June 2006 - The Parklander Magazine

Text by Jim Donnelly & Photos by ImageMastersPhotography.netowners Owners of Stonewater Kitchenslearn the fine art of balancingfamily and working together.Every Day in theEvery Day in theKitchenMost women can’t stand having their husbands in the kitchen. Imagine spending every day in thekitchen with your spouse. Sounds like a plot for a reality TV show, doesn’t it? Could you andyour spouse survive a week in the kitchen together? How about a year?For one Coral Springs couple, this is a real-life scenario and they couldn’t be happier!Laurene Schwenke has worked in the kitchen cabinet business for over20 years. She learned every aspect of the business from manufacturerswho employed her, all the while making other people rich and makingherself miserable in the process. In 1998 she decided to go out on herown with no showroom, no materials, no advertising budget—noanything, relying just on word of mouth to get her customers.Pat Schwenke was in the same business, working as an electricalengineer, when they met. They have been married for 14 years. About ayear ago Pat got tired of the corporate world.This energetic and highly motivated couple had dabbled in propertymanagement, fixing up and flipping houses.That’s when they realized theycould work together.Pat believes it’s good to test the waters like that.“Because if you can’tget along with your spouse at home, how are you going to get along in thebusiness?” he says. His smile, when he looks at his business (and life)partner, tells the world that he’s discovered the key to happiness in life.“I’m lucky,” he adds.“Now I get to spend every day with my best friend!”Every day isn’t an understatement. To run the business the right way,according to Pat, it takes a 24/7 commitment from both partners.“We’vealways been pretty good friends—best friends—so we get along with eachother. I couldn’t trust anyone else more than I trust her—and she has somuch talent.That’s why we opened Stonewater.”Laurene adds that working together and living together isn’t always theeasiest thing to do but working through the issues leaves them free tocome up with what’s best for their customers. She and Pat don’t just goin and slap new cabinets down in the same spot where the old oneswere. They enjoy making a complete difference, always thinking outsidethe box and utilizing entirely different layouts to add definite drama toevery kitchen they design.“The finished product is something our customers can be really proudof when they show their neighbors and friends,” says Laurene, who’s incharge of design.When asked what was the best highlight of their year in businesstogether, Pat and Laurene agreed that a job they did in Plantation Acresstood out. Laurene remembers it like this, “It was the first time weinstalled our own line of cabinets—the Stonewater Collection.That jobturned out beautifully. Seeing our own collection coming forth reallymade a big difference for us. It really sealed the deal. Seeing the joy onpeople’s faces when we’re done—seeing that they are happy—that’s thebest thing.”Pat eagerly finishes her thought, just as in their business he sees eachjob through to completion. “That’s what makes us keep going,” he says.“When the customer is happy and thanks us for doing a good job. Wehear that quite often and we look at each other and say,‘We did it again!’”Stonewater Kitchens is located in a strip mall off Sample Road andRiverside Drive, right across the street from the IHOP. Stop in and checkout their work, or go to www.stonewaterkitchens.com.Text & Images: Jim Donnelly28the PARKLANDER