National Hardwood Magazine - October 2023

“We believe building, renovating and restoring should be an exciting, fulfilling and
pleasurable experience. We believe a partnership with E. F. San Juan can make dreams
a reality. If you can imagine it, we can create it. Our craftsmen, designers and sales team,
helmed by the company’s owners and dedicated leadership team, create innovative, artistic
and efficient solutions. We do not just seek customers; we seek partners as committed to
their experience as we are.”
Buddy Czubaj, General Manager, E. F. San Juan
E. F. San Juan released a short documentary film on the company’s growth, as well as introduced a web series titled
Real Wood: Crafted Stories with Eddie San Juan.
E. F. San Juan Is Building A Legacy
Established in 1976, E. F. San
Juan, located in Youngstown, FL, offers
Hardwood architectural mouldings,
millwork, cabinetry, windows
and doors. Approximately 400,000
board feet of domestic Hardwoods
are purchased annually by E. F.
San Juan. Species utilized in the
manufacturing process include
FAS1F Poplar, Red and White Oak,
Hard and Soft Maple, Black Walnut,
Cherry, Select and pecky Cypress.
With inception dating back more
than four decades, E. F. San Juan
has overcome many challenges.
Among them was a catastrophic
category-five hurricane in October
of 2018 that decimated the company’s
facilities, followed swiftly by the
By Michelle Keller
pandemic that created significant
challenges just as they were finding
their sea legs again after rebuilding.
According to company president
Edward A. San Juan, with hardship
came opportunities for growth. “We
adopted a new management method
that transformed our company
within that time frame after the hurricane.
The gains we experienced
from that are invaluable, even with
the initial setbacks from the storm.
We regrouped with our team and
considered our options. We laid out
a plan for a new building. It took
about a year to reconstruct, and everything
was laid out and connected
with all the things we needed to
run efficiently.”
The life of a tree, with each unique grain and
texture, brings its majestic beauty to every
home bearing the E. F. San Juan fingerprint.
With a highly skilled and dedicated workforce, E. F. San Juan continues
to set the standard for quality architectura l millwork in the
markets it serves in the Southeastern Coastal U.S. and beyond.
E. F. San Juan is a third-generation family-owned company, from
left to right, Edward San Juan, President, Ed San Juan, CEO, and
Eddie San Juan, production manager. (Photo by Kyle Carpenter)
E. F. San Juan was also in the process of fortifying
a new cabinetry manufacturing facility during this time.
“The cabinetry building was the only one that was not
destroyed by the hurricane, so we moved our entire staff
and operations into that building,” Edward shared. “My
dad (Edward F. “Ed” San Juan) was key in implementing
how we would get our divisions into new buildings. That
cabinetry division was something that we had just started,
and now it is clicking right along.” The division creates
custom cabinetry, shelving, built-ins and more for
new-build luxury homes as well as renovations, working
closely with architects, builders, interior designers,
and homeowners alike to ensure a smooth process from
concept to delivery and install.
Edward said the cabinetry division comprises mostly
domestic Hardwoods, but occasionally there are some
softwoods used. “The majority of our cabinetry is manufactured
from Cherry, Walnut, White Oak, Mahogany or
Soft Maple,” he said. “The softwoods we use are on the
custom end. Old growth heart Cypress is a finite commodity
in our part of the world and is much sought after
by architects and designers trying to stay as close to the
original vernacular as possible when they are designing
legacy homes.”
The third-generation family-owned company also includes
Edward’s eldest son, Eddie San Juan, as its current
production manager in the millwork shop. It’s truly
a family affair, with multiple siblings and in-laws also on
the team. Edward shared, “My dad, Ed San Juan, founded
the company in 1976, and I joined him a few years
later. My wife, Mary Kathryn, is our controller and my
brother-in-law Buddy Czubaj is the general manager.
My son Eddie is now our production manager and my
daughter Lydia is over purchasing in our cabinetry division.
I also have a younger son, Mario, who is 16 and
works here during the summers. My niece Sierra also
just finished her summer internship with us.”
Ed, at 84, is still involved daily at the company. Be-
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