Meet Gracie Ragsdale Janda of Ragsdale in Lake Bluff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gracie Ragsdale Janda.

Gracie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My father, Steve, started the family business in 1977 as a traditional painting and decorating company, servicing the large estates along Chicago’s north shore. Over the years, he developed a reputation for delivering unparalleled quality and service. When I came to work here in 2010, I never imagined I would be buying the business 5 years later! But that’s just what happened. After the economic challenges of 2008 and beyond, the business had to be reinvented if it was going to survive. So that’s just what we did. I decided to actively pursue growing the wood finishing side of our operation, which included finishing new raw product for cabinet and furniture makers, as well as refinishing existing residential cabinets, furniture, garage and entry doors. As the world around us grew increasingly conscious of their spending and the impact of the disposable lifestyle, working with what you already had become the new trend. With our nose to the grindstone for several years, we worked to create seamless finishing processes, and with the help of a new website and social media marketing, things began to take off! Our work with kitchens soon became half of our business, quickly leading us into others endeavors such as countertop replacement, cabinet modifications, front replacement, hardware replacement and tile installation. Now we do 2-4 kitchens a month, and at our clients’ urging, have started to apply the same facelift concept to updating bathrooms. My (now) husband, Rob, joined our team about a year after me, and his efforts in the traditional painting and decorating side of our business have helped to double our staff and our sales. Our first winter here together we had 2 other employees working beside myself, Rob and Steve. Today we have 20. We like to say that we love what we do and it shows!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course it hasn’t been a smooth road – is anything that’s worth it?!? Running a skilled labor business that services a high-end clientele has enough challenges in and of itself, then add on doing it with your father and your husband! There were certainly kinks to work out, but when you love what you do, and you love who you’re doing it with, you stick at it and you figure it out. Three cooks in the kitchen can create some drama, but with time we each found the role that fit us best and have developed our organization around that. The more we are able to put the right talent in the right place, the smoother the road becomes.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, which threw us another curveball. But as it turned out, it was a real gift. It forced us all to take a step back and zone in on what really matters. Not only did we adopt far healthier, more balanced lifestyles, we realized that very few things are really that worth getting upset about. And when you can laugh your way through the challenges, they aren’t so challenging anymore!

Ragsdale, Inc. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a full service painting, decorating and finishing firm. We have several divisions, including interior restoration, painting and paper hanging, garage and entry door refinishing, exterior restoration and painting, furniture refinishing, and finishing of raw product (millwork, cabinets, furniture). We also have a specific focus on taking outdated kitchens and baths and making them new again, from modifying and refinishing cabinets to upgrading hardware and replacing countertops, tile and fixtures.

We are well known for our quality work, excellent service, experience and product knowledge. We are most proud of the fact that we have been able to achieve the success we have all while maintaining a completely legitimate and professional business model. Everyone that works for us is a full-time employee, not an independent contractor, and we take great pride in the success and well-being of our employees.

This is a family business, and that sets us apart in how we treat each other, from employer to employee, coworker to coworker and company to client. We are all in it together; how we do things is just as important as what we are doing.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
It’s a state of being, or a quality of personality one develops. It’s knowing when to be humble and when to be assertive. It’s perseverance. It’s approaching the world with equal parts confidence, curiousness and kindness. Situations come and go, good and bad the like, it’s all about how you handle things that makes you a success.

Contact Info:

• Address: 709 Sheridan Road
  Lake Bluff, Illinois 60044
• Website: www.ragsdaleinc.com
• Phone: 847-234-4567
• Email: grace@ragsdaleinc.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ragsdaleinc/
• Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/ragsdaleincorporated/__public

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