Spring 2014
Kewaunee native Alyssa Meyer is making dreams come true for the customers of Cabinet Creations, a family-owned manufacturer of fine wood custom cabinets, entertainment centers, mantels, and more.
As a salesperson and designer for the Dyckesville, Wisconsin firm, the 22-year-old Meyer takes ideas and brings them to reality. “I work directly with customers, contractors, and builders,” she says. “My job is to go through floor plans and make recommendations for each room. I handle everything from design work to completing proposals and estimates.”
Meyer, a graduate of Fox Valley Technical College’s Interior Design – Kitchen & Bath Design program, credits her success to the skills she gained at FVTC. “We covered everything from how to use CAD software to the basics of plumbing,” she states. “I learned how to render 3D views—making everything look more realistic with color and texture. I also gained practical know-how, such as learning the plumbing requirements for different types of faucets and bathtubs.”
Meyer’s education at FVTC puts her in elite company. The college recently attained accreditation from the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) the premiere association for kitchen and bath professionals. Nearly 50 years after its inception, the NKBA has more than 50,000 members.
We are the only accredited trainer for kitchen and bath designers in Wisconsin,” notes Kathy McDonald, interior design instructor at FVTC. “Essentially, that means our program has reached the highest level of training standards for kitchen and bath designers.”
McDonald added that the demand for kitchen and bath designers is increasing due to an uptick in the economy and because more baby-boomers are looking to remodel. “It’s a very timely career to get into right now,” she says. “Our graduates can make quite a nice salary because their job often includes commissions on sales, customer service, and design work, similar to what Alyssa is doing.”
That skill set is why Meyer enjoys her career. “No two days are ever alike,” she states. “Thanks to Fox Valley Tech, I’m part of a process from start to finish in making homeowners’ dreams come true.”
Certified Kitchen & Bath at FVTC
The one and only National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) accredited training program in Wisconsin
3 first-place finishes from students in FVTC’s Interior Design program over the past two years at the annual Wisconsin Technical College System Design Competitions in Madison
By 2016, there will be 5 million new professional services positions in the United States, and the kitchen & bath industry is one area of professional services that can’t be outsourced or automated (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
