This weeks’ featured designer is Harry Mangsen. He is based out of Kitchen Views’ Berlin, MA showroom. You can view his portfolio here.
Here is an excerpt from his feature article in Kitchen Views’ summer 2009 magazine. It’s about Harry and his longtime relationship with the Massachusetts-based neighborhood developer WGB Homes.
“It was late on a Friday afternoon when Harry Mangsen received a call from the cabinet manufacturer’s representative with news that a replacement cabinet for WGB Homes that had originally been damaged in shipment was on its way and would be delivered on Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. With the house closing scheduled for that Monday, Mangsen knew he needed to act quickly.
“Had it all happened before the weekend, I might have been able to ask the manufacturer to do something about it,” he recalled. “But when it comes to customers, you can’t just settle for better luck next time. You have to fix problems when they arise.”
With that, Mangsen cleared his schedule, hopped in a Kitchen Views truck and set out to intercept the cabinets at a freight hub in Connecticut and drive them back to Brookmeadow Village.
William G. “Greg” Burrill, founder and president of WGB Homes, remembers the episode well.
“In a day and in an age when quality customer service has been replaced with automated and technology driven solutions, it is comforting to know that if a question or a problem arises I can still pick up the phone and call Harry. His devotion to Kitchen Views and supporting his customers is what sets him apart.”
Mangsen adds that it helps to work for a company that supports its designers in trying to mitigate trouble, and one that has grown its reputation by setting realistic expectations for customers and delivering on them with relentless consistency.
Mangsen and Burrill both say the business partnership they’ve built over the last decade has been outstanding. “There are many details that are involved in building a multi-home project,” says Mangsen. “It’s my job as the designer to make sure all of those details are addressed and any problems that may arise are attended to immediately.”
You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.kitchenviews.com/magazine/mangsen_ingeneral_2009summer_kvmagazine.pdf
You can read the entire Summer 2009 magazine here or contact Brandy Souza with your mailing information at bsouza@kitchenviews.com if you would like a free copy of this issue sent to you.
Harry Mangsen
Kitchen Views at National Lumber
25 Central Street
Berlin, MA 01503
Tel: 978-838-0810
hmangsen@kitchenviews.com
Kitchen Views' Blog 
0 Responses to “Designer Spotlight: Harry Mangsen”