Dino's Random Ramblings (photo
of my kitchen at the bottom of the page)
Home of the finest copper sinks in the world!
The "other guys"
tell you to dry your sink after each use, wax it regularly and suggest you
never use an abrasive or acidic food in the sink. Come on... it is not a
car, it is a sink!!! Use our sink like a sink - no drying, no waxing,
abrasive products will not hurt it, nor will acidic foods.
My beginnings in this business...
I love to talk. Indeed I do! The folks in
the office are tired of hearing me, so I thought I would inflict myself on
you. This is a place for you to get to know me better and hopefully, for me
to meet you through email or phone at some time in the future.
I would like to share how I got into copper
sink manufacturing. I was a credentialed kitchen designer for over 20 years.
My studies revolved around ergonomics and space planning. Actually, I
graduated from Duquesne University in 1974 with a degree in Psychology. I
quickly decided that career choice would not fit my personality. You have to
listen more than you talk. As you heard above, I love to talk. Anyway, back
to my story. I became frustrated with the ridiculous sink design choices I
had to offer my kitchen remodel clients. Double bowl sinks did not make
sense to me, neither did single bowl sinks with the drain smack in the
middle. The story is a bit more involved, but I will spare you the details.
In short, I decided I could design a better sink! You see, I came into this
business with a different mind set than most sink manufacturers. I was a
kitchen designer, not a sink maker. 12 years later, I am still learning!
January2, 2012
Again, thank you all for your support. 2011 was a very good year for us.
Our business was up 17% from the prior year. It was easily our best year
since we started at the end of 1998.
I have quite a bit to look forward to. First off, I have hernia surgery
scheduled for Wednesday morning. The good news is I get a break from my
three day a week personal training from 7am-8am. This is going to be
laparoscopic surgery, so the recovery is quick. I should be back to work in
a day or so - and back to light training in a couple of weeks. No more
lifting 90 pound sink crates for a while. The ladies will have to do that
for me for a few weeks.
Have a wonderful 2012 full of joy, and family gatherings!
Dino
Just added a compilation of photos sent in by our happy customers... enjoy!
Top Ten Germ locations in your home? 1. Toilet bowl: 3.2 million bacteria/square inch 2. Kitchen drain: 567,845
bacteria/square inch (99.9% gone with a copper drain) 3. Sponge or counter-wiping cloth: 134,630
bacteria/square inch 4. Bathtub, near drain: 119,468 bacteria/square inch 5. Kitchen sink, near drain: 17,964
bacteria/square inch (Those little critters are 99.9% erased in our copper
sink) 6. Kitchen faucet handle: 13,227 bacteria/square
inch 7. Bathroom faucet handle: 6,267 bacteria/square inch 8. Bathroom sink, near drain:
2,733 bacteria/square inch 9. Pet food dish, inside rim: 2,110 bacteria/square inch 10. Kitchen floor, in front of sink: 830 bacteria/square
inch
November 22, 2011 (Latest
news)
I just created a forum where you can dialog with me and other users. There
are two sections at this time; The Copper Sink Forum and the Kitchen Design
Forum. Questions can be asked in either forum and I will do my best to
answer them. Look at our menu (on the left side of every page) for Rachiele
Forum (in blue). I have been a professional kitchen designer since 1977. I
am willing to offer comments regarding your kitchen design if you have
questions. To go there quickly,
click here.
November 3, 2011
My birthday month. Wow, things have changed in the past year. I have tried
to make this the year of tweaking the minor things. Our wooden boxes are now
sanded smooth, have countersunk screws and are made of a better grade of
plywood. For me, it would be impressive to see the care taken in making the
box that my sink is delivered in. We changed suppliers and the quality went
up and the price stayed the same. There have been days when I wonder if we
are approaching the upper limit of the volume I am comfortable with. There
are certain responsibilities that I will not delegate to others. My
unwillingness to delegate has a direct impact on company growth. At one
time, growing my company was my goal. In fact, for many years that was my
goal. A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to love what I do every day,
so I took back many responsibilities that I delegated in the past. I take
virtually every phone call and I pack every single sink that leaves here.
You might think... why in the heck would the owner of a company be packing
product for shipping??? For years UPS packed our sinks. Damages were much
more frequent, however, UPS paid the claims with no hassle. No hassle to me,
but a great hassle to our customers. I knew there had to be a better way. I
felt our sinks would ship better in custom wood boxes, with quality foam
packing. I also wanted to be the last set of eyes on every sink. On rare
occasions, I have rejected a sink at the last minute due to a very minor
quality issue. Nothing ever gets as far as shipping with a quality issue a
customer would notice, but I see things that most would never detect. My
family name goes on our sinks. It takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes for me
to pack up a sink. Some days we have 4 or 5 ready. That takes the better
part of a morning for me to handle. Hence, we are about at our volume limit.
Keeping my company small, with a focus on quality and service, is my goal.
October 31, 2011
Just returned from Connecticut where they had
the huge snow storm. Most of the State is without power. I managed to catch
a flight out on Sunday. This is a video of a portion of the drive to the
airport the morning after the storm. Beautiful!
October 28, 2011
Headed to New York and Connecticut. Supposed
to be a Nor'easter headed that way tomorrow. I guess snow is in my future. I
only packed a light jacket. Brrr. We are having a banner year, far better
than last year which was our best year ever since 1999. The word is getting
out that our sinks are quite different and have so many advantages over what
else is on the market. I am so grateful for the daily emails from past
customers, some with photos. It is a rare day that I get up in the morning
and check my emails that there isn't an email from a past customer with all
kinds of kind words. Today was no exception. "We are
both super delighted with the sink. It is a wonderful work of art. My
husband says it is like a beautiful sculpture in the kitchen. Thank you for
making us such a gorgeous sink, thank you for deciding to make sinks, and
thank you for making them in the USA."
New
Patina - Sunset. Full of rich reds, deep oranges and black. Yummy!
October 10, 2011
I miss my home office. I can't even remember the last time I worked
in there. I am always at the office in Apopka. The reason why I don't work
from my home office at all is because my cell phone does not work well in my
house. Go figure!
September 1, 2010 Still ahead of last year. We all feel very fortunate
that we are doing well in this horrible economy. More and more folks are
looking for products made in the USA.
Some of you have asked how I manage to do web work, design work, business
stuff, etc. all at the same time. Well, four 24" LED screens helps! Three
are set up in portrait style and the fourth in landscape. Believe it or not,
I would love a fifth screen!
Just upgraded to solid state drives. Man this computer is fast now! No more
old fashioned "record players" in my computer.
This is a current (Sept 1 2011) photo of my desk. Emma sleeps on my desk
most of the day. She is about 4 months old now. Notice the squirt gun (you
will have to click on the photo to see it). I used to use that when she got
behind my computer and started to chew on wires. She doesn't do that any
more. I guess I can retire the gun.
October 4, 2011. Our little baby Emma went in for surgery yesterday and
did not make it. We have been in tears for two days. She has been with us
24/7 since she was found. So sad....
A treat for your ears! The following video is Yundi Li, from
China, playing one of the most difficult piano pieces ever written -
perfectly. My father was a concert pianist from the age of 5 (and still
plays). He played this piece when he was 11 years old. He tells me
Yundi Li is the best he has ever heard playing La Campanella. (By Franz
Liszt) I can remember my father playing this when I was a child. He recently
recorded a version. He still plays it amazingly well for 89 years old!
June 15, 2011 Today I realized why I can not retire. I can't
think of anything I would rather do on a regular basis than what I already
do. I am often asked why I answer phone calls in the evening or on weekends.
The answer is simple. I love what I do. Do you remember what it felt like
the morning of the first day of school each year? All excited, could not
wait to get there... That is how I feel every day. The best part is that
there is no test at the end of the day and the food is much better than the
cafeteria at school. One more thing... I already have the girl of my dreams.
Life is good! This school is better than the last ones!
Update June 13, 2011
Found a kitten only 5 days old. Meet Emma... We fell in love instantly.
Lisa and I take care of her at the office, then take her home at night. She
is so cute!
You can barely see Emma amongst the toys and the fact that her perch is a
similar color to her coat. She is napping while we work today! (6-13-11)
March 2, 2011
So far, we are ahead of last years pace - and that was a record year for us.
I was recently asked why I am the only one who thought of a right rear drain
in a kitchen sink. How is it the rest of the industry is missing the boat.
Listen to this story and you might find the answer to that question....
For more than 100 years, the Swiss were renowned for their watch making
excellence. In 1968, they had 65% of the world market share and according to
expert estimations, more than 80% of the profits. Yet, just 10 years later,
their market share had fallen below 10% and in the ensuing three years they
had to release 50,000 of their 65,000 workers. Today, what nation dominates
the world of watch making? Japan. So, how could the Swiss watch industry be
so rapidly destroyed? The answer is simple. They were destroyed by a
paradigm shift - the quartz movement watch: totally electronic, 1000 times
more accurate than the mechanical watches - all new rules. So who invented
this revolutionary design? The Swiss themselves. Yet, when their own
researchers presented the idea to the Swiss watch makers in 1968, they
rejected it. After all, it didn’t have any bearings, gears, mainsprings or
jewels. It had none of the marvelous mechanical complexity the Swiss were to
good at. Therefore, it couldn't possibly be the future of watch making. So
confident were the Swiss manufacturers in that conclusion, that they didn’t
even protect the idea with a patent. Later that year, the researchers
displayed that watch for all to see at the World Watch Congress. Seiko of
Japan walked past, took one look, and the rest is history.
Often it takes an outsider to recognize things have changed!
January 24, 2011
We started the year with a bang! New raised panel
designs for our apron sinks, a smarter sink design with
optional cutting boards and a copper grid. All signs
point to an even bigger year than last year.
I am often asked if copper sinks look ok with
stainless appliances. All of my appliances are
stainless, my faucets are brushed nickel and my sinks
are copper. See for yourself. This is a video of my
kitchen as well as photos of my kitchen
.
Lots of stainless and the copper sinks look great!
Note copper countertop on the tallest part of the
island.
Floors are cork, back splash is tumbled marble with
copper tile accents.
Lighting imported from Italy.
Hood - still unfinished after 10 years. The light
colored band in between the wood molding is supposed to
be copper. I will get to it one day!
This is just hilarious.
74 West 2nd Street Apopka, Florida 32703 1-800-881-9044 (321-775-5844)
Fax: 1-407-386-3434 E-Mail
