Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail
Oct. 8, 2024
John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove
How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.
What lessons have you learned that might enlighten and inspire others? The best advice I ever received was “Hire happy people”. There is a wealth of knowledge to be absorbed in any specialty field. Most companies have various trainings and on boarding practices to ensure all that knowledge gets shared. But even the best trainers cannot impart the fundamentals of being happy, in your workplace or personal life.
I believe happiness comes from within and is an active practice. I became a widower in my 40’s and at the time, my son was still in high school. Navigating the devastating effects of cancer from diagnosis to hospice takes a toll. But self-pity, doubt, and negativity could not creep into our lives. There had been so much hardship, it was my responsibility to ensure he saw optimism, and enthusiasm for the life we have now. I could not dwell on the loss but chose to move forward with gratitude. I now try to carry that attitude in everything I do.
The pandemic was a prime example of why hiring happy people matters. With everyone spending significantly more time in their homes, we saw a huge surge of kitchen remodels and demand, while keeping our USA manufacturing moving forward became a challenge. The work and dedication from everyone in this organization, down to my very own team, are what got us through, and we are now stronger than ever. That hard, dedicated work had its origins in happy people coming together, and I am so proud of the efforts made by everyone to keep us moving forward.
What’s new or upcoming for Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove? In recent years, our engineering teams have put significant innovation into the aesthetics of our appliances. From a complete revamp on the features of Sub-Zero Classic Series Refrigeration last year, to the introduction of Wolf’s Accent Door Collection this year, featuring white and black ranges to accompany an assortment of knob and bezel options that help personalize your cooking appliances to your design style. Both lines look incredible, and we are thrilled to see where this will lead us in the future. We have all of these new appliances on display, so we welcome folks to make an appointment and see them in person.
What do you like most about what you do? I strongly value working for a company whose values align with their product. Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances are built to last 20+ years of daily use and the performance is incredible. Whether a customer is looking for our iconic red knobs, or the equipment to make their culinary dreams a reality, we help find the best configurations for their space and are confident in the appliances we put in their home.
What drives you? My mom instilled a great work ethic in my siblings and me. Working alongside my team to surpass expectations keeps me motivated. The Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove showroom has a hard-earned reputation in the market for elevated experiences from client demonstration dinners to happy hour for our dealer partners, and events for the designer community.
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Kendall and Susan Plank, Noel Wise, Anna Osborn, Michelle Koskie
MORE THAN 140 lovely ladies showed up at Tootsies to shop, sip and celebrate Dec My Room, the local nonprofit responsible for personalizing and decorating hospital rooms for pediatric and young-adult patients.
Dec My Room founders, mother-daughter duo Susan and Kendall Plank, and event chairs Jennifer Cope and Marie Flanigan mingled with the "galentines" two days before V-Day. After early-morning browsing of pop-ups and trunk shows at Tootsies, the well-heeled crowd strutted over to PostScript HTX, awash in pink, as always.
Here, the ladies sat down for a beautiful luncheon. At each seat, guests found a butterfly, which was raised during the "paddles-up" portion of the day. Together with an exciting raffle, the event raised nearly $120,000 for Dec My Room.
Ally Shell and Nora Jarrard
Carson Sherman, Rebecca Thomas, Lauren Gray
Tori Kuykendall, Stacey Lindseth
Charlotte Martingano, Anna Osborne
Michelle Froehlich, Diane Nolen, Denise Tinkham, Fenche Shen
Cherie Lindley, Abby Vanegas
Melissa Sugulas, Estella Cockrell, Rebecca Thomas, Melissa Juneau , Traci Young
Donae Chramosta and Donna Lewis
Marie Flanigan and Jennifer Cope
Elizabeth Abraham , Sydney Goss, Laura Thompson
Kelli Tumey, Noel Wise
Elysa Nelson, Claire Jackson, Sylvie Kampshoff
Christina Green, Whitney Kuhn Lawson
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- Neiman Marcus and Dec My Room Bring Holiday Cheer to Children Spending the Season in the Hospital ›
- Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen and 'Dec My Room' Supporters Kick Up their Boots for Kids ›
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After Multiple James Beard Nods, Cambodian-Inspired EaDo Bakery Plans Expansion to The Quad
Feb. 18, 2025
Salted Coconut Latik Ice Cream Sandwich at Lil' Koffeteria
THERE'S SOME INTERESTING news coming out of The Quad at Britmoore, the adaptive, mixed-use development fashioned of repurposed industrial warehouses in Spring Branch near Memorial.
The Houston-based developers, Pagewood and Wile Interests, have announced that Lil’ Koffeteria will be among the eateries.
“We’re thrilled to add locally owned Lil’ Koffeteria to our office community who will serve fresh and local eats and build upon the energy we’ve created at our campus,” said Randolph Wile, President of Wile Interests.
For its part, Lil’ Koffeteria is a bit of a phenom. With its original location east of Downtown, its risen to considerable acclaim for its Cambodian-inspired café and bakery goods. “Led by chef-owner Vanarin Kuch, who recently landed a second James Beard award nomination in the Outstanding Bakery category, Lil’ Koffeteria will serve a variety of their award-winning pastries, kolaches and tacos,” said a rep for The Quad.
In addition to the Beard accolades, The New York Times recently cited Lil’ Koffeteria as of the 22 best bakeries in the country now.
The new outpost is expected to open in the spring.
Vanarin Kuch (photo by Niel Burger)
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