The Costco Connection

42 ;e Costco Connection MARCH 2016

By Christina Guerrero

SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO, Ken Trabona, owner of a custom cabinet retail business in New Jersey, knew he was on to something when he began thinking of a way to sell full-custom kitchens online, even if he was ahead of his time.

“Much has changed since 1999,” says
Trabona, president and CEO of Tuscan Hills
Kitchens & Baths, a supplier for Costco.
“Back then, digital photography, cell-
phones—even the Internet—were all rela-
tively new. The smartphones that people and
During the next 10 years, Trabona
invented two online sales methods for design-
ing and selling custom cabinets, resulting in
two U.S. patents. In October 2011, his Ultimo
line of full-custom cabinetry debuted on
Costco.com; so far more than 800 full-custom
kitchens have been sold to Costco members
across the country.

“There’s no other online cabinet company that does what we do, and no one can do it the way we do,” Trabona says. “The unique way in which we obtain accurate measurements and create online designs for Costco members is protected by the patent.”

Digital designing

Trabona, who has 29 years of experience in custom cabinetry, knows accurate measurements are the key to designing a precise and functional kitchen. When he learned about digital photogrammetry, a scientific process that uses digital photographs to produce accurate measurements, he applied the process to kitchen and bath design.

Trabona then designed a website to
showcase more than 500,000 customization
options, such as choice of wood species, door
style, color, specialty finish, molding and
internal storage options. He also invented
Virtual Kitchen Design, a patented process
that allows customers to collaborate with a
personal cabinet designer online and over the
phone while making changes and viewing
their new kitchen or bathroom on their com-
puter screen in real time.

Ken’s daughter Arielle, director of operations for Tuscan Hills Kitchens & Baths, shared the first time a virtual appointment was conducted. “The member was able to make suggestions and see the changes take place in real time right on their home computer thousands of miles away,” she says. “It was exciting to see the member co-creating their dream kitchen with one of our designers, without having to leave the comfort of their home.”

Handmade quality

Ken says, “As far as our product is con-
cerned, our Ultimo line’s quality is superior
to others that you see with most other deal-
ers. Members are purchasing a real quality
piece of kitchen furniture that will stand the
test of time.”
Unlike stock cabinetry, which is prefabri-
cated in standard sizes and select styles, Tuscan
Hills’ full-custom cabinetry is built to order
and finished by hand in their South Dakota
factory, allowing for customization options to
meet each member’s exact specifications.

“Our product is not impersonal or mass-produced,” says Arielle, who started as a designer in customer service with the company six years ago. “Our product is designed in close collaboration with the people who will use it every day, to reflect the unique ideas, personalities and dreams of the member.” C

P H OTO G R AP H Y: T US C A N HILLS KI T C HE N & B AT H S

That personal touch

Company: Tuscan Hills Kitchens & Baths

Founder: Ken Trabona, president and CEO

Number of employees: 21

Address: 24 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Ste. 105, Little Falls, NJ 07424

Phone: 1-888-888-7404

Website: tuscanhillscabinetry.com

Items at Costco.com:

Full-custom cabinetry

Comment about Costco: “We’re excited and honored to work with Costco, and every day we continually refine our processes with Costco to create better satisfaction through the member base.”—Ken Trabona

SUPPLIERPROFILE

Top: Tuscan Hills Kitchens & Baths CEO Ken Trabona and his daughter Arielle, director of operations. Right: A Tuscan Hills employee works on a cabinet in South Dakota. Bottom: Finished cabinetry.