By Kelli Carmack
Ever since he was a young child, Jerry Moates Jr. has been in the cabinet business. His father, Jerry Moates Sr., opened Statewide Custom Cabinets in 1972, and would bring his namesake with him to work whenever he could.
“I went on Saturdays and just hung out with him until he got off work,” said Jerry Jr., who is now the owner of the Zephyrhills cabinet shop.
And, when Jerry Jr. had children of his own, he continued his father’s tradition and brought his two sons to the shop. Today, Jerry III and Allen are grown, and work with their dad in the family business.
Statewide Custom Cabinets specializes in residential and commercial cabinets and surface top installations. The company offers free estimates, and it’s not unusual to see a customer the same day they call the office for a quote.
The company is very price competitive, especially compared to big box stores, because it also is a manufacturer, which is a rare thing to find today in the cabinet business.
“The benefit of being your own manufacturer is that you can build the way you want to ensure quality, and can build to a customer’s custom sizes,” said Jerry Jr. “Plus, our turnaround is faster, and depending on the size of a job, the demolition and installation process is usually just a day or two.”
Statewide Custom Cabinets recently opened a new showroom so customers can see and feel the different styles of cabinet and surface tops it sells. Because of social distancing, currently only one customer is allowed in the showroom at a time, and it is thoroughly sanitized before the next customer enters.
One of the most popular cabinet styles that customers are buying is shaker-white, which has very simple, clean lines that looks great in kitchens, especially with light countertops.
For countertops, customers are choosing quartz, which is extremely durable, low-maintenance and easy to clean.
“Quartz is the best cabinet top you can get,” said Jerry Jr. “But, not everyone can afford quartz or granite, so we also offer high definition (HD) laminate, which gives the look of granite at the fraction of the cost.”
Laminate is dramatically different than what it used to be, explains Jerry Jr. “It is three to five times harder than the original laminate, plus it is scratch-resistant,” he said.
At the end of the day, giving exceptional customer service is the Moates family primary goal, and is why they have built cabinets for generations of the same family. And, it’s why Jerry Jr. and his sons always stay busy.
“One day we’re building something for a hospital, or it might be building for a doctor’s office, a dentist office, or a veterinarian office, and the day after that, we could be working in a mobile home,” said Jerry Jr. “It’s been a very rewarding business for me and my family.”
38535 Palm Grove Drive, Zephyrhills, FL 33542 • StatewideCabinets.com
• (813) 788-3856
Published on 7/1/20
