Stephan’s hands have been shaping wood since he was five years old, building model airplanes alongside his father in Germany. That early spark ignited a lifelong love for woodworking—one he would eventually turn into Woodgenuity, a handcrafted furniture business defined by artistry, precision, and purpose.
After nearly three decades at Caterpillar and armed with an MSME from Rose-Hulman IoT and MBA from Bradley University, Stephan began preparing for a second act. “People were asking me to build things, but I knew I needed to do it right,” he says. That’s when he turned to the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Bradley.
A 2018 “Starting a Business” seminar kicked off his journey. From there, the SBDC became his go-to resource—connecting him with a banker, an accountant, and later, a team of Bradley students who helped build and refine his brand and website. “They’ve been connectors,” Stephan says. “I don’t think I’d have this kind of presence without them.”
Woodgenuity, officially launched in 2018, specializes in made-to-order, heirloom-quality pieces. Clients are deeply involved in the process and the result is highly personalized furniture, most notably his signature rocking chairs, that tells a story as much as it serves a function.
Like many startups, the journey has included challenges. COVID forced him to abandon early construction plans and instead purchase and remodel an existing building. He did much of the renovation while balancing medical setbacks and finishing his career at CAT. “It took a lot longer than expected,” he says. “But I wanted to control the quality from the ground up.”
Customer praise speaks for itself. “It’s my forever piece,” one wrote. Another, after receiving chairs in Canada, thanked him for putting “skill, effort, thought, energy and love” into their project.
Stephan continues to partner with Bradley’s SBDC. Most recently, Social Media adviser Theresa Bloom, connected him with a student to update his website and develop a social media campaign. “That kind of support matters,” he says. “You don’t always know what to ask for, but they help you figure it out.”
Looking ahead, Stephan hopes to grow Woodgenuity’s reach while staying true to its one-of-a-kind, handcrafted roots. “It takes time, but when someone connects with something you’ve made, that’s the reward.”
– Stephanie Bridgeman-McClaskey, Turner Center for Entrepreneurship Journalism Intern
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