Design Forward Furniture

IN 2017 JOURNEYMAN CARPENTER NATHAN STERKENBURG BRANCHED OUT ON HIS OWN, HANGING A SHINGLE IN HIS ADOPTED HOMETOWN OF MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA.

“I didn’t have an ah-ha moment or anything like that,” he says. “Rather it was part of my evolution as a designer and maker.”

Since founding Sterk Woodworks & Design three years ago, Sterkenburg has grown the company to support two additional team members.

Together, the three-person outfit serves design-conscious customers in southeast Alberta and beyond, producing custom kitchens out of a shared industrial space in Medicine Hat’s light industrial district.

Normally a beehive of turning blades and hammering nails, the shop is quiet the day Invest Medicine Hat visits, and for good reason: the rest of the crew is out installing its sixth job of the year.

“The pandemic has been tough on everyone,” says Sterkenburg from behind a brand-new Stallion-branded sliding panel saw, purchased with funds received from the Business Innovation Grant. “Thanks to the MHBIG grant, we were able to pivot and ride out the worst of the first wave.”

Now, as the second wave of the pandemic brings additional restrictions and uncertainty to the marketplace, Sterkenburg continues to diversify his business line, making necessary changes to remain competitive in the face of stiffening competition. 

The quick thinking has paid off.

“We’re fully booked through February,” says Sterkenburg. “Plus, we’re about half way through launching our online store.”

The goal of the website, built in collaboration with Medicine Hat’s ShopHERE program, is to build a broader audience for branded furniture and gifts.  

 “With the online store, we're hoping to reach a broader base of customers from around the world,” says Sterkenburg. “We know there’s a strong market for quality furniture that is made to last a lifetime.”

Sterk Woodworks & Design can be reached at http://sterkwoodworks.com/.