Joe Ciuffo believed he had a clear vision for his career as he graduated from high school. As much as he enjoyed working at his family’s cabinet shop growing up, he went to college and pursued a degree in economics with an eye on a finance career.
“I loved it growing up– painting, loading trucks, building cabinets. But it wasn’t something I saw myself doing,” Ciuffo said. “It was hard work. I didn’t think I wanted to do that.
“Physical labor scares people,” he added.
After graduating from college and starting an office job in finance sales, he had second thoughts. He left office life and spent some time searching for a new career path. The more positions he looked at, the more his family business pulled him back.
But this time, it was because of the physical challenges, not despite them.
A lifelong athlete, including during his college years, Ciuffo appreciated the value of physical endurance and how it goes hand-in-hand with the mental toughness that any career requires. “The mindset is that someone is going to surpass you. You have to always be pushing yourself to be better, to improve,” he said. “I liked making myself uncomfortable – it motivated me to break through to the next level.”
Getting to the next level meant starting at the bottom again, driving a truck, when he returned to his family’s business. And he thrived. Within a few years, he was recognized as one of the outstanding young talents in the kitchen and bath industry when he was designated an NKBA Thirty Under 30 in the Class of 2018. “There is value in working your way up the ladder because you learn about the business while gaining hands-on experience and knowledge that is vital to mastering your craft,” Ciuffo said.
“To grow into a leadership position, you have to fully understand the craft.”
Ciuffo is the fifth generation of his family to work for Ciuffo Cabinetry. Ciuffo’s great-great-grandfather emigrated to New York and founded the business over 100 years ago, making furniture and ecclesiastical wood sculptures for churches. His son expanded the business into cabinetry, and each generation passed the woodworking craft onto the next.
Today, Ciuffo Cabinetry is a full-service design/build firm, which means they handle everything about building and renovating beautiful kitchens and baths, from their custom cabinets to design and installation.
Photo: Marco Ricca Studio
As vice president, Ciuffo runs the day-to-day operations, including scheduling, coordinating, reviewing designs, site meetings, and client relations. “It takes a village to create that dream kitchen or bath,” he said, noting that he manages a staff of 40 including kitchen and bath designers, in-house finish carpenters, fabricators, truck drivers, and installers.
Ciuffo doesn’t regret his college degree, but he thinks kids should make an informed choice about what they want to do after high school.
“When my generation was in high school, it was all, ’you gotta go to college,”’ he said. “It’s not right for everybody. You can get a certification, an associate’s degree, or on-the-job training.”
How to Get Started If Your Family Doesn’t Own a Business
What if your family doesn’t own a business to join? Ciuffo hires plenty of people who don’t have family connections. Here’s what he recommends to break in:
- Get an after-school job while in high school. “In a woodworking factory, that means moving wood around, organizing it by different types. Also assisting the team, and learning on the job how to use tools.”
- Be OK with starting at the bottom. “You have to pour some sweat and tears into it. The hard work pays off in experience and personal growth, teaching you important skills and aspects of the craft.”
- Be curious and inquisitive on the job. “There are a lot of great people in the kitchen and bath industry,” who will help and encourage you, he said. As you advance, you will find true fulfillment in the lessons and mentorships that helped you build a successful career.
The two best parts of his job? Delighting customers and creating beautiful work that endures. “It is so gratifying to see a satisfied, happy customer,” he said. “It makes this career very rewarding.”
As for the work enduring, Ciuffo can still see his great-great-grandfather’s work in several buildings in New York, a testimony to both the beauty of woodworking and the discipline of work.
There aren’t many careers in today’s world that give you the opportunity to leave that kind of legacy. Whether your career in the skilled trades continues your family’s traditions or begins a whole new chapter, these jobs can be both meaningful and lucrative to those willing to put in the work.