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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Festive balloons wrapped the store, courtesy of Topped Off, and Johnny Bravo kept the beats spinning all evening long — and emceed the fashion show! It featured community leaders and Homemade Hope supporters strutting their stuff in the latest looks from Tootsies and Festari for Men.
Following the runway presentation, Johnny Bravo announced winners of raffle prizes — tickets to see Luke Bryan at the Rodeo, a Tootsies shopping spree, and Astros' Diamond Club seats were highly coveted items! More than $75,000 was raised to further Homemade Hope's mission.
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The theme was Monet’s garden and the grand foyer was transformed into a picturesque lush scene with floral archways and a lifesize lilypond painting with an archway. Dazzling guests took photos and mingled during the cocktail hour that featured passed sipping tequila from Casa Dragones — because why not?
The ballroom was as posh and verdant as the foyer with large wooden gazebos flanking the rows of tables topped with extravagant boutiques of pink roses and various hues of hydrangeas and greenery.
The Post Oak Hotel’s Executive Chef Jean-Luc Royere created a three-course French-inspired meal for the occasion including a French country salad, filet mignon served alongside potato gratin and Grand Marnier pain perdu for dessert. Following dinner, revelers danced the night away to Q the Band.
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