while Madison is the name of the street where Charlie Dobles lives.

He studied the market and found that it was big but had few players. Getting funds had not been a problem since he was a banker and he knew how to allocate funds and manage his overhead. If he has to considered the money spent for the used machines, his initial capital would have been anywhere between one and a half and two million pesos.

"I learned on my own and through my associates, suppliers, and designers. We called each other  associates here - not employees - because I'd wanted to make them feel they're part owners of this company. I went with them to the job site and helped them do their work."

"The workforce can shoot up to 100 as demand increases, and I'm always excited when the employee count reaches this number because it means we employ more people and therefore help their families in our own special way."

They use local wood, but if a client requests wood that they don't have, they have to import from the US, Italy and Australia. They work with wood veneer. It's sliced wood like paper laminated in medium-density fiberboard. Pressed by a hundred twenty ton press machine for ten minutes, the wood becomes wood veneer.

Through the years they have learned to standardize their products because they believe that there's a quality standard that the market would accept. When a client told them to do it differently, they tell them the repercussions of deviating from accepted standards. Most often, clients appreciate honesty.

"I personally believe that a successful entrepreneur should always look for opportunities to expand his business and reinvent his products. It is the best weapon against the ever-changing business environment."

GOLDEN RULE: Make hiring the right people the top priority. You can't do it alone. An efficient workforce is what enables the business to produce quality products and services.